Improvements in or Connected with Flue Cleaning Devices for Kitchen Ranges or Cooking Stoves or other Heating Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Sept.,
1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Connected with Flue Cleaning Devices for
Kitchen Ranges or Cooking Stoves or other Heating Apparatus.
I, ALFRED WILLIAM MANTLE, of 3, Plashet Road, Upton Manor, in the County
of Essex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to apparatus for cleaning flues and is intended more
particularly for use with kitchen ranges or cooking stoves, but it can be used
also for cleaning the flues of other heating apparatus.
My said invention has for its object to provide a compact and convenient
arrangement of scrapers or brushes (I will refer to them as scrapers) whereby the
soot deposited on the flues can be readily and effectually discharged with but
little trouble and by a very small extent of movement of the said scrapers. The
arrangement also being such as to effect a better distribution of the products of
combustion around the oven or other body to be heated.
oven.
I will describe my invention as applied to a kitchen range from which its
general application will also be understood. I provide in the passage or flue
round the oven, through which the products of combustion from the fire-place
pass on their way to the chimney, a combination of two or more scrapers each
of which extends beneath and up the two opposite sides of the oven. These
scrapers are arranged at suitable distances apart, and are connected to horizontal
bars or rods exending from the back of the oven, to outside the front of the
range and are provided with handles by which the combination of scrapers can
be moved to and fro. The flue or passage round the sides and bottom of the
oven is, by the scrapers thus arranged, divided into two or more passages or
flues, according to the number of scrapers employed, whereby the heated products
of combustion are more equally distributed over the whole of the surface of the
The several passages thus formed lead to a chamber at the back of the
range which chamber communicates with the chimney, the forward scraper or
scrapers being of a height to allow of the passage of the said products over them
or being provided with openings for this purpose. In the bottom of the flue
beneath the oven, openings are provided for the discharge of the soot, there being
one such soot discharge opening for each of the combination scrapers, so that
to discharge the soot from the flue the scrapers only require to be moved a
distance equal to the distance between two scrapers which distance will be
greater or less according to the number of scrapers used in the combination.
The scrapers are preferably povided with loosely attached plates which are capable
of yielding to any unevenness of the surface over or along which they are caused
to travel. The soot discharge openings may be provided with bars or grids and
each be fitted with corresponding sliding bars or grids so as to form hit and
miss" valves, the said sliding bars or grids being each provided with projections,
with which projections on some part, moving with the scrapers, come into contact
to open the said valves when the scrapers are moved forward, and close the said
valves when the scrapers are moved back. Instead of "hit and miss" valves the

page_text: scrapers may each be provided at its lower end with a flange which when the
scrapers are in their normal position cover and close the soot discharge openings,
the said flanges uncovering the said openings when the scrapers are moved for-
ward to discharge the soot. Or the discharge openings may be provided with
counterbalanced hinged doors which can be opened by the scrapers as they are
moved forward to discharge the soot, the said doors closing automatically when
the scrapers are moved into their normal position.
Generally the foremost opening will be provided with such a counterbalanced
hinged door. When a flange is used on the scraper or scrapers, the rearmost
scraper which is at the back of the flue when in normal position requires of
course no flange.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will describe with
reference to the accompanying drawings manners in which it may be performed.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a kitchen range provided with flue cleaning and
soot discharging devices according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same.
Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line 3-3 Figure 2.
Figure 4 a horizontal section on the line 4-4 Figure 2.
Figure 5 a horizontal section on the line 5-5 Figure 2, and
Figure 6 a transverse vertical section, through the oven, showing a modifica-
tion of the scrapers and soot discharge openings.
A is the fire place the back and sides of which are formed by the inner wall
of a boiler B which is shaped somewhat like the letter U placed in a horizontal
position. C. is the ash pit or pan beneath the fire place, and D is a chamber
or hot closet beneath the ash pit. E is the oven, to the flue surrounding which,
my improved cleaning device is shown applied. The heated products of com-
bustion from the fuel, in the fire place A, pass over the top of the oven and down
the flue a at the side of the oven, furthest from the fire place, thence beneath
the bottom of the oven and up the side of the oven which is nearest the fire place,
into a chamber F at the back of the boiler B which chamber communicates with
the chimney G. In this flue or passage a I provide scrapers H of approximately
Ushape conforming to the direction of the flue a, and preferably provided with
plates loosely attached to the body H of the scraper so as to admit of yielding
to any unevenness of the surface against which they may come into contact.
Any desired number of these scrapers may be provided (three are shewn in the
drawings) they being connected to bars or rods I arranged in pairs on the
opposite sides of the oven, the said bars extending from the back of the range
through openings in the front of the range. The two bars or rods I on each side
of the oven are connected together outside the front of the range by rods K
constituting handles by which the scrapers can be moved to and fro in the flue a.
The innermost scraper H is secured to the inner ends of the bars or rods I and
when in its normal position is situated close to or near the back plate of the
range. The scrapers which are preferably arranged at equal distances apart
divide the flue a into separate channels or smaller flues as shewn in Figure 4
whereby the heated products of combustion from the fire place A are more
equally distributed over the whole surface of the oven. Openings L corre-
sponding in number to the number of scrapers, are provided in the bottom plate
of the flues a beneath the bottom of the oven, through which openings the soot
is discharged. The openings L. one of which is situated immediately behind the
front plate of the range, extend from one side to the opposite side of the oven as
shewn in Figure 5, and as shewn in Figure 2, these openings are in the form of
grids or provided with bars 7 in contact with the upper surface of which, are
fitted to slide corresponding grids M thereby constituting "hit and miss" valves.
When the scrapers are in their normal position the bars of the sliding grids or
valves cover the spaces between the grids or bars so as to exclude cold air from
the flue . On the sliding grids or. valves M are projections n, n' and on the
lowermost bar of each pair of bars I are curved projections o, o¹, arranged so that

