Improvements in Apparatus for Collecting Clear Rain Water from Roofs and other Places while Allowing the First Washings to Escape.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 8th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 19th Jan., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Collecting Clear Rain Water from
Roofs and other Places while Allowing the First Washings to
Escape.
1, JOHN WALTER GIBBS of 27 South John Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Ventilating Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention has for its object an arrangement of apparatus whereby the first
washings from the roof shall run to waste, and the remaining water shall be
automatically turned into a cistern.
My invention consists essentially in having a spout from the roof with an
arrangement whereby the water from that spout shall at first run into the waste
pipe until a certain vessel is filled from a specially arranged leakage or otherwise.
Then the water shall be automatically turned and flow into the cistern pipe.
One very simple method of doing this is to place a slightly leaky cistern on a
balance and having a conveying spout arranged on a pivot conveying the water
from the roof to this slightly leaky cistern. When the cistern fills so as to over-
balance it ascends, and with it, brings the conveying spout out of connection with
the rain water. The rain water now falls into the cistern pipe and this continues
until in process of time the water running out of the cistern allows it to again rise
to its normal position and set the spout. In this case there must always be a small
leak from the rain spout into the leaky cistern so as to keep the cistern full until
the rain has ceased. This plan is rather cumbersome.
Another consists in having a ball-cock in the leaky cistern, whereby the
conveying spout is raised out of gear when the cock rises sufficiently. The
disadvantage of this plan however is that the action only takes place slowly and
part of the time some of the rain is running into the cistern, whilst another large
quantity is running to waste. The system I have preferably adopted therefore is
something on the plan of the first mentioned device.
The rain spout from the roof has a curved end. Immediately below this curved
end a pivoted horizontal spout or scoop is placed. This spout or scoop contains
sieves to catch leaves. To this spout is suspended a vessel having a syphon
therein. On the other end nearest the spout a sieve is attached in such a manner
that when the oscillating trough is oscillated out of position the sieve comes
immediately under the rain spout and thus separates all leaves etc., whilst allowing
the water to fall into the cistern. Considerably below the rain spout is a large
funnel ending in the spout leading to the cistern. In this funnel I preferably place
two or three sieves of increasing fineness with handles for easily raising them out
of gear. The whole apparatus is surrounded by a cylindrical or other box having
lids for getting at the apparatus.
The mode of action is as follows:-
When
A rain storm coming on the rain passes along the horizontal spout and through
the sieves therein and runs to waste. The regulated quantity however from the
spout runs into the suspended vessel by means of a small tube or leak.
the suspended vessel becomes heavy enough to overbalance the horizontal trough
or conveyor on its pivots, the horizontal conveyor kicks up, and the vessel descends.
The sieve, instead of the horizontal conveyor, comes immediately under the rain

page_text: spout, and the water now all falls into the funnel with the exception of a slight
trickle, which keeps the suspended vessel full, notwithstanding that there is a slight
runnel continually coming from it through a syphon therein. As long therefore
as the rain continues the vessel will remain full, and all the water except a slight
runnel, will run to the cistern. When however the rain ceases the water in the
suspended vessel will continue to run out through the syphon until the vessel is
nearly emptied when the horizontal trough will again overbalance and resume its
original position, the water in the suspended vessel continuing to escape by the
syphon will in time empty itself. The waste water escape opens out from the
bottom of the containing vessel or cylinder.
In thus describing my apparatus I do not bind myself to suspending the syphon
vessel from the trough as I am well aware that various other methods can be
arranged for causing the horizontal trough to suitably overbalance. Furthermore
although I have spoken of a horizontal, trough it is obvious that the same can be
inclined to any desirable angle.
Dated this 19th day of April 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Collecting Clear Rain Water from
Roofs and other Places, while Allowing the First Washings to
Escape.
I, JOHN WALTER GIBBS of 27 South John Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Ventilating Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
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 of apparatus for collecting rain
water, whereby the first washings from the roof shall run to waste, and the
remaining water shall be automatically turned into a cistern.
My invention consists essentially in having a spout from the roof with an
arrangement whereby the water from that spout shall at first run into the waste
pipe until a certain vessel is filled from a specially arranged leakage or otherwise.
Then the water shall be automatically turned and flow into the cistern pipe.
This will be best understood by referring to the accompanying drawing, in
which
Figure 1 is a vertical section and
Figure 2 a side elevation partly in section of my improved apparatus.
A
In these, A is a cylindrical casing having inlets B, either of which can be used,
to suit the connections, also outlets C and D, the former being for the pure water
and the latter for the foul water. E is a trough or conveyor adapted under
certain conditions hereinafter described to oscillate on knife edges F, but to rest
normally in the position shown in the drawing. This trough or conveyor contains
removable sieves G and H, the lower one H having finer meshes than the upper.
one G, and furthermore it contains a strainer I, which is preferably fixed.
small portion of the water passes through this strainer and issues through a
slit k in the plate K and enters the receptacle J hereinafter described. This plate K
is made to slide in a seating so that it can be readily removed and another plate
with a larger or smaller slit, substituted for it, and by means of which the time
occupied in the passage of sufficient water to tilt the trough E can be varied to
suit different localities where the apparatus, may be used and moreover the slit is
preferably conical, the widest part being uppermost so that in proportion as the

