IMPROVEMENTS IN A SMOKE CONSUMING GRATE FOR WARMING AND COOKING PURPOSES, INCLUDING WARMING, VENTILATING, AND DISINFECTING BUILDINGS BY INFLUX AND EFFLUX VENTILATION."
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Ancell Ball at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 17th August 1881.
ANCELL BALL, of Spalding, in the County of Lincoln, Physician and Justice of
the Peace. "IMPROVEMENTS IN A SMOKE CONSUMING GRATE FOR WARMING
AND COOKING PURPOSES, INCLUDING WARMING, VENTILATING, AND DISINFECTING
BUILDINGS BY INFLUX AND EFFLUX VENTILATION."
First. My Invention relates to an improved smoke consuming fire grate, Sheet 1,
Fig. 1, varying in shape, &c., for different purposes, and may be of a revolving or
nonrevolving kind. Hot air chambers A are formed provided with gills B, and an
opening at bottom C to receive the outer pure aid, with another opening at top, to
which a tube D or channel in the brickwork is formed to convey the pure warmed
air into the room or rooms, Sheet 1, Figs. 1, 2, 3. For the better supply of air the
grate has three or four sides, viz., two lateral ones E, and one or two front ones F,
yielding a cheerful blaze in one or two rooms; the grate when used for two rooms
being placed in the partition wall for that purpose, and a hinged or sliding door G
may at the top of the grate close the communication with each room, Sheet 1,
Fig. 4. In summer time the outer pure and cooler air will also be influxed by the
said tube D, Sheet 1, Figs. 1, 2, 3, when there is no fire lighted, and will be found a
much safer mode of admitting such air than through open windows for delicate
persons. The two lateral faces of the grate, Sheet, Fig. 3, are formed by vertical
flat iron bars E to admit air to each side of fire through a recess, about one inch
wide, formed between the side of the grate and the vertical bars, Sheet 1, Fig. 3.
There may also be one or two front faces H, to look into one or two opposite rooms,
with communicating door G if desired, Sheet 1, Fig. 5.
I now come to smoke consuming part of grate, Sheet 1, Figs. 1 & 2. It consists
of a chamber, marked H, formed by completely covering the upper portion of the
grate with a moveable or fixed cover to entirely interrupt the ascent of smoke.
The covering, marked I, may be made of iron, fire brick, or some fire resisting
material, and may be hollowed out or flat in its interior, and provided with an
opening at top or front to feed the grate with coal. The smoke flue J descends
from one side of grate, Sheet 1, Figs. 1, 2, & 4, then passes horizontally beneath
it, and lastly ascends on opposite side, being provided with soot doors K, even if
not necessary. When the fire is lighted the smoke at once ascends to the chamber H

page_text: which soon becomes red hot and there the smoke is consumed. The remaining
invisible gases with perhaps a trace of smoke now descend through the fire,
and descending flue J pass thro' the horizontal one J, and lastly ascend to the
chimney L, before which all the smoke will be found consumed. The more smoke
from common coals the larger the amount of caloric. The horizontal flue J may be
doubled or trebled if desired as in Sheet 1, Fig. 1. A damper A is also used to
retard or accelerate combustion, Sheet 3, Fig. 2. When the fire is being supplied
with coals a smoke escape valve M is provided to convey any smoke if necessary
direct into the ascending flue J, which is continuous with the chimney, in order to
prevent a puff of smoke coming into the room, Sheet 1, Fig. 4. When the grate is
made with two faces and placed between two rooms, in the partition wall a
hinged door G or vertical slide may be used to exclude communication between
the two rooms, and in summer time a part of a fire brick may be placed in one half
of the grate, while the other half may be lighted for cooking or other purposes.
In some instances, where present offices are already connected at right angles, the
double faced grate may be utilised as in ground plan, Sheet 1, Fig. 7. A revolving
grate may be substituted for the fixed one as shown, Sheet 1, Fig. 7. The cooking
range, Sheet 1, Fig. 4, is supplied with air by passing one or two tubes or channels
thro' outer wall, and if desired under floor, to each side of grate in a line with
middle bar, and on entering kitchen turned at right angles in order to slip over &
sheet iron tube, open at both ends as well as its middle third where it passes in
front of fire to supply it with air instead of robbing the inmates of the room.
The efflux ventilator Q, a, is shorter and passes through the upper part of food
warmer Q, c, Sheet 1, Fig. 4, direct into ascending flue J, an oven S, and boiler T,
and plate warmer U, with hot air chambers A provided with gills B, are also
added. Theatres and other large rooms may be warmed by a smoke consuming
grate on same principal as in Sheet 3, Fig. 2. In an oblong large room a grate
might be placed at each end, and an ascending terminal flue B be carried up, as
marked in Sheet 3, Fig. 1, which will carry off the invisible injurious gases from
grate. Around the flue pipe B extends a brick chimney with an intervening space C
for heated air to draw vitiated air thro' efflux pipe D from room E. A pure
hot air chamber F is also formed, with holes G to convey the warm air into the
building E and adjoining anterooms H & I, with vapour apparatus from water,
scents, &c.
