New or Improved Apparatus for Heating Buildings and other Places by the Circulation of Hot Water.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 7th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 19th Feb., 1898
New or Improved Apparatus for Heating Buildings and other
Places by the Circulation of Hot Water.
We, WILLIAM ALLMAN, of No. 45, Villa Road, Handsworth, in the County of
Stafford, Manufacturer, and JOHN THOMPSON COPE, of No. 86, Tiverton Road, Selly Oak,
in the County of Worcester, Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of the construction and arrangement hereinafter described
of the parts of heating apparatus for warming buildings, conservatories and other
places by the circulation of hot water.
We will describe our invention in connection with the heating of a house or building
several storeys high.
At a low part of the building, preferably in the basement, we place a water heater
consisting of a furnace having a saddle shaped or other water reservoir or container
heated by the said furnace. Into the upper part of the water heater a pipe opens
which pipe ascends vertically to the top of the building the said pipe passing through
the floors of the several storeys of the building. This pipe we will hereinafter refer
to as the ascending pipe. The said pipe may either proceed in a vertical line in the
interior of the building, being supported on or near the vertical walls of the several
storeys, or take any upward course which the building to be warmed renders necessary
or desirable. In the roof, that is, the highest part of the building is a tank into
which the hot water rising in the ascending pipe empties itself. This tank has
other pipes one a vertical pipe opening into its top, and another a horizontal pipe
opening into its side at the level at which it is desired the water in the hot water
tank should be maintained. Both these pipes pass through the roof, the former
delivering into the atmosphere any vapour of water that may arise from the hot water
in the hot water tank and the latter delivering on to the roof any excess of water in
the hot water tank. Opening into the bottom of the hot water tank is another pipe
which we will call the descending pipe. It is by the flow of the water through the
said descending pipe that the heating or warming of the building is mainly effected.
This, the descending pipe takes a zig-zag or other course according to the particular
structure of the building or place to be heated proceeding from the top-most to the
intermediate and lowest apartments, its lower end opening into the lower part of the
saddle or other heater herein before referred to.
In order to maintain the water in the hot water tank at the normal height or level,
compensation for the slight evaporation which takes place in the hot water tank is
made by having a small cold water tank connected by a pipe to the lower part of the
descending hot water pipe. This small cold water tank may be situated at the same
level as or at a little higher than that of the hot water tank and by means of a stop-
cock or other equivalent contrivance a small inflow of water may be permitted and
the normal volume of water in the apparatus maintained.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that the heating by the
furnace of the water in the heater the said water is expanded and made specifically

page_text: lighter by the said expansion. It consequently rises in the ascending pipe and flows
into the hot water tank in the roof of the building and by its descent in the descending
pipe warms the different rooms through which the said descending pipe passes. The
descending water when it enters the bottom of the heater is cooler than the water in
the said heater and the hotter water passing from the top of the heater into the
ascending pipe determines a circulation of the water through the said heater and the
series of pipes described..
By our improvements hot water may be drawn from any of the descending pipes of
the system, and the pipes may be fixed in any position, under or over doors or windows
or other obstacles, or in any position suitable for the complete heating of the building
without interfering with the circulation.
New or Improved Apparatus for Heating Buildings and other
Places by the Circulation of Hot Water.
We, WILLIAM ALLMAN, of No. 45, Villa Road, Handsworth, in the County of
Stafford, Manufacturer, and JOHN THOMPSON COPE, of No. 86, Tiverton Road, Selly
Oak, in the County of Worcester, Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature
of our invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention consists of the construction and arrangement hereinafter described
of the parts of heating apparatus for warming buildings, conservatories and other
places by the circulation of hot water.
We will describe our invention in connection with the heating of a house or
building several storeys high.
At a low part of the building, preferably in the basement, we place a water heater
consisting of a furnace having a saddle shaped or other water reservoir or container
heated by the said furnace. Into the upper part of the water heater a pipe opens
which pipe ascends vertically to the top of the building, the said pipe passing through
the floors of the several storeys of the building. This pipe we will hereinafter refer
to as the ascending pipe. The said pipe may either proceed in a vertical line in the
interior of the building, being supported on or near the vertical walls of the several
storeys, or take any upward course which the building to be warmed renders necessary
or desirable. In the roof, that is, the highest part of the building, is a tank into
which the hot water rising in the ascending pipe empties itself. This tank has other
pipes one a vertical pipe opening into its top and another a horizontal pipe opening
into its side at the level at which it is desired the water in the hot water tank should
be maintained. Both these pipes pass through the roof, the former delivering into
the atmosphere any vapour of water that may arise from the hot water in the hot
water tank and the latter delivering on to the roof any excess of water in the hot
water tank. Opening into the bottom of the hot water tank is another pipe or pipes
which we will call the descending pipe or pipes. It is by the flow of the water through
the said descending pipe or pipes that the heating or warming of the building is
mainly effected. The descending pipe or pipes take a zig-zag or other course
according to the particular structure of the building or place to be heated, proceeding
from the topmost to the intermediate and lowest apartments the lower ends of the
said pipes opening into the lower part of the saddle or other heater hereinbefore
referred to.

