IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUSHING TANKS OR CISTERNS
Year: 1884

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I, FREDERICK WILLIAM TURNER, of Ridgmont House, in the City of St. Albans,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FLUSHING TANKS OR CISTERNS to be as follows:-
"
כ' :
My Invention relates to flushing tanks or cisterns, chiefly designed to be used.in
connection with water-closets or urinals.
The object of my said invention is to provide improved means whereby the
whole, or nearly the whole, of the liquid in a flushing tank or cistern will.bé
caused to flow down the flushing pipe, when the valve is opened, without the
necessity for keeping the said valve open.
In carrying my said invention into practice, I form in the shell or body of the
tank or cistern at either side or end thereof two ports or passages. One of these
ports or passages communicates with the interior of the tank or cistern near the
bottom thereof, while the other communicates at its upper end with the first
named port, or passage, and with the flushing pipe and also with the lower end of a
valve-box formed at the bottom of the tank. At the top of this, valve-box is
provided a seat for a valve, which is operated by hand through a lever and chain
or otherwise.
.
The water is admitted to the tank, and the level of the same therein regulated,
by means of an ordinary ball-cock as will be readily understood.
When the said valve is slightly raised from its seat so as to permit a portion of
the water above it to enter the valve-box and flushing pipe, and the valve is then
allowed to close, the water thus admitted into the flushing pipe flows down the
same and by its weight creates a partial vacuum in the outer port or passage; the
water is, therefore, forced from the tank, by atmospheric pressure, up the inner port
or passage and over the partition between the said ports or passages, that is to
say, the two ports or passages in combination with the flushing pipe act like a
siphon, and the water continues to flow until the level in the tank is lowered to
the bottom of the said partition.
J
My apparatus presents the following advantages viz., first, the whole of the
water-passages are formed in the shell or body of the tank, thus dispensing with
joints; secondly, the bells and pipes hitherto used in the interior of the flushing
tanks are dispensed with and more space is thus obtained for the fitting, and free
action, of the ball and cock, and the removal of any filth accumulating in the bottom
of the tank is facilitated.

page_text: I, FREDERICK WILLIAM TURNER, of Ridgmont House, in the City of St Albans,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FLUSHING TANKS OR CISTERNS" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to flushing tanks or cisterns, chiefly designed to be used in
connection with water-closets or urinals.
The object of my said invention to provide improved means for ensuring that,
when the flushing valve has been opened, the whole, or nearly the whole, of the
liquid in the tank or cistern will flow down the discharge pipe, although the said
valve should be immediately closed.
.
In the accompanying drawing I have shewn, in vertical longitudinal central
section, a flushing cistern made in accordance with my said invention.
a indicates the shell or body of the tank or cistern; b, b₁ are two ports or
passages formed in the said shell or body at one end thereof. c is the discliarge
pipe. d is the flushing-valve, which rests upon a seat, e at the top of the tubular
chamber f. The port or passage b communicates with the interior of the tank or
cistern near the bottom thereof, while the port or passage b¹ communicates, at its
upper end, with the port or passage b, and, at its lower end, with the discharge
pipe c, and with the lower end of the chamber f. The valve d is operated by hand
by means of a lever g and chain h, or otherwise.
The supply of water to the tank is regulated or controlled by an ordinary ball-
cock in a manner well understood.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows, viz-When the chain h is pulled
downward and the valve à thus opened, water flows through the chamber ƒ and
down the discharge pipe c thereby creating a partial vacuum in the port or
passage b', so that the water in the tank-is forced by atmospheric pressure up the
port or passage b, over the partition k between the said ports or passages, and
down the port. or passage b¹ and discharge pipo c; the whole, or nearly the whole,
of the water will thus flow from the tank down the discharge pipe c.
The ports or passages b, b', form a siphon, which, when once charged, will draw
the water from the tank until the level thereof is below the bottom of the
partition k¹.
It will, therefore, be seen that, to properly flush a water-closet-pan or other
receptacle by my apparatus, it is not necessary to keep the valve d open until the
whole of the water is discharged from the tank. If the valve d is raised from its
seat for an instant only, so as to permit a portion of the water above it to enter the
chamber and discharge pipe c, and is then permitted to close, the water will
continue to flow until the tank is empty, or nearly so.
It is obvious that the ports or passages b, b' may be formed at any other suitable
part of the tank than that shewn in the drawing. Moreover the construction of
the apparatus may be somewhat modified without departing from the nature of my
invention,
0
My apparatus affords the following advantages, viz-First, the siphon is formed
in the shell or body of the cistern, thus obviating the necessity for any ioints :

page_text: Secondly, the bells and pipes hitherto used in the interior of flushing tanks are
dispensed with, thus leaving more space than heretofore for the fitting, working,
and repair of the all-cock, and facilitating the removal of any sediment that may
accumulate in the bottom of the tank.
When it is necessary to make the discharge pipe of great length, I connect a
small air-supply pipe to the discharge pipe a short distance below the cistern, so
that, as soon as the water in the discharge pipe has sunk below the point at which
the air-pipe is connected therewith, air will be admitted to the said discharge pipe,
to prevent the continuation of the action of the siphon after the ball-cock has
opened.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
.
The improved flushing tank or cistern, having the siphon formed in the shell or
body thereof, and with or without the means for admitting air to the discharge
pipe, all substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.