IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-PLACES AND STOVES
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Gillingham at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th December 1881.
JAMES GILLINGHAM of Chard in the County of Somerset Surgical Instrument
Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-PLACES AND STOVES."
The object of this Invention is to prevent the formation of smoke, to economize
the consumption of fuel and to improve its economical applications or utilization.
For this purpose I apply a peculiar syphon-like down draught action to the
products of combustion causing them to descend through the grate and enter a
closed compartment extending some distance below it and arranged directly or
otherwise below it and then to enter into an ascending flue (or flues) which may
be wholly at the back or partly also at the side or sides and front. By the aforesaid
decided or considerable dip or syphon arangement the heat evolved is kept up or
retained so that it can be utilized, whereas mere down draught through the fire
and then direct entry into a back flue or chimney involves great waste of heat.
In connection with the aforesaid lower compartment and by preference directly in
front of it I arrange an air chamber (or flues) which is heated by the contact with
the aforesaid compartment and which may have a grating above. As applied to an
open fire-place the front of the ash-pan may form a door between the said com-
partment and the air chamber which both may be partly or wholly below the floor.
The grate or fire basket may be arranged with an open space at the sides so as to
radiato the heat therefrom into the room. A damper is arranged at the lower part
of the ascending flue to close or regulate the entry of the products of combustion
from below, there is also a usual or other damper or register over the firo; there
may also be an intermediate damper in the ascending flue to regulate the
draught.
The aforesaid ascending flue which enters the chimney at the top should have an
iron front and may be formed with diverging or descending or branch flues so as to
check the draught. Air flues may be arranged in connection therewith.
To start the syphon action the cold air standing in the chimney and in the fire.
place flue or flues will generally require to be heated; this may be done by first
and for a few minutes working the fire-place with open upper register in the
ordinary manner the ash-pan door being also open to admit air below the grate as

page_text: usual; when the air in the ascending flue is sufficiently heated (which may also be
done by igniting a piece of paper up the register) a partial vacuum will be created
in the lower part of the flue and in the compartment below the grate; by closing
the register and the ash-pan door the lower and intermediate dampers in the
"exhaust flue being open, the required down draught through the fire through the
compartment below it and up the back flue will be established.
Hot air may be supplied to the fire from suitable flues.
The same mode of action may obviously be applied to stoves heated by solid or
liquid or gaseous fuel such as coals or oil or gas, or partly by one and partly by
another. For a fire-place with gas jets and asbestos, I arrange the former in the
upper part of the fire-place or grate.