Improvements in or appertaining to Cocks or Taps applicable for Domestic Purposes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 12th Oct., 1895-Accepted. 23rd Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Cocks or Taps applicable for
Domestic Purposes.
I, HENRY GARDNER of 21, Benson Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Builders' Material Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
:-
This invention has for its object an arrangement whereby pipes are prevented
from freezing during frost, also whereby a constant supply of water can he
obtained in an emergency when required even though the water be shut off from
the house, and whereby the deleterious effects of water remaining in the pipes are
obviated.
In carrying my invention into effect, the plan 1 prefer is to provide a cock on
the water supply pipe at its entrance into the house. This cock is specially
constructed, being arranged with a nozzle and having its valve plug formed so
that it will admit water for, or shut it off from, the service of the house, or discharge
water through the nozzle, either from the main or from the pipes in the house as
required, these various results being obtained by the use of a specially arranged
plug, thus during frost at night the water from the main can be entirely cut off and
then by means of the nozzle aforesaid or by means of the domestic taps in the
house, the whole of the pipes can be emptied of their contents so as to render it
impossible for any freezing to take place. In the morning the water can be simply
turned on again.
In case of fire or other emergency, a hose can be screwed onto the nozzle, and
water can be drawn therefrom without admitting water to the house, thus entirely
removing any possible objection to having the pipes and cistern empty, as by my
arrangement water can be obtained from the nozzle. In some cases one of these
cocks can be placed on the second or third floor, and so arranged that it can be
easily detached by a specially arranged coupling. In this case two taps would be
required, one at the supply side and the usual domestic tap in the basement as
close to the wall as possible. The coupling aforesaid may be applied also in other
positions.
Dadh cit
n
100-
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Cocks or Taps applicable for
Domestic Purposes.
I, HENRY GARDNER, of 21, Benson Street, Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Builders' Material Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention has for its object an arrangement whereby pipes are prevented

page_text: from freezing during frost, also whereby a constant supply of water can be
obtained in an emergency when required even though the water be shut off from
the house, and whereby the deleterious effects of water remaining in the pipes are
obviated.
In carrying my invention into effect, I provide a cock on the water supply pipe
at its entrance into the house. The construction of the cock will be understood
from the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figures 1 and 2 are an elevation and plan view respectively of my improved
cock;
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 views of the cock with the plug in different positions.
In these figures, A is the passage leading from the supply, B the passage leading
to the delivery, and C a nozzle or branch. D is the valve plug formed with three
ports, a b and c, and with a handle for rotating it, the ports a b and c and the
passages A, B and C being so arranged in relation to each other that by turning
the plug into the position shown in Figure 3, it will admit water from the supply A
to the delivery B for the service of the house, by turning it into the positions
shown respectively in Figures 4, 5 and 7 water will be admitted from the supply A
to the nozzle C, from the delivery B to the nozzle C, and from the supply to both
nozzle and delivery simultaneously. By turning it into the positions shown in
Figure 6 all three passages A B and C will be cut off.
A handle E is provided with means for indicating the direction of the flow of
the water.
The best way known to me of doing this is to form the handle with
three arms.
Two of the arms, which are marked "M" and "H" (meaning main
and house or they might if desired be marked "S" and "D," supply and delivery)
correspond respectively with the ports a and b, while the other arm,. which is
marked with the word "Off" is on the opposite side of the plug to the port c.
Thus if it is desired to turn the plug into the position shown in Figure 3, the
handle is turned into the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 which indicates at once
that passage C is cut off and the supply A and delivery B open, so that the
water will flow direct from the main to the house. On the other hand if the
handle be turned so that the arm marked "Off" points in the direction of delivery
passage B, the plug will be in the position shown in Figure 4 with the delivery
pipe shut off and the supply running to waste. Thus for example during frost. at
night the water from the supply pipe can be entirely cut off, and then by means of
the nozzle C the house pipes can be emptied of their contents so as to render it
impossible for any freezing to take place, this result being obtained by turning
the plug into the position shown in Figure 5. In the morning the water can
simply be turned on again by turning the plug, into the position shown in
Figure 3.
In the case of fire or other emergency, or when it is desired to flush or cleanse w.c.
bath, drains, pipes etcetera a hose can be screwed on the nozzle C, the plug turned
in the position shown in Figure 4, and water drawn from A. without emptying the
water from the house pipes, thus removing any possible objection to having the
pipes and cistern empty. On the body of the cock I provide a small lip which
may be marked with the word "All" and when the handle is turned so that the
arm marked "Off" coincides with this lip, it will indicate that all the passages
are closed, and the plug is in the position shown in Figure 6. By my arrangement
of plug, I obviate the shock or so called "water hammer" so objected to which
usually took place in the old fashioned stop cock when the water was shut off.
In some cases, one of these cocks can be placed on the second or third floor,
and so arranged that it can be easily detached by a specially arranged coupling.
In this case two taps would be required, one at the supply side and the usual
domestic tap in the basement as close to the wall as possible. The coupling afore-
said may be applied also in other positions. Or one of my cocks can be placed at
the chimney breast on the pipe leading from or to the high pressure boiler and in
the event of the pipes freezing the nozzle C can be used (as a safety valve for
steam or for feeding the boiler while the frost lasts.

page_text: My improved cock may be used with great advantage in the case of beer pumps
for refreshment bars, passage A leading to the beer cask, passage B to the pump
and passage C to drain pipes.
Thus, during the daytime when the beer is required to be drawn, the plug is
turned into the position shown in Figure 3, while at the end of the day, it is
turned into the position shown in Figure 5, so that the beer in the delivery pipes
can be drawn off and leave the pipes quite empty. A hose can be then screwed
on the nozzle C to thoroughly wash the pipes out. The holes in the passage A
shown in Figure 1 are adapted more especially for cocks used for the purpose
of drawing beer from casks. When used for water pipes these holes are of course
omitted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improvement in taps or cocks, which consists in forming the rotatable
plugs thereof with three ports, and the shell in which the plug rotates with three
passages, these passages being arranged in such a manner that by turning the plug
into given positions the fluid may be directed either direct from the supply to
the delivery, direct from the delivery to branch, direct from supply to branch or
direct from supply to both delivery and branch simultaneously, or all the passages
completely closed, substantially as described.
2. In cocks or taps of the kind described, forming the plug with a handle having
means, substantially as set forth, whereby the direction of the flow of the liquid is
indicated.
3. The general combined arrangement or construction of parts forming my
improved cock or tap substantially as described.
Dated this 10th dox of October 1805