IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO STENCH TRAPS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, EDWARD GARDNER COLTON, of the firm of Popplewell, Colton, & Co, of
Victoria Chambers, Southampton Buildings, in the county of Middlesex, Fellow of
the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO STENCH TRAPS," (a communication
to me from abroad by Rudolph Theodor D'Heureuse, of Staats Zeitung Building,
Tryon Row, in the city of New York, Engineer), to be as follows:-
This invention relates to traps used in dwellings, public and private buildings
of all kinds to prevent the entrance of sewer gas (so called) through the waste-
pipes of wash-basins, sinks, bath-tubs, water closets, etc., into the buildings. It is
the object of this invention to prevent any communication between the sewer pipes
and the interior of the building from taking place by reason of the syphoning or
drying out of the water in the trap, and to apply disinfectants or deodorizers to
the trap in a convenient, constant, economical, and effective manner.
The invention consists of an attachment to the trap, comprising amongst other
features an air-tight vessel by which water, disinfectants or deodorizers in solution
are carried in small quantities into the trap, and water in the same is at once
renewed whenever it gets low enough to open air communications with the sower
pipe; acting upon the well known principle that a perfectly air tight vessel full of
water with an opening below, which dips in water and is closed by it, cannot
discharge water unless air is admitted by the orifice rising above the water that
closed it; the flow from the vessel will then be exactly equivalent to the volume
of air admitted, and will stop again immediately when the opening ceases to admit
air,
According to the invention a closed vessel is combined with the trap, either
directly adjacent to the same or communicating with the same by a pipe (which
may if desired supply several pipes from one vessel) such opening or communication
being arranged to enter the trap between the overflow and discharge level and the
seating or safety level.
The closed vessel can be filled by a cock having an air vent or air cock to allow
air to escape as liquid enters, or it can be filled by a funnel and the cocks can
be connected to the cock discharging from the vessel to the trap by cranks and

page_text: connecting rods or other suitable means so that as the air cock is open the discharge
cock is closed or vice versa.
This may be effected by hand, by a clock, or by a float in the closed vessel (thus
rendering the action automatic) if desired, or a three way cock may be used or
other arrangement of cocks or valves to effect the same purpose.
If the closed vessel is filled with liquid so much of it will flow from the opening
or pipe into the trap (on opening the discharge and closing the air cock) to expand
whatever air may be left in the closed vessel exactly conformable to the difference
between the water level in the closed vessel and the water level of the trap, when
no more water can flow from the closed vessel.
As soon however as the water in the trap by evaporation or other cause sinks
below the upper edge of the opening from the closed vessel, some air will immediately
enter and ascend through the liquid in the closed vessel from which a corresponding
amount will flow into the trap till the opening from the closed vessel is covered
when the flow will cease.
As long as the closed vessel is full of liquid the trap will be filled with liquid in
the said manner.
ت

page_text: for "
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, EDWARD GARDNER COLTON, of the firm of Popplewell, Colton, & Co., of
Victoria Chambers, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
"
IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO STENCIL TRAPS (a communication to
me from abroad by Rudolph Theodor D'Heureuse, of Stants Zeitung Building,
Tryon Row, in the City of New York, Engineer) and in what manner the saine is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
'
This invention relates to traps used in dwellings, public and private buildings of
all kinds, to prevent the entrance of "sewer-gas" (so called) through the waste-
pipes of wash-basins, sinks, bath-tubs, water-closets, etc., into the building..
It is the object of my invention to prevent any communication between the
sewer-pipes and the interior of the building from taking place by reason of the
siphoning, drying out or dripping off of the water in the trap by capillary action,
and to apply disinfectants or deodorizers to the trap in a convenient, constant,
economical and effective manner.
"
My invention consists of an attachment to the trap, comprising, among other
features, an air-tight vessel for water or a disinfectant or deodorizer in solution,
said vessel being connected with the trap in such a manner that, as soon as the
water-level in the trap is lowered to a certain point, still above the danger-line,
some of the liquid will run into the trap and re-fill it automatically, so that the
water-seal cannot be destroyed and remain broken. The well known pneumatic
principle is taken advantage of in this device that nothing can run out below from
a perfectly air-tight vessel full of water unless air is admitted into the vessel.
Applied to my invention the air to reach the vessel has to pass through an orifice
within the trap; whenever this orifice becomes exposed by the sinking of the
water level in the trap, the air immediately rushes through it into the vessel from
which a corresponding amount of liquid will flow to the trap until the oritice
becomes covered again, upon which the flow of liquid stops.
In the drawings annexed Figs. 1 and represent partly sectional elevations of
the device, and Fig. 3 an elevation of part of Fig. 2, showing a different view.
The same letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A is a trap (here representing a siphon trap) in which 6 is the overflow-water
line; a the water line at or below which air-communication would become established
(below the top of the lower bend of the trap).
C is a holo in the trap, between the water-levels b and a or the open end of a
pipe entering the trap higher up, communicating directly (see Fig. 1) or by pipe d
(see Fig. 2) with a close vessel E, to be always kept filled with water, disinfectant
or deodorizer in solution above the hole or orifice C. I have shewn the connection C
at that side of the trap at which the water enters. This is important, because it
presents the hole so that the flow of the water through the main pipe ten is to
assist the operation. The cock ƒ serves to fill the vessel E when the water gets
low, and may be preferably constructed so that on opening it the air in E is allowed

