Improvements in or Additions to the Flues and Chimneys of Gas Stoves and Gas Fires.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 6th July, 1895-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to the Flues and Chimneys of Gas
Stoves and Gas Fires.
I, JAMES ATKINS, of Hampton House, Malvern, in the County of Worcester,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object so to construct and arrange the flues and chimneys
of stoves and fires burning coal gas that an upward draught may be set up in the
said flues or chimneys prior to lighting the stove or fire thereby obviating the
contamination of the air of the room, in which the gas stove or fire is situated, by
the products of combustion of the said stove or fire which commonly occurs on
the lighting of gas stoves and fires having flues or chimneys of the ordinary
construction.
My invention has for its further object to prevent or minimise the effect of down
draught in the flues and chimneys of gas stoves and gas fires during windy
weather.
I effect these objects by the construction and combination of parts hereinafter
described.
I arrange in the chimney, into which the flue of the gas stove or gas fire opens,
and just above the level of the top of the stove or fire, a chamber heated by a
small gas flame. This chamber is provided with a door at front for gaining access
to the burner for lighting. The said door is preferably a glazed door. The pipe
or flue from the gas stove or gas fire passes through the bottom of this chamber
and terminates near the top of the same. An upper pipe, which virtually con-
stitutes a continuation of the lower pipe, extends from the top of the chamber to
a height of from five to six feet in the chimney. The top of the upper pipe is
preferably provided with a conical or other cap for preventing the entrance of dirt
and dust into the air heating chamber.
By heating the small chamber in the chimney prior to lighting the gas stove or
fire a draught is set up in the flue and chimney which ensures the passage up the
chimney of the noxious gases or products of combustion of the gas stove or fire
when lighted.
Instead of introducing the jet or flame hereinbefore referred to into a specially
constructed chamber in the chimney the said flame may be introduced with the
same or nearly the same effect into the mouth of the flue the air heating chamber
described being in this case dispensed with.
In order to prevent or diminish down draught in chimneys and flues of gas
stoves and gas fires I provide the top of the chimney pot with a cap made of
perforated zinc or wire gauze. Or two discs or diaphragms of perforated zinc or
wire gauze may be employed one being arranged on the top of the chimney and the
other a short distance below the top. The perforations in the lower disc may be
finer than those in the upper disc.
By the use of the perforated cap or perforated discs described, the wind enters
the chimney in a series of fine jets or streams which offer but little obstruction to
the ascending heated currents in the chimney.
By the use of the improvements hereinbefore described, ordinary coal fire grates
may be converted with but little change or alteration into gas fire grates the open

page_text: top being provided with a covering plate or Hap which may have an opening in its-
middle over which a kettle or other vessel may be placed for heating water or
other like purpose.
Dated this Thirty-first day of October 1894.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in or Additions to the Flues and Chimneys of Gas
Stoves and Gas Fires.
I, JAMES ATKINS, of Hampton House, Malvern, in the County of Worcester
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention has for its object so to construct and arrange the flues and chimneys
of stoves and fires burning coal gas that an upward draught may be set up in the
said flues or chimneys prior to lighting the stove or fire, thereby obviating the
contamination of the air of the room. in which the gas stove or fire is situated, by
the products of combustion of the said stove or fire which commonly occurs on the
lighting of gas stoves and fires having flues or chimneys of the ordinary con-
struction.
My invention has for its further object to prevent or minimise the effect of down
draught in the flues and chimneys of gas stoves and gas fires during windy
weather.
I effect these objects by the construction and combination of parts hereinafter
described.
I arrange in the chimney, into which the flue of the gas stove or gas fires opens,
and just above the level of the top of the stove or fire, a chamber heated by a
small gas flame. This chamber is provided with a door at front for gaining access
to the burner for lighting. The said door is preferably a glazed door. The pipe
or flue from the gas stove or gas fire passes through the bottom of this chamber
and terminates near the top of the same. An upper pipe, which virtually
constitutes a continuation of the lower pipe, extends from the top of the chamber
to a height of from three to six feet in the chimney. The top of the upper pipe
is preferably provided with a conical or other cap for preventing the entrance of
dirt and dust into the air heating chamber.
