IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH DOMESTIC FIRE- PLACES FOR INCREASING DRAUGHT AND PREVENTING SMOKE IN SAME
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Russell, of Neath, in the County of Glamorgan,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH DOMESTIC FIRE-
PLACES FOR INCREASING DRAUGHT AND PREVENTING SMOKE IN SAME."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Russell at the Office
"
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th September 1880.
JOIN RUSSELL, of Neath, in the County of Glamorgan.
IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR CONNECTED WITH DOMESTIC FIREPLACES FOR INCREASING DRAUGHT AND
PREVENTING SMOKE IN SAME."
The chief object of my Invention is to increase and improve the draught in
domestic fireplaces, while at the same time preventing smoke coming out into the
room, especially when the fire in same is first lighted; but the Invention is also
available at other times when the fire is alight, as, for example, when it is freshly
coaled. A convenient way of carrying my Invention into effect is as follows:-
I provide a tube or sleeve, consisting of a frame, wholly or partially open at each
end; the opening or openings, may, for example, be complete or partial, and with
perforations if desired. The tube or sleeve is made of any desired shape, circular,
square, triangular, oval, or otherwise, and works in the flue through a plate having
an opening therein corresponding in size and shape with that of the tube or sleeve,
which latter is suspended in the flue or chimney over the fire place by chain, wire,
cord, or otherwise; it might, for example, be connected to a rod, free to rise and
fall in guides, and in such manner that the suspending medium shall allow the
tube or sleeve to rise or fall, and to retain it in any desired position above the fire-
place, and for this purpose the tube or sleeve may be connected to a chain passing
over a pulley, and down to balance or counterweight with compensating balance
chain, and thus the tube or sleeve is raised or lowered, and kept suspended in any

page_text: position that may be desired or as necessity may require. To increase the draught
and to arrest smoke, especially when a fire is first lighted, the tube or sleeve is
drawn down after the fuel is caught or lighted so as to touch the same, or nearly
so; a draught is thus created, and when the apparatus is not required for use it is
pushed up the flue or chimney out of sight, and there retained in any convenient 5
position out of the way, but ready for use at any moment. My Invention in a
modified form, and especially as applied to stoves known as register stoves, may
be a flat or curved plate of metal, placed and working in guides in the chimney,
the up and down novement of the plate being obtained in and by a chain, with
or without compensating chains (carried over pulleys) and weights, or their 1
equivalents. In this way the plate may be raised or lowered, and kept in any
desired position that may be required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Russell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th March
1881.
JOHN RUSSELL, of Neath, in the County of Glamorgan.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR CONNECTED WITH DOMESTIC FIREPLACES FOR INCREASING DRAUGHT AND
PREVENTING SMOKE IN SAME."
The chief object of my Invention is to increase and improve the draught in
domestic fire-places, while at the same time preventing smoke coming out into the
room, especially when the fire in samo is first lighted; but the Invention is also
available at other times when the fire is alight, as, for example, when it is freshly
conled. A convenient way of carrying my Invention into effect is as follows :-
I provide a tube or sleevo consisting of a frame, wholly or partially open at each
end; the opening or openings may, for example, be complete or partial, and with
perforations if desired. The tubo or sleeve is made of any desired shape, circular,
square, triangular, oval, or otherwise, and works in the flue through a plate having
an opening therein corresponding in size and shape with that of the tube or sleeve,
which latter is suspended in the flue or chimney over the fire-place by chain, wire,
cord, or otherwise; it might, for example, be connected to a rod, free to rise and
fall in guides, and in such manner that the suspending medium shall allow the
tube or sleeve to rise or fall, and to retain it in any desired position above the fire-
place, and for this purpose the tubo or sleeve may be connected to a chain passing
over a pulley or pulleys, and down to balance or counterweight with compensating
balance chain, and thus the tube or sleeve is raised or lowered, and kept suspended
in any position that may be desired or as necessity may require.
The accompanying Drawings illustrate more clearly the manner in which my
Invention is carried into effect.