page_text: to escape for instance, by air-vent g in cock f, Fig. 2-though a separate air-vent
may be applied, (g, Fig. 1).
To avoid possible omissions, it is preferable to fill with water and discharge the
air by the same movement, and the connection of the lever arrangement of the
cock-stems off and g by rod n. Fig. represents a mode by which it can be
effected.
The crank p to cock-stems f, g, Figs. 2 and 3, and p¹ to cock-stem h, both cranks
connected by rod n, represent an arrangement by which ƒ and g may open while
simultaneously / closes and opens when ƒ and g close. The air is discharged
from E, which fills with water without allowing, in the mean time, the water to
run into the trap through pipe d.
Min Fig. 2 represents a three-way cock at the bottom of the vessel E, by two
turns of which the connection of the vessel E with the trap (or traps) or the
simultaneous filling of the same with water and discharge of air from it can be
conveniently accomplished. A pipo O conducts the air to M, from the upper part
of the tank; the said three-way cock M thus taking the place of the several other
cocks represented in the drawing. The arrows in Fig. 2 indicate the directions in
which the air and water movo respectively, the air in pipe & moving upwards
_while_the_water descends simultaneously during the re-filling of the trap.
In Fig. 2. d, d, indicate several-pipes-leading from vessel E, which-may-supply
more than one trap at about the same level, the pipes d, d, to be rigid-or-flexible.
A float D, Fig. 2, in dotted lines, with its connections to the rod that operates the
filling, air-discharging, and distributing cocks or valves, is shown, to indicate that
these operations may be performed automatically when the water in E falls low.
It is plain that the vessel E-can-be-filled-by-other_modes than by cock f, for
instance, a cap may be unscrewed and a funnel used, or some other contrivance-
employed without connected movements.
P,Fig. 2, shows-a-chamber or serios of chambers connected with the pipe f, and
provided with a cock W, or its equivalent, in the water-service-pipe supplying
vessel E. The concentrated disinfectant or deodorizer, or both, is placed in the
chamber or chambers, which are represented to rotate on a central axis, so that one
chamber after the other discharges its contents-preferably automatically-at the
time of filling the vessel E, so as to obtain the desired solution of the material in
the same for use in the trap or traps.
Ordinarily, however, a special tank located sufficiently high may be arranged
from which to supply the vessel E with the disinfectants or deodorizers, or both.
In Fig. 2, r is a water-gage, to be employed when the vessel E is of metal or
other opaque material. If the vessel E be of glass or partly glass, the lowering of
the water-level in E would be readily observed without such gage.
To describe the operation of the device, suppose the vessel E is filled with water,
disinfectant, or deodorizing solution, so much of it will run out at C into the traps
on closing the cock f and air-vent g and opening the cock h to pipe d, Figs. 2
and 3, as to expand whatever air may be left in E exactly conformably to the
difference between the levels of water in E and water-level 6 of the trap, when no
more water can flow from E, this vessel being perfectly closed except toward the
trap. As soon, however, as the water in the trap, by evaporation or other cause,
sinks below the upper edge of the orifice C, some air will immediately enter and
ascend through the water into E, from which a corresponding amount of water,
disinfectant, or deodorizer will flow into the trap until the hole or orifice C is
covered with water, when, by reason of no air being admitted, no more water can
flow from E. As long, therefore, as water remains in E or pipe & above the
hole C or orifice C of pipo d, there is safety against entrance of sewer-gas through
the trap.
The operation of the device where pipe d serves for connection with E is
precisely the same as by immediate contact of E to the trap. In place of com-
municating by the hole C, the pipe d may enter the trap at any place above the
water-level b, (see d in dotted lines, Fig. 2), extending downward and opening

page_text: below the water-line b, and above line a by an orifice, C, the operation being the
same as above described, and the device applicable to traps of whatever description.
A small hole is all that is required for C-say one-half to one-fourth inch
diameter to admit all the air or water intended to pass through it, while the pipe
or connection with E may widen immediately. The hole or orifice C of pipe & at
any place in the trap between the high level b and low level a will accomplish tho
purpose, so that the water in the trap may not fall and remain below a. Provision
can be easily made by any suitable device-for instance, by a pin to be worked
from the outside, or connected with cocks or equivalents for h-to move simul-
taneously to prevent choking up of the hole C by lodgement of impurities.
Frequent disinfecting or deodorizing of traps and connections is of vital
importance. The mode by which it is ordinarily done-that is to say, to pour
into the basin or closet at intervals a solution of the disinfectant-is wasteful,
inconvenient and unreliable. This is greatly improved by feeding the disinfectant
or deodorizer in solution by a trap supply-vessel, in the manner described,
discharging automatically into the trap by hole or orifice C or pipe d, above the
lower water-level a, and below b, so as to keep the water-seal constantly intact,
even for weeks or months of disuse of the trap.
Modifications may be made in the details. For example, in place of the cocks f,
g, or h, valves may be used, and other arrangements for connecting their
simultaneous operation applied.
Parts of the invention may be used without the whole.
The invention may be used with no mechanical connection between the cocks
f, g, h, care being taken that the operator shall understand and always work the
cocks simultaneously.
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
Firstly. Applying to a stench trap as hereinbefore described, a close or air-tight
vessel or container for water or liquid disinfectant, or deodorizer, having a discharge
outlet communicating with the interior of the trap between the overflow or
discharge level and the sealing or safety level thereof, for the purpose of preventing
the liquid in the trap from falling below the danger line.
Secondly. Arranging the said close vessel in combination with a stench trap or
traps with cocks or valves for simultaneously admitting water or liquid disinfectant
or deodorizer thereto and discharging air therefrom, and for cutting off the supply
of liquid to the trap or traps while the supply and air-vent cocks or valves are
open, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Thirdly. The general arrangement and combination of apparatus or appliances
for maintaining the level of water or other liquid, disinfectant, or deodorizer in a
stench trap, substantially as described.
Dated this 4th day of May 1885.