page_text: In order to maintain the water in the hot water tank at the normal height or level,
compensation for the slight evaporation which takes place in the hot water tank is'
made by having a small cold water tank connected by a pipe to the lower part of the
descending hot water pipe. This small cold water tank may be situated at the same
level as or at a little higher than that, of the hot water tank and by means of a stop-
cock or other equivalent contrivance a small inflow of water may be permitted and
the normal volume of water in the apparatus maintained.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that the heating by the
furnace of the water in the heater the said water is expanded and made specifically
lighter by the said expansion. It consequently rises in the ascending pipe and flows.
into the hot water tank in the roof of the building and by its descent in the
descending pipe warms the different rooms through which the said descending pipe
passes. The descending water when it enters the bottom of the heater is cooler
than the water in the said heater and the hotter water passing from the top of the
heater into the ascending pipe determines a circulation of the water through the said
heater and the series of pipes described.
By our improvements hot water may be drawn from any of the descending pipes of
the system and the pipes may be fixed in any position under or over doors or windows
or other obstacles or in any position suitable for the complete heating of the building
without interfering with the circulation.
The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically the carrying of our
invention into effect for the heating of a two storey building; but we wish it to be
understood that our invention may be applied to the heating of a single storey build-
ing or a building of more than two storeys.
a is the water heater (an ordinary vertical boiler) arranged in the basement of the
building. From the top of the said water heater a an ascending hot water pipe b
passes and delivers hot water into the tank c which is situated at the highest part of
the apparatus, preferably in the roof of the building. The said hot water tank c has
a pipe cl at top for the escape of steam and a pipe c² at one side by which latter pipe
the level of the water in the tank c is determined.
From the bottom of the hot water tank c two descending pipes marked respectively
d, e pass to the bottom of the water heater a. The numerous bends and undulations
in the pipe e are indicative of the course the pipe may take to permit it to pass doors
and windows or other obstacles or to suit any requirement which the building may
render necessary or desirable. The descending pipes d, e are provided with controlling
valves or cocks h1, h2, h3, h4, h³, ho. Loss of water through evaporation and overflow
on expansion is compensated by a cold water tank with ball tap or valve in connec-
tion with a water service, the said tank communicating with the water heater a by a
pipe g opening into the lower part of the pipe e. The tank may however be dis-
pensed with the ball tap in this case being arranged in the tank c for maintaining
a constant level in the said tank c; we prefer however to employ a separate water
supply tank.
We will first describe the use of the apparatus for the simultaneous heating of
both rooms of the building and afterwards for the heating of one room only.
The valves or cocks h', h², h³, h' are opened and the valves or cocks h³, ho are
closed; the hot water consequently descends in the pipe e and after flowing around
the upper room or apartment A enters by the cock h² the descending pipe d and by
the cock h³ flows into the pipe e of the lower room or apartment B through which it
passes to the heater a, a continuous circulation of water being maintained by the said
water heater a.
Where it is desired to warm only the upper room or apartment A the valves
or cocks h', h, h* are opened and the other valves h³, h', h³ are closed. It will thus
be seen that after the water has flowed through the piping e of the upper room A it
descends directly by the pipe d to the water heater a.
Where it is desired to warm only the lower room or apartment B the valves
or cocks h, h, h* are opened and the other valves or cocks h', ', ' are closed. The
hot water from the tank e thus flows directly by the pipe d to the range of piping e

page_text: of the lower room or apartment B through which it flows to the water heater a
entering the said water heater a at the cock h*.
It will be understood that we use generally as many descending pipes in connec-
tion with the hot water tank c as there are rooms or apartments to be heated.
°
It will further be understood that taps for withdrawing hot water at any point in
the descending pipes may be provided without affecting the efficiency of the
apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as our
invention :-
The new or improved apparatus for heating buildings and other places by the cir-
culation of hot water hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing; the said apparatus consisting of the combination of the following essential
parts; namely, a water heater at the lowest level of the apparatus, the top of which
heater communicates with a tank at the highest part of the apparatus by means of a
water ascending pipe, the said hot water tank returning the water delivered into it to
the bottom of the water heater by a descending pipe or pipes controlled by valves or
cocks, the water in the apparatus being maintained at a constant level by a connection
with a water supply substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated the Sixth day of January 1898.
WILLIAM ALLMAN.
JOHN THOMPSON COPE.