page_text: vater rises in the strainer the faster will it escape. The aforementioned receptacle J
3 suspended from the trough or conveyor E as shown at L on the drawing and is
provided with a leakage, or a syphon may sometimes be used. This leakage
consists as shown in Figure 2 of a strainer M terminating at its lower end in a
ube m, having a small aperture m¹. N is a removable hood or casing provided
with a slit n through which latter the water passes to the strainer M and
aperture m' thereby preventing the said aperture from becoming choked with
lirt. O is another sieve in the trough or conveyor E so arranged that when the
same is tipped in a manner hereinafter described the sieve will come immediately.
P is a
under the spout b and divert the course of the water into another channel.
trough leading to the outlet C into which trough the pure rain water runs after
having passed through sieves O, Q, R. These two latter are removable through a
door S in the casing A.
The mode of action is as follows:-
A rain storm coming on, the rain carrying with it the dirt, dust, and soot
washed from the roof, passes along one of the inlet pipes B and through the
The bulk of the
spout 6 and thence into the trough E as indicated by the arrows.
water passes through the sieves G and H and out at the end of the trough into
the casing A whence it flows to waste through the pipe D, the aforementioned
A small quantity
sieves catching any leaves and directing them down the waste.
however of water, regulated as before mentioned by the slotted plate K passes
through the tube and runs into the suspended vessel J in somewhat greater
quantity than can escape by m', until the vessel becomes heavy enough to over-
balance the trough or conveyor E. The latter then turns on its pivots until the
sieve O instead of the sieves G and H comes immediately under the spout b and
the water which is now comparatively clean all falls through sieves Q and R into
the receptacle P and outlet C with the exception of a slight trickle down the
tube T which keeps the suspended vessel J full, notwithstanding that there is a
slight runnel continually coming from it through the aperture m¹. As long
therefore as the rain continues, the vessel J will remain full and all the water
except a slight runnel will run to the cistern. When however the rain ceases the
water in the suspended vessel J will continue to run out until the latter is nearly
emptied when the trough E will again overbalance and resume its original position,
the water in the suspended vessel continuing to escape will in time empty itself.
In frosty weather the trough or conveyor E will be fixed in the position shown on
the drawing by means of a wedge, bolt, or any other device. This improved
apparatus is simple, having few working parts and compact, all the parts being
enclosed in a cylindrical casing, and it has this further advantage that the parts
can be readily removed, the suspended vessel J and trough E being removed
through a cut away portion U of the casing, which cut away portion can have a
hinged glass door which serves to keep out the dust and also allows a person to see
the working parts.
Another novel and valuable point in my invention is that entirely different sieves
are used for the pure water from those used for the impure, and thus the after
5 water is kept quite clear from the contaminations of the first flush. The position,
too, of pipe T with its orifice immediately below the drip is a valuable point. As,
for some time after a shower or a lull in a storm, the roof drips a little and all
this drip, when slight, falls into spout T, thus the vessel J is kept filled for a con-
siderable period after the shower, and thus, if it recommence during that period,
O all the water is saved. The whole apparatus being placed in a single cylindrical
case is very compact and is less easily put out of order.
With reference to the slotted plate K used to regulate the quantity of water
allowed to enter the balanced tank, in which the slot is very narrow at the bottom
but wider at the top and specially protected by a fine screen, the object of this
5 arrangement is as follows:-
If a very fine rain fall, of such a nature as only to cause a slight trickle and
thus not cleanse the roof speedily, the water cannot pass from the tipping spout

page_text: into the bottom part of the slit sufficiently fast to overcome loss at m³, the
remaining water passing to waste, such slight showers therefore do not run into the
cistern supply. If, however, the water passing along spout E is greater, it rises
higher in the spout and a greater quantity passes through the slot, as not merely
the narrow bottom part but the broader top part is used to pass the water and the
apparatus soon tips."
Another specially valuable part of my invention is the arrangement of sieves,
whereby the strainer I is prevented from stopping up, and the sieves Q and R can
at once be got at from the outside for cleaning. Also, the sieves all point
downward toward the waste and so are practically self-cleaning.
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 improved arrangement of apparatus for collecting rain water substan-
tially as herein described and shown on the accompanying drawing, whereby the
first washings from roofs and other like places are run to waste and the remaining
water strained without any contamination from the said washings and supplied to
a cistern.
2. In an apparatus for separating the first washings of roof water and the like
from the clear water, the arrangement of a tipping spout having separate passage
and sieves for the clear water from that used for the foul water.
3. The improved apparatus for and method of regulating the quantity of water
entering the balanced tank in a given time, in which a slot or opening, narrow at
the bottom but wider at the top, is used, protected by a fine sieve, whereby, when
only slight showers fall, the water does not rise in the spout sufficiently high to
pass rapidly enough into the balance tank to overcome the leakage, but the heavier
the shower, the more quickly the overbalancing is accomplished and that in fairly
accurate proportion to the heaviness of the rainfall, thus preventing unnecessary
waste.
Dated thie 7th day of December 1801
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, and London,
Patent Agents.