IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING WATERCLOSETS, LAVATORIES, BATH Rooms, Sinks, and other Structures and APPLIANCES CONNECTED WITH SEWERS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Charles Potts, of Handsworth, in the
County of Stafford, Manufacturer, and Daniel Charles West
Darnell, of Cargilfield, Trinity, Edinburgh, Clerk in Holy Orders,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR VENTILATING
WATERCLOSETS, LAVATORIES, BATH Rooms, Sinks, and other Structures and
APPLIANCES CONNECTED WITH SEWERS,"
Sealed the 8th June 1875, and dated the 23rd January 1875.
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Charles Potts
and Daniel Charles West Darnell at the Office of the Commis-
sioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 23rd January
1875.
.
We, JOSEPH CHARLES POTTS, of Handsworth, in the County of.
Stafford, Manufacturer, and DANIEL CHARLES WEST DARNELL, of
Cargilfield, Trinity, Edinburgh, Clerk in Holy Orders, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
VENTILATING WATERCLOSETS, LAVATORIES, BATH ROOMS, SINKS, and OTHER
STRUCTURES AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED WITH SEWERS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention has for its object to effect the ventilation of water-
closets, lavatories, bath rooms, sinks, and other structures and appliances

page_text: connected with sewers in such a manner that the sewer gas is effectually
excluded therefrom, the said sewer gas or other effluvia escaping from
the séwer being delivered into the atmosphere at a point where it cannot
gain access to the house or building, and 'any exhaustion or diminution
of pressure in the closet or soil pipe or pipes from any source whatsoever
within the house, connected with the external drains, made to result in a
current of fresh air from the atmosphere passing into the house or
'
Our Invention consists of the following arrangements or combinations
of parts of apparatus for effecting the ventilation of waterclosets and
pipes connecting the building or house with the sewers. The soil pipe
of the watercloset or the pipes from lavatories, baths, sinks, and the like
open into a chamber situated by preference near the external wall of the
house or building. The said chamber is funnel shaped, that is, contracts
from its top downwards, and is by preference oblong in plan. The top
of the said chamber is on or above the level of the ground and is open,
the said open top of the chamber being provided with a grating, and
when thought desirable with a tray or trays carrying charcoal or other
disinfecting materials and a division plate which can be removed at will.
The bottom of the said chamber terminates in a water trap of the
ordinary kind, that is, a pipe having the figure of an inverted syphon.
The said water trap is connected with the drain or sewer in the ordinary
way, but near the part of the pipe which is fixed water-tight into the
sewer is a vertical pipe or air shaft rising to the top of the building and
terminating in the open air, and connected at the bottom with the pipe
by preference by means of a water valve or annular water cistern
forming an air-tight joint and allowing the pipe to be removed for
cleaning purposes and replaced at will. This water joint can be
omitted and the pipe made a fixture, or it can be attached by any
other kind of air-tight joint.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Soil descending the soil
pipe passes through the air chamber and water trap into the sewer in
the usual way. Should the equilibrium of the air within and without
the building be disturbed by difference, of temperature, wind, or other.
cause so as to induce a current from without into the house or building
the equilibrium is restored not by gas from the sewer, from which the

page_text: soil and other pipes are separated by the air chamber and water trap,
but by a current of atmospheric air through the grating on the top of
the air chamber into which the soil pipe opens.
If from pressure of wind or other causes there is a tendency to a
gaseous current from the sewer towards the house the gas thus driven
escapes by the vertical pipe before described, and is thus conducted to a
sufficient, height and delivered into the atmosphere or into a flue, as may
be desired, but in case of a down draught in the vertical pipe the
gaseous current will escape by the grating on the air chamber instead of
entering the soil or other house pipes.
If the sewer gases are absorbed by the water in the water trap they
will evaporate into the air chamber and escape by the grating into the
atmosphere instead of gaining entrance to the soil and other house-
pipes.
"
A flap valve opening outwards may be binged to the end of the soil
or other house pipes at their lowest point.
18:
Ready access to the interior of the apparatus and to the soil pipe and
water trap for cleansing or other purposes may be obtained both at the
grating described or at the water joint. The lifting of the grating gives
access to the interior of the apparatus on the one side of the water trap,·
and the lifting of the vertical pipe and upper portion of the water valve
or cap attached to the pipe gives access to the other side of the water.
tran
:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Charles Potts and Daniel Charles West
Darnell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th July 1875.
;
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPII'
CHARLES POTTS, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Manu-
facturer, and DANIEL CHARLES WEST DARNELL, of Cargilfield, Trinity,
Edinburgh, Clerk in Holy Orders, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of January, in the

