IMPROVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC FIRE-PLACES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Thomas Chappell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th March 1873.
I, JOHN THOMAS CHAPPELL, of No. 6, Little Georgo Street, Great
George Street, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Builder and
Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DOMESTIC FIRE-PLACES," to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to the construction and arrangement of domestic
fire-places in such a manner as to economize the heating power of the
fuel consumed therein and to consume the smoke produced from its
combustion. For this purpose instead of allowing the products of com-
bustion from the fuel burnt in the grate to escape as usual directly
into the chimney or flue, I provide two descending flues, one on each
side of the fire-place, by which those products descend into a shallow
chamber under the fire-grate. The cover of this chamber is the bottom
of the fire-place, which is not made grated in the ordinary way, but a
solid plate; and in this chamber there is fixed one or more vertical grids,
which are proferably cast or formed in one with the cover, so that as
much heat as possible may be conducted by them from the bottom of

page_text: the fire-grate. The hinder part of this chamber opens into a pipe or
flue extending upwards into the chimney behind the fire-back, which is
preferably made to constitute the front side of such flue.
The closed top of the fire-place is by preference formed as a double
arch in order to facilitate the splitting of the draught from the fire-grate, ||
and to conduct the split draught easily into the descending flues on
either side. The top openings into the desconding flues may be provided
with regulating slides or dampers to regulate the draught.
Smoko produced from the combustion of fuel in the grate mingled
with air entering by the front of the fire-place above the fire and with a 1
certain quantity of incombustible products from the fire, descends by
the two side flues to the chamber below the fire, where it is heated by
contact with the hot metal forming the bottom of the fire-place, and
by passing through the grids, so that combustion of the smoke is effected,
the products of such combustion along with the heated incombustible
products from the fire itself passing up the back flue and heating the
back plate of the fire. Thus the sides of the fire-place are heated by
tho descending products of combustion, and the back is heated by those
ascending, the whole surface of the metal above the fire being thus
rendered available for radiating heat into the apartment, while the
smoke is consumed as above described.
In order the more effectually. to consume the smoke a small quantity
of air may be admitted to mingle with it in the chamber below the
fire-placo; and this air supply can be adjusted by sliding or other
convenient valves fitted to openings made in the front or bottom of the :
said chamber.
Spaces may be formed between the back and sides of the stove and
the brickwork or casing, into which cold air is admitted from without,
and whence such air after becoming warmed is admitted into the room
through apertures in the stove provided with regulating valves or a
blides.