page_text: "
when the scrapers are moved forward to discharge the soot the projections o
come into contact with the projections n, on the moveable members M of the
hit and miss" valves, and open the valves to admit of the soot passing through
into a tray or receptacle P below. When the scrapers are returned to their
normal position the projections o' come into contact with the projections n¹ so
as to close the "hit and miss" valves. It will be seen that the extent of move-
ment of the scrapers necessary to effect the discharge of the soot from the whole
surface of the flue, is only equal to the distance between two of the soot discharge
openings L.
In the modification illustrated in Figure 6 the lower portion of the scrapers H
(except the rearmost one) are formed or fitted with flanges h which in the normal
position of the scrapers cover the soot discharge openings L except that situated
immediately behind the front plate of the range, which latter opening is pro-
vided with a flap or door L' opening downwards and normally maintained closed
by a counter weight 1. Projecting up from the flap or door L¹ are lugs 12 against
which, when the scrapers are moved forward, the foremost scraper H comes into
contact, so as to open the said flap or door to admit of the soot being discharged
through the opening L. If desired all the openings L may be provided with self
closing flaps or doors such as described, in which case the flanges h on the scrapers
may be dispensed with.
Although I have described my invention as applied to the flues surrounding
the ovens of kitchen ranges, it is to be understood that it is equally applicable to
other flues, the scrapers being made of a shape to conform to the flue to which
they are to be applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is:-
1. A device for cleaning the flues of kitchen ranges or cooking stoves or other
flues the said device consisting of a combination of two or more scrapers arranged
at distances apart one behind another and connected so that the said scrapers can
be moved to and fro in the flue; and soot discharge openings in the flue in
number corresponding to the number of scrapers so that by a mvement of the
combination of scrapers, of less extent than the depth or length of the flues
the soot can be cleared and discharged from the whole of the flue as herein before
explained.
2. A device for cleaning flues, the said device consisting of a combination of
two or more scrapers arranged at distances apart one behind another and con-
nected to rods or bars by means of which the scrapers can be moved to and fro
in the flue with hit and miss valves in the flue in number corresponding to the
number of scrapers and means for operating the moveable members of the hit
and miss valves by the movement of the scrapers so as to open and close the said
valves substantially as herein before described.
3. A device for cleaning flues, the said device consisting of a combination of
two or more scrapers arranged at distances apart one behind another and con-
nected to rods or bars by which the said scrapers can be moved to and fro in
the flue, with openings in the flue in number corresponding to the number of
scrapers through which openings soot is discharged by the scrapers and flanges
on the scrapers which cover the opening in the flue when the scrapers are in
their normal position substantially as herein before described.
4. A device for cleaning the flues of kitchen ranges or cooking stoves the said
device consisting of the combination of two or more scrapers each scraper being
shaped so as to extend up the two sides and along the bottom of the oven the said
scrapers being arranged at suitable distances apart and connected to bars or rods
whereby the scraper can be moved to and fro in the flue, and openings in the
part of the flue which is beneath the oven, through which openings, soot is dis-

page_text: charged, by the movement of the scrapers to a distance equal to the distance
between two contiguous scrapers substantially as herein before described.
5. The combination with the flues of kitchen ranges or other heating apparatus,
of scrapers and means for moving them to and fro in the flue, openings in the
flue through which soot is discharged by the movement of the scrapers, counter-
balanced doors which normally close the openings in the flue and means for
opening the said door by the forward movement of the scrapers substantially as
.herein before described.
1969
6. The combination with the flues of ranges, cooking stoves, or the like of the
device herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompany-
ing drawings.
7. The combination with the flues of ranges cooking stoves and the like of the
device herein before described and illustrated in Figure 6 of the accompanying
drawings.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.