By heating the small chamber in the chimney prior to lighting the gas stove or
fire, a draught is set up in the flue and chimney which ensures the passage up the
chimney of the noxious gases or products of combustion of the gas stove or fire
when lighted.
Instead of introducing the jet or flame herein before referred to into a specially
constructed chamber in the chimney, the said flame may be introduced with the
same or nearly the same effect into the mouth of the flue, the air heating chamber
described being in this case dispensed with.
In order to prevent or diminish down draught in chimneys and flues of gas
stores and gas fires, I provide the top of the chimney pot with a cap made of
perforated zinc or wire gauze. Or two discs er diaphragms of perforated zinc or
wire ganze may be employed one being arranged on the top of the chimney and the
other a short distance below the top.
By the use of the perforated cap or perforated discs described, the wind enters
the chimney in a series of fine jets or streams which offer but little obstruction to
the ascending heated currents in the chimney.

page_text: Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in front elevation and Figure 2
in vertical section a gas stove or gas fire and a part of the chimney or flue of the
room in which the stove is situated, the said stove and chimney having the improve-
ments or additious constituting part of my invention; Figure 3 represents a
horizontal section on the line a, a Figure 2: Figures 4 and 5 represent in front
elevation and vertical section respectively, a modification of the arrangement
Figures 1, and 3.
Figures 6 to 13 both inclusive represent various devices hereinafter described to
be applied to the tops of chimneys for the purpose of preventing down draught in
the same during windy weather.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
flue
I will first describe the arrangement Figures 1, 2, and 3; a is the fire grate in
front of which the gas stove or gas fire B is placed; c is the chimney into which the
of the gas stove B passes. In the mouth or bottom of the chimney c arrange
a small chamber or metal box d through the bottom of which the flue passes
terminating near the top of the said chamber d. From the top of the chamber d
a flue d2 passes to a height of from three to six feet in the chimney the said flue d²
constituting virtually a continuation of the flue of the stove. The top of the flue d²
is preferably provided with a cap d³ (open at its sides) to prevent the entrance of
dust and dirt into the chamber d. The products of combustion from the flue d²
escape into the chimney e at the open sides of the cap d³. A gas burner e is
situated in the chamber d the gas from which burner when ignited heats the said
chamber the heated air and products of combustion passing up the flue d² into the
chimney and thereby creating an updraught in the flue band chimney c. Access
to the chamber d for igniting the gas at the burner e is obtained by a passage d' at
the front of the chamber d, the said passage terminating at a hole in the front of
the fire grate a, the said hole being opened and closed by means of the glazed
door f
In using my invention the gas at the burner e is ignited a few minutes before
igniting the gas at the burners of the gas stove B consequently the chamber d
becomes heated and an updraught in the flues b and d² and chimney e is set up, so
that on igniting the gas of the gas stove B the products of combustion immediately
pass into the chimney and the contamination of the air of the room in which the
stove is situated by the said products of combustion escaping into the room is
prevented.
The said escape of the products of combustion into the room usually takes place
on the igniting of the gas of stoves of the ordinary construction and continues more
or less until the whole of the cold air in the flue and chimney has been displaced
by the warm air and products of combustion from the stove, consequently the air
of the room becomes contaminated by the noxious gases from the stove and a
disagreeable odour results. By the use of my invention the whole of the objections
to gas stoves referred to are removed.
In the modified arrangement Figures 4 and 5 the air heating chamber d in the
chimney c is dispensed with, a Bunsen or other burner 9 being arranged at the
bottom or elbow part of the flue b. In order to gain access to said burner for
lighting, the upper front part B2 of the stove B is hinged or made removable.
I have represented the said part B2 hinged. The action of this modified arrangement
is the same as that previously described.