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Joseph Charles Potts and
Daniel Charles West Darnell, Her special license that we, the said
Joseph Charles Potts and Daniel Charles West Darnell, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as wc, the said Joseph
Charles Potts and Daniel Charles West Darnell, our executors, admini-
strators; and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times, thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR VENTILATING WATERCLOSETS, LAVATORIES, BATH ROOMS, SINKS, AND OTHER
STRUCTURES AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED WITH SEWERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Joseph Charles Potts and Daniel
Charles West Darnell, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Joseph Charles Potts and Daniel
Charles West Darnell, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in-and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say :-
Our Invention has for its object to effect the ventilation of water-
closets, lavatories, bath rooms, sinks, and other structures and appliances
connected with sewers in such a manner that the sewer gas is effectually
excluded therefrom, the said sewer gas or other effluvia escaping from
the sewer being delivered into the atmosphere at a point where it cannot.
gain access to the house or building, and any exhaustion or diminution
of pressure in the closet or soil pipe or pipes from any source whatsoever
within the house, connected with the external drains, made to result in a
current of fresh air from the atmosphere passing into the house or
building..
c

page_text: Our Invention consists of the following arrangements or combinations
of parts of apparatus for effecting the ventilation of waterclosets and
pipes connecting the building or house with the sewers. The soil pipe
of the watercloset or the pipes from lavatories, baths, sinks, and the like
open into a chamber situated by preference near the external wall of the
house or building. The said chamber is funnel shaped, that is, contracts
from, its top downwards and is by preference oblong in plan. The top
of the said chamber is on or above the level of the ground and is open,
the said open top of the chamber being provided with a grating, and
where thought desirable with a perforated tray or trays carrying charcoal
or other disinfecting materials and a division plate which can be removed
at will. The bottom of the said chamber terminates in a water trap of the
ordinary kind, that is, a pipe having the figure of an inverted syphon.
The said water trap is connected with the drain or sewer in the ordinary
way, but near the part of the pipe which is fixed water-tight into the
sewer is a vertical pipe or air shaft rising to the top of the building and
terminating in the open air and connected at the bottom with the pipe.
by preference by means of a water valve or annular water cistern
forming an air-tight joint and allowing the pipe to be removed for
cleaning purposes and replaced at will. This water joint can be
omitted and the pipe made a fixture, or it can be attached by any other
kind of air-tight joint.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Soil descending the soil
pipe passes through the air chamber and water trap into the sewer in the
usual way. Should the equilibrium of the air within and without the
building be disturbed by difference of temperature, wind, or other cause
so as to induce a current from without into the house or building the
equilibrium is restored not by gas from the sewer from which the soil
and other pipes are separated by the air chamber and water trap, but by
a current of atmospheric air through the grating on the top of the air
chamber into which the soil pipe opens, or by means of the pipe or air
shaft opening at top into the external air.
If from pressure of wind or other causes there is a tendency to a
gaseous current from the sewer towards the house the gas thus driven
escapes by the vertical pipe before described, and is thus conducted to a
sufficient height and delivered into the atmosphere or into a flue, as may
be desired, but in case of a down-draught in the. vertical pipe the
O