Figure 1 is a vertical section through a flue or chimney; and Figure 2 is a plan
section through the line x, y, of Figure 1; Figure 3 is also a plan section through a
flue or chimney, but shewing the tube or sleeve of a different shape to that shewn
at Figure 2.
A is the tube, sleeve, or blower; B is the guide plate through which the sleeve
works; C is a grooved pulley; D, the compensating balance chain; and E, the
weight thereon.
The sleeve A is of shape and size dependent to some extent on the sectional area of
the chimney. The plate B is fixed at the lower part of the chimney, as shewn at
Figure 1, and suspended from the pulley or pulleys C by chains. The sleeve A
should be long enough to reach from within the plate to the surface of the fire.
The raising or lowering of the sleeve is effected in any convenient manner by a
handle, hook, or rod, but the examples shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are shown
provided with the compensating balance chain D, so that throughout the travel of
the sleeve only one definite pressure is necessary, with the additional advantage
of retaining itself in any position in which it is placed. The bar carrying the
pulley or pulleys C may have its bearing in the masonry or rest in chairs or
supports. One half of the guide plate B may be movable in order to facilitate
the removal of soot or in case of repairs. The action of this arrangement is as
follows:-
To increase the draught and to arrest smoke, especially when a fire is first
lighted, the tube or sleeve A is drawn down after the fuel is caught or lighted so
as to touch the same, or nearly so. A draught is thus created, and when the
apparatus is not required for use it is pushed up the flue or chimney out of sight,
and there retained in any convenient position out of the way, but ready for use at
any moment.

page_text: My Invention in a modified form, and especially as applied to stoves known as
register stoves, may be a flat or curved plate of metal, placed and working in guides
in the chimney, the up and down movement of the plate being obtained in and by
chains with or without compensating chains carried over pulleys and weights, or
their equivalents, such as springs. In this way the plate may be raised or lowered,
and kept in any desired position that may be required. Figure 4 is an elevation of
my apparatus, according to this modification as applied to the back of a stove grate;
Figure 5 is a plan. A is the blower; B, B, are the side guides; C, C, are grooved
pulleys; D, D, compensating balance chains; and E, the weights thereon. The
blower A is provided with a luga, or it may be a hole, to raise or lower the blower.
The side guides B, B, serve also to prevent the blower from being carried inwards
by the current of air as well as to make it more air tight.
When not required for use the blower A is preferably stowed away in a recess
at the back of the chimney piece, and when wanted to be brought into use can be
lowered to a level, or may rest on the top bar of the grate, or arrested at any point
of its course as may be required.
Figure 6 is an elevation of blower A in the raised position; and Figure 7 an
elevation of same when lowered. D, D, the chains, but in this case they are
not provided with the compensating balance chain, as shewn in the previous
examples.
Figure 8 is a vertical section through an arrangement of flues whereby the
current of air is brought into close proximity with the fire in the grate.
Figure 9 is a front elevation of grate, and Figure 10 a plan section through line
y, z, Figure 8.
-F-is-a-flue of masonry-or-metal-in-addition to the vertical-flue G, which-latter-
is_closed_by_the_damper or trap_H, the junction of the Que F in the flue-Gbeing
above the level of the damper or trap H to allow tho chimney to be cleaned.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is or may be performed, I would have it understood
that I claim,
Firstly. The adaptation to existing flues of a cylindrical sleeve of any convenient
shape, and wholly or partially open at either end, the said sleeve being suspended
from one or more pulleys, and free to rise and fall vertically to create a current of
air and to conduct the products of combustion through the saine before entering
the flue or chimney as may be required, substantially as shown and described.
Secondly. A flat or curved curtain or blower in combination with side guides,
the blower being suspended from pulleys by chains or equivalent, substantially as
shown and described.
Thirdly. The use and employment of a compensating balance chain or chains as
applied to blowers in order to regulate their ascent or descent, substantially as
shown and described.
Fourthly. The arrangement of flues substantially as described and shown at
Figures 8, 9, and 10 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Russell, have hereunto set_my_hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand cight hundred and eighty-one.