A Draught Regulator for Open Fires.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1899-Accepted, 15th July, 1899
A Draught Regulator for Open Fires.
We, HENRY PANNILL, Manufacturer, JOHN MOYLER, Insurance Agent, and
BENJAMIN MILNES, Manufacturer, all of Petersburg, in the County of Dinwiddie,
State of Virginia, United States of America, 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 relates to a draught regulator for open fires, so arranged as to
cause currents of air to sweep over and across the fire, thus promoting the com-
bustion of the gases and other products and increasing the heat, as will be
described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a fireplace shewing the improved draught regulator
in place.
Fig. 2 is a front view of the regulator.
Fig. 3 is a rear view of the same, and Fig. 4, is a longitudinal central section
thereof on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.
1 indicates a rectangular metal plate somewhat shorter than the width of the
flue. Centrally in the plate there is a rotating valve or damper having sector
shaped apertures 2, and a pivotted disc 3 having corresponding apertures 4 and a
handle 5, by which it can be turned about its pivot 6.
Near one end of the plate 1 is a narrow vertical slot 7, which is always open
and there is a similar horizontal slot 7" near the back.
Near the front edge are holes 8 which are engaged by hooks 9, projecting
from the back of the flue, holding the back of the plate while its front upper
edge rests against the front wall of the flue, being preferably provided with
pointed prongs 10, which enter the wall and hold the plate firmly. To the back
of the plate is rivetted or otherwise attached wire netting 11 that covers all the
apertures.
The plate 1 has at one end an extension 12 attached to 1 by bolts 14 with fly
nuts 15 and nuts 16, the bolts passing through slotted holes so as to adjust the
extension to flues of different widths. The plate 12 has near its outer edge a
slot 17, and may have attached to its rear side a wire netting 18.
For placing the draught regulator in the chimney the hooks 9 are driven into
the back wall and the holes 8 of the plate 1 are engaged on them; the upper-
edge of the plate is then let fall against the front wall of the flue, the spurs 10
entering the wall and securely holding the plate in an inclined position. The
extension 12 is then drawn out until its meets the side of the flue which is thus
completely filled.
When the fire is made up or started the valve 3 is fully opened.
When the combustion is established the valve 3 is partly closed and when
there is comparatively little smoke it may be completely closed.
One side of the chimney is usually colder than the other side, owing to the
direction of the wind or other circumstances causing a downward current of
air on the colder side of the chimney. This air passing through the aperture

page_text: at one side of the regulator, 7 for instance, partly mingles with the products
of combustion and prevents their consumption and partly more or less mixed with
the fire gases, sweeps across the fire and ascends through the aperture 17
up the warmer side of the chimney. The current thus sweeping across the fire fans
the flames and at the same time supplies oxygen to the gases escaping from the
fuel and aids in causing their consumption.
Most of the smoke and products of combustion escape up through the aper-
ture 7, while the reverse currents passing through the side apertures 7 and 17
maintain a constant draught over the fuel, causing it to burn steadily effecting
consumption of the escaping gases and thus fully utilising the fuel. The
regulator owing to its inclined position throws heat out into the room and the
wire netting at its back prevents soot from falling.
The plate 1 instead of having an extension at one end only, might obviously
have one at each end.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1
A draught regulator for fireplaces comprising a plate fixed in a fireplace flue
in an inclined position and having near its opposite ends elongated apertures, an
elongated aperture near the middle of its upper edge the middle aperture oper-
ating to carry off the smoke and products of combustion and the end apertures
operating to cause a current of air to flow across and over the fire, substantially
as described.

page_text: 家
-28
14
12