It will be seen by the sectional plan Figure 3 that in both arrangements the
burner e or g is supplied with gas by a branch pipe and the stove by a branch
pipe the said branch pipes being controlled by independent gas taps or cocks
marked respectively h2, 2. By this arrangement, on the lighting of the gas of the
stove the supply of gas to the burner e or g may be reduced so as to leave a small
flame burning; or the said supply may be cut off and the flame extinguished.
I will now describe with reference to the drawing that part of my invention

page_text: relating to the prevention or diminution of down draught in chimneys during windy
weather.
Figure 6 represents in vertical section an ordinary chimney pot to which my
invention is applied and Figure 7 represents the same in horizontal section, the said
section being taken on the line y, y Figure 6.
According to this arrangement I place a cap of perforated sheet metal
(preferably zinc) or wire gauze on the top of the chimney and suspend from it at
a short distance below the top by means of an axial wire or rod na second disc m
of perforated sheet metal or wire gauze.
The action of the perforated discs l, m is as follows;-During windy weather a
gust of wind entering the chimney is broken up or divided into a series of fine
jets or streams by the dise which jets or streams are again interrupted by the
second perforated disc m so that below the said disc m the air in the chimney is in
a state of nearly perfect quiesence so far as the effect of the wind is concerned, and
little or no obstruction is offered to the ascending heated air and products of com-
bustion in the chimney. The top perforated disc may be used alone but 1 prefer
the arrangement described. Or the top perforated disc may be dispensed with
and an unperforated conical cap p standing on feet p², p², p², p² a little above the
top of the chimney (indicated in dotted lines in Figure 6) be used in combination
with the lower perforated disc m. Or the conical cap may be employed when two
perforated dises are used.
Figure 8 represents in elevation; Figure 9 in plan; Figure 10 in vertical section
and Figure 11 in horizontal section, the arrangement which I prefer to use when
the chimney pot has what is technically called a louvre top.
In this case I replace the top perforated dise 7 by the unperforated conical cap p
supported a little above the top of the chimney by the feet p², p², p², p². The
suspended perforated disc m is connected to the said cap by the axial wire n and
by the concave strips of metal r, r, r, r which are arranged mid-way between the
webs c², c², c2, c² of the louvre top of the chimney. By the use of this arrange-
ment not only is the wind entering the louvres directed upwards but in whatever
direction it is blowing the wind is broken up by the strips r or webs c² and
spaces within the louvre free from wind obstruction are left for the ascending
currents of beated air and products of combustion in the chimney to escape by.
In the arrangement Figures 12 and 13 the depending strips are made convex
and are arranged on the outside of the louvres instead of on the inside.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as
my invention —
First. The improvements in or additions to gas stoves and gas fires herein
before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying
drawings, the said improvements consisting in the addition to the flue of the gas
stove of a small air beating chamber, a jet of gas in which is ignited prior to
igniting the gas of the gas stove substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described.
Secondly. The improvement in or addition to gas stoves or gas fires hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings, the
said improvement consisting in arranging a Bunsen or other burner in the ordinary
flue for heating the air in the said flue prior to igniting the gas of the stove and
hinging or making removable the upper front part of the stove to facilitate access
to the burner in the flue for igniting the gas substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated.
Thirdly. The arrangement herein before described and represented in Figures
and 7 of the accompanying drawings for preventing down draught in the chimneys
of gas stoves or gas fires during windy weather, the said arrangement consisting in
the use on the top of the chimney of a cap of perforated sheet metal or wire gauze

page_text: or a pair of perforated discs of sheet metal or wire gauze separated a short
distance apart substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and
illustrated, also the modification in which an unperforated conical cap is used in
place of or in addition to the top disc of perforated sheet metal.
Fourthly. The arrangement of parts hereinbefore described with reference to
Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings for application to
chimney pots having louvre tops, the said arrangement consisting in the combina-
tion with a perforated disc of sheet metal suspended in the mouth of the chimney,
that is, below the louvres, of a conical cap above the louvres and of vertical strips
either within or outside the louvres substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated.
Dated the Second day of July 1895
JAMES ATKINS.