Secondly. Ventilation is of three kinds, influx, efflux, and disinfecting. Influx
ventilation is accomplished by conveying outer pure air thro' a tube or thro'
the brickwork on each side of grate, and after entering the room to be surrounded
by an evaporating pan, as in Sheet 1, Figs. 4 & 6. Influx ventilation may also be
applied to one room or a whole house by admitting the outer pure air thro' an
iron round or flattened tube N into the lower back central part of grate, Sheet 1,
Fig. 6, and then turned upwards to ascend along a corner of the chimney L to the
height of about 5%, feet, when the tube N or tubes may enter the room thro' the
breast of chinney, Sheet 1, Fig. 6. The whole house may be supplied in a similar ·
manner by conveying pure outer air into a large hot air chamber A, Sheet 2, Fig. 5,
behind kitchen grate B. Other grates may be so arranged that hot air or gas and
coke fires, or asbestos or electric oues, may be substituted.
Another mode of influxing outer air is thro' a flattened tube across the
chimney into a sheet iron hot air chamber, concealed by the upper and front part
of grate, the warmed air may then be conveyed by a similar flattened tube up the
front side of chimney, and open into the room about 5, feet from the floor,
Sheet 1, Fig..
We now come to the effluxors to convey vitiated and disinfected air away. The
efflux cowl B, Sheet 2, Fig. 3, for public rooms is formed by a shaft about 5 feet
high and 2 feet in diameter, let in the ridge of the roof C or elsewhere, and
surrounded by a cowl B. The shaft and cowl to consist of a double casing,
marked D, D, the intervening spaces E, E, to be filled with a nonconducting
material as cement, plaster of Paris, silicated cotton, &c. This size will suffice for

page_text: three or four hundred people. The same principal may be applied to railway and
other lamps, Sheet 2, Fig. 2, to mines, ships, canal boats, and underground or sub-
marine tunnels, &c., as well as to the disinfecting apparatus, Sheet 2, Fig. 4, which
however varies in its construction, the upper end of its tube E being like the
opening lift, by the removal of a brick from a wall, or expanded like a trumpet.
The tube E which carries the vitiated air then descends below the first bar of the
grate, then slightly ascends towards the top bar, where it terminates, but is
indirectly connected by means of a non-conductor of heat with a terminal
disinfecting tube G, Sheet 2, Fig. 4. The lower part of the vertical tube G is open,
receiving a lighted sulphur candle H, where sulphurous acid is generated and
disinfects the poison whence it escapes into the chimney L; rooms may be effluxed
as at present constructed by a similar portable apparatus to the one for disinfecting
by omitting the sulphur candle, securing the middle of the tube, Sheet 1, Fig. 6, to
edge of mantel shelf P, then placing the lower end upon the open fire, when the
vitiated air will be drawn from the ceiling, into the fire and ascend the chimney L.
A similar contrivance may be concealed in the brickwork commencing with an
enlarged opening, Sheet 1, Figs. 1, 2, 3, Q, near to the ceiling and then descending
to the ground, near which a nonconductor R is connected with the tube, and then
the tube ascends obliquely to an opening S in the brickwork, Sheet 1, Fig. 3,
beneath and at the sides of the fire where the vitiated air is pulled downwards and
upwards into the bottom of the fire, Sheet 1, Fig. 3.
A portable combined influx and efflux ventilator, applicable to passages of
theatres, ships, boats, &c., is made as follows:-Sheet 2, Fig. 1. It consists of a
tube I, to convey pure outer air into a perforated metallic chamber J, where it is
warmed and then diffused thro' the perforations into the passage or ship, &c.,
the gas K lighting the passage being utilised for both influxing and effluxing.
The vitiated air from the gas and passage is conveyed thro' the hot air
chamber J by a couple of tubes M which unite into one; and the vitiated air
afterwards escapes from the hot air chamber J and at once passes thro' the
outer wall N to be effluxed. Lamps may be used in ships and boats, &c., with
destructible or indestructible wicks made of asbestos, porous brick, as fire brick,
pumice stone, silicated cotton, graphite, emery, boracic acid, sulphate of ammonia,
&c. During summer nights, when there is no fire to efflux, the caloric from a lighted
lamp or a jet of gas, &c., will produce the same effect.
Improved water closet ventilation, Sheet 2, Fig. 6. This consists in adding a
second tube to the soil pipe effluxor A, such tube commencing at the upper and
back part of the basin B, in order to receive any rectal gas while the closet is being
used. A very minute jet of gas C will suffice to efflux this rectal as well as other
gases from the soil pipe, so that no one entering the W.C. after it has been used
can detect any offending odour. A box of matches should be at hand for the
purpose.