A FLOATING FLUSHING VALVE
Year: 1884

page_text: FRANCIS JAMES ALFORD of 81 Westgate Street in the City and County of
Gloucester Foreman and Sanitary Plumber to the Sanitary and Economic Association
Limited Gloucester and Bristol does hereby declare the nature of the said invention
for A FLOATING FLUSHING VALVE to be as follows.
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The Valve used may be an ordinary brass or similar metal Spindle' or
Butterfly Ground jointed valve or other similar valve and may be of any size to
suit the pipe to be attached. To the upper part of the said valve is fixed a float
which is made of metal, india rubber or other suitable material of such forin and
size as may be suitable and when surrounded by water will slightly over weight
the lever and hand chain attached to the flushing box or Cistern. At the top of
the said float is provided an eye piece to which is fixed the wire or chain for
raising the float by means of the said lever and hand chain. Any slight modification
in balancing the float may be obtained by adding small lead washers or weights to
the top of the float. An air tube is provided below the valve and in connection
with the flushing pipe i. e. the discharge pipe from tank or cistern, to avoid
atmospheric resistance. This tube may also be connected to the tank or Cistern to
serve as an overflow from same.
The Float may also be in the form of an india rubber ball or ball of similar or
suitable material the said ball also to act as a valve without the "ground" joint
and is kept in position by the downward suction when in its seating and by a
perforated wire or zinc guard when floating The wire, lever and chain are similar
to those above described.
The mode of action is as follows: When the hand chain is pulled it raises the
lever and lifts the float allowing the water to pass freely out of the valve. Whilst
the water is flowing through the valve the float remains floating or suspended in
the water and falls with the water until influenced by the downward suction at the
valve when it is immediately drawn into its seating and closes the valve.
rising water (from Ball Cock) then weights the valve (and float) and retains it in
its seating until it is again floated by raising the lever. The spindle of the valve
is so arranged as to prevent the valve & float being drawn out of their places.
The
I claim for this invention that it is new in application and construction and is
simpler than any other method of obtaining flushing by a single pull of the hand
chain such as that obtained by the "Siphon" or "Vacuum " Valves and that it is
less complicated and less likely to get out of order. Further that a flush can be

page_text: obtained as often as required and without waiting for the flushing box or cistern
to be entirely refilled (as in the case of the "Siphon" and Vacuum Valves) before
a second flush can be obtained I also claim it to be a Water Waste preventer
inasmuch as it is not possible, without detaining the hand chain, to run off or use
more water than the flushing box will contain which may be of any required
capacity. I also claim that the air tube acting also as an overflow from the tank
is a safe and economic arrangement from a sanitary point of view.
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or
FRANCIS JAMES ALFORD of Priory Road, in the city and county of Gloucester,
Foreman and Sanitary Plumber to the Sanitary and Economic Association Limited
Gloucester and Bristol do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
A FLOATING FLUSHING VALVE and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The Valve used may be an ordinary brass or similar metal "Spindle'
Butterfly "ground jointed valve (A Figure 2) or similar valve, and may be of
any size to suit the flushing pipe H to be attached. To the upper part of the said
Valve A, is fixed a float B which is made of metal, india rubber or other suitable
material, of such form and size as may be suitable to the size of the Valve, and
when surrounded by water will slightly overweight the lever C and hand chain D
attached to the flushing box or cistern K. At the top of the said float is provided
an eye piece I, to which is fixed the wire or chain E, for raising the float B, by
means of the said lever C, and hand chain D.
Any slight modification in balancing the float, may be obtained by adding small
lead washers or weights F to the top of the float B. An air tube G is provided
below the valve A and in connection with the flushing pipe Hie the discharge pipe
from the tank or cistern K. This is to avoid atmospheric resistance. This tube G
may also be connected to the tank or cistern K to serve as an overflow from same
as shewn at J.
The float B may also be in the form of an india rubber ball M or ball of similar
or suitable material. The said ball M will in such case act as a valve without the
"ground" joint and is kept in position by downward suction when in its seating N
and by means of a perforated wire or zinc guard "O" when floating. The wire,
lever and chain are similar to those above described.
The mode of action is as follows:-When the hand chain D is pulled it raises
the lever C and lifts the float and valve "A" and "B" allowing the water to pass
freely out of the valve opening "A." Whilst the water is flowing through and out
of the valve opening "A" the float B remains floating or suspended in the water
and falls with the water until influenced by the downward suction at the valve,
when it is immediately drawn into its seating and closes the opening of valve. The
rising water (froin ball cock) then weights the valve and float and retains the
former in its seating until it is again floated by raising the lever.

page_text: The spindle of the valve is so arranged as to prevent the valve and float being
drawn out of their places, by the attachment of a screw nut.
The same mode of action applies to the india rubber ball "M" valve.
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
The combination of a float with the plug of the outlet pipe of a water supply or
flushing cistern, the same being so arranged that when the plug is lifted by manual
or other action it shall be kept floating on the water until the cistern has more or
less completely emptied itself, when it shall resume its position in the mouth of the
pipe and leave the cistern ready to receive another charge of water substantially in
the manner hereinbefore described.
Dated this 29th day of September 1884.
Witness,
WALTER T. BENNETT.
FRANCIS JAMES ALFORD.
J. Fletcher Trew,
Agent,
Station Road, Gloucester,