Improvements in or appertaining to Hot Water Apparatus for Household or other Purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 16th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Hot Water Apparatus for
Household or other Purposes.
I, ALEXANDER MACKENZIE of 20 Eversley Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Water Inspector, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:--
This invention relates to apparatus applicable for heating water for domestic
purposes, for heating or warming buildings &c., and has more especially for its
object the prevention of explosion or collapse of boilers during frost or at other
times.
Many accidents have hitherto occurred owing to the boiler getting empty through
the pipes becoming stopped, or through the feed pipe being out of order.
My invention is designed to overcome the chance of any accident from this
cause.
In carrying my invention into effect I propose to employ a low pressure boiler
having an orifice through which steam can escape, and supplied with water by an
auxiliary cistern within easy reach, or within sight of the attendant. Inside the
low pressure boiler I provide a high pressure boiler connected with the main supply
cistern by pipes through which the water is adapted to circulate. One of the said
pipes is preferably provided with taps at each story of the building.
If preferred a coil of pipe preferably of copper may be employed instead of the
high pressure boiler.
The high pressure boiler is protected by being encased by the low pressure
boiler and receives its heat entirely therefrom. The low pressure boiler is filled
by the auxiliary cistern and if this should accidentally become empty through the
pipe becoming stopped or other cause the stoppage is at once noticed owing to this
auxiliary cistern being in view of the attendant, and he can therefore fill the
auxiliary cistern by hand until such time as the stoppage is removed.
The steam which is evaporated in the low pressure boiler is discharged through
the orifice in the said boiler, and the accidental stoppage of the pipes do not affect
the proper working of this boiler in the slightest, as the hot water pipes are
connected with the high pressure boiler only and the water in the high pressure
boiler is heated by the boiling water in the low pressure boiler.
Dated this 4th day of May.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Hot Water Apparatus for
Household or other Purposes.
I, ALEXANDER MACKENZIE of 20 Eversley Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Water Inspector, 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 apparatus applicable for heating water for domestic
purposes, for heating or warming buildings, etcetera, and has more especially for its
object the prevention of explosion or collapse of boilers during frost or at other
times.

page_text: Many accidents have hitherto occurred owing to the boiler getting empty through
the pipes becoming stopped, or through the feed pipe being out of order, or the
water supply being cut off.
My invention is designed to overcome the chance of any accident from this
cause, and to provide an immediate and plentiful supply of hot water to all parts
of a house by low pressure.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which—
Figure 1 is an elevation of my apparatus;
Figure 2 a plan of the inner boiler; and
Figure 3 a sectional elevation of a slight modification.
In carrying my invention into effect, I employ a boiler A, heated by the fire in
the ordinary way. It is provided preferably with a loose lid and escape pipe a
leading into the flue or other suitable place, through which steam can escape.
The boiler is supplied with water by an auxiliary cistern B on the same level, this
cistern being fitted with a ball cock and overflow pipe. The pipe forming the
communication between the boiler A and the cistern B may be trapped as shown.
a¹ is a warning tap to enable the attendant to ascertain if the boiler is short of
water.
Inside the boiler A, I provide an inner copper boiler C connected with the hot
water cylinder D by flow and return circulating pipes d d¹.
This cylinder D is located in the arrangement shown at the highest part of the
house, or, if desired, in the bathroom for warmth. From the lower part thereof,
the pipe d is taken down to the lowest part of the inner boiler C and this pipe may
be fitted with taps d2 if required, and hot water drawn through these from the
cylinder. The return pipe d' is taken from the top of the inner boiler C to the
upper part of the cylinder D and is provided with service taps. An air or expansion
pipe d³ is carried from this above the water line of the supply or store cistern E.
The cylinder is supplied by a pipe leading from bottom of cistern E to the top of
the cylinder. The advantage of having the cylinder at the top of the house is
that, on a person drawing water from the taps, the return pipe d¹ would get an
immediate supply of hot water from the boiler, and the flow pipe d an immediate
supply from the cylinder, while in the old arrangement, the expansion pipes have
to be emptied of the cold water which has accumulated therein, before hot water
can be drawn.
By this invention, therefore, the inner boiler C is protected by being encased
by the outer boiler A, and receives its heat entirely therefrom. The boiler A is
filled by the auxiliary cistern B and if this should accidentally become empty
through the pipe becoming stopped or other cause, the stoppage is at once noticed
owing to this auxiliary cistern being preferably in view of the attendant, who can
therefore fill the auxiliary cistern by hand until such time as the stoppage is
removed.
The steam which is evaporated in the low pressure boiler A is discharged
through the escape pipe a in the said boiler, and the accidental stoppage of the
pipes d and d' do not affect in the slightest the proper working of this boiler, as
they are connected with the inner boiler C only, and the water in this boiler is
heated by the boiling water in the outer boiler A. As therefore the hot water
delivered from the service taps is drawn entirely from the inner boiler, it does not
come into contact with the outer boiler which is preferably of iron, and there is
not the customary discolouration from iron rust. If therefore a stoppage does
occur in the pipes d, no explosion can happen, as the boiler C is not heated directly
by the furnace and the steam from the outer boiler will escape through the pipe a.
The water in boiler A may safely continue to boil, even if the pipes d are stopped
up or frozen, the water supply and steam exhaust of said boiier being quite
independent of the boiler C.
If preferred, a coil F (Figure 3) preferably of copper may be employed instead
of the boiler C.

page_text: 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-
1. In hot water apparatus for household and other purposes, the arrangement
herein described for preventing explosion or collapse of boilers during frost and
at other times, which consists in forming an outer boiler having an aperture for
the escape of steam and an inner boiler located inside the said outer boiler and
receiving its heat entirely therefrom, the said outer boiler being fed by an auxiliary
cistern and the inner boiler by the main supply cistern, whereby if any stoppage
does occur in the flow and return circulating pipes, no explosion will occur, as
the inner boiler is not heated directly by the furnace, and the steam or vapour from
the outer boiler will escape through the aperture aforesaid.
2. In a hot water apparatus, the combination with an outer boiler A supplied
by an auxiliary supply cistern B, of an inner boiler C located inside and protected
by the outer boiler A, and adapted to receive its heat entirely therefrom, the said
inner boiler C being supplied from a main supply cistern independently of the
auxiliary cistern, from which the outer boiler is fed, substantially as described.
3. The general combined arrangement and construction of parts forming the
improved hot water supply apparatus substantially as described.
Dated this 4th day of March 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.