page_text: situated, by preference, at a short distance above the ground-level. The
grating g .constitutes a tray on which charcoal or other disinfectant may
be placed where the use of a disinfectant is considered desirable. his a
pipe carried up to the roof of the house and opening into the air at its
upper end. When the pipe h cannot be conveniently carried upwards
in a straight line it may be bent so as to take such a course as the shape
of the building may render desirable. The said pipe / communicates
with the curved part e of the apparatus, the connection between the two
being effected by the expanded or bell-shaped piece i fitted to the lower
end of the pipe & engaging in the annular water or sand valve k. As
the upper part of the pipe is open to the atmosphere there is no
pressure exerted on the contents of the annular trough k, so that by
filling the said trough with sand an efficient connection between the
part i and the bent part é of the apparatus is effected.
On the under side of the perforated plate or tray g is a vertical
diaphragm or division which divides the chamber a into two com-
partments communicating together at bottom. This diaphragm tends
to deflect any gaseous matter escaping from the water in the water
trap d into a vertical direction, and thereby to cause its more ready and
efficient removal from the chamber a. The division need not however
be employed. m is a flap valve fixed at the bottom of the soil pipe b.
In consequence of its nearly vertical position it is opened by very slight
pressure in the soil pipe b and closes by its own weight. Any current
in the chamber a directed to the soil pipe 6 only closes more effectually
the flap valve m. The cover fand grating or tray g may be removed by.
being simply lifted when access is gained to the air chamber a, soil
pipe b, and water valve d, and should any obstruction arise in the.trap
or valve d it can be readily removed by the use of a flue brush.. n. is a.
small pipe opening at bottom into the soil pipe 6, and at top into the.
atmosphere. If from any cause there be a diminshed pressure in the
atmosphere of the closet, air to supply the exhaustion produced enters by
the said small pipe .n, and the possibility of air entering under. the cir-.
cumstance described by the valve m is prevented.
'

page_text: Instead of the flap valve m, Figure 1, a syphon valve or trap may be
employed, as illustrated at p, in Figure 5. The water valve p has the
same effect in preventing back currents entering the closet as the
valve m, Figure 1.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:- Soil from the pipe b
passing the valve m or p enters the chamber a, passes the trap d, and
escapes over the arched part e into the sewer. The sewer is cut off from
communication with the chamber a by the trap d, and the chamber a is
cut off from communication with the soil pipe b and interior of. the
house by the valve m or p. Any gascous emanation from the sewer
escapes up the pipe h, and is delivered into the atmosphere at a height
equal to or above that of the roof of the house. Any gaseous emanation
from the liquid of the trap d escapes through the grating g and perfo-
rated cover f, and where thought desirable may be made to pass through
charcoal or other disinfectant on the grating or tray g. As an extreme
precaution against the possibility of gas being drawn into the house by
an exhaustion or diminished pressure in the house or soil pipe, the
pipe n is provided, which being in direct communication, with the atmo-
sphere prevents the possibility of air being drawn from the chamber a
into the interior of the house.
Although we have only described our Invention in its application to a
watercloset, yet we believe that the application of our Invention to
lavatories, bath rooms, sinks, and other structures and appliances con-
nected with sewers will be sufficiently understood by the description
herein-before given, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be carried out, we wish it to be understood that
we do not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and
illustrated as the same may be varied without departing from the nature.
of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention the improvements in a
apparatus for ventilating waterclosets, lavatories, bath rooms, sinks, and
other structures and appliances connected with sewers herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say,
the construction and arrangement or combination of parts, substantially
as described and illustrated, for isolating the sewer from the watercloset, 3
lavatory, bath room, sink, or other structure or appliance connected with

page_text: he sewer so as to prevent the possibility of the gaseous contents of the..
ewer from entering the house or building.
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph Charles Potts and Daniel
Charles West Darnell, have hereunto set our hands and seals,
this Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-five.
0
5
JOSEPH CHARLES. POTTS.
(L.S.)
DANIEL CHARLES WEST DARNELL. (L.S.)
Witness to the signature
of Joseph Charles Potts,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
37, Temple Street,
.. Birmingham.
Witness to the signature of
Daniel Charles West Darnell,
GEOFFRY HILL, B.A. Oxon.,
West View Field,
Trinity,
Edinburgh.