Improved Method of and Apparatus for Heating Rooms.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 10th Dec.. 1892-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Apparatus for Heating Rooms.
I, EUGENE ROBERT STARMER, of 131 St. George's Road, Southwark, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for heating rooms,
and is intended more especially for intercepting a great portion of the heat
which now escapes up the chimney of open fire places, and utilizing such heat for
warming the air in the room in which the fire is, or other room or rooms of the
building.
The important feature of my invention consists in the employment of hollow
structures adapted when heated to cause a circulation of air therethrough by
drawing in air at one or more inlet openings at or near the bottom of the said
hollow structure and discharging such air after it has been warmed by contact with
the interior surface of the structure, through one or more outlet openings at or near
the top of the said structure.
I place such hollow structure in the fire place behind and below the fire, or just
above the fire, or in the chimney.
A convenient mode of carrying my invention into practice is to construct a
shallow metal box of a shape suited to fit in the fire place and rest on the grate,
and which is connected by a number of small upright or inclined tubes with
another shallow box placed at any suitable height above the fire, and which may
be hidden from view if desired. Both the lower and the upper boxes have one or
more short inlet and outlet pipes respectively leading into the room. By this
arrangement a strong current of air is caused to pass through the structure,
entering the lower box and passing through the aforesaid pipes and then out
through the upper box into the room again. A great portion of the heat from the
back and bottom of the fire place is thus utilized in heating the air in the room and
consequently the fire is rendered much more efficient and economical, less of the
heat being wasted by passing up the chimney.
In some cases I provide a number of small horizontal or slightly inclined tubes
which connect with the bottom box and form the grate or bars on which the fire
rests.
In other cases I mount a heating device in the chimney either in lieu of the
device in the fire place or in addition thereto. The said device may be of any
desired shape, a convenient form consisting of an upper and a lower annular ring
connected by upright or inclined tubes, the lower ring having an inlet tube and
the upper ring an outlet tube leading into the room. This device may be arranged
to pivot about the said inlet and outlet tubes or any other suitable pivot so that it
can be conveniently turned aside if required into a recess provided to receive it in
the chimney to allow of the chimney being swept. Or the apparatus may be
turned outward into the room, on a suitable door provided in the chimney breast
being opened.
"
The outlet tubes can be arranged to deliver the heated air either in the same
room as the fire is situated or into one or more rooms on the floor or floors above.
It is obvious that my improved heating device can be applied to the several floors
of a building and all extracting heat from one chimney which belongs to a fire
place in the basement or first floor, thereby utilizing the heat to a great advantage
in heating bed rooms for example. The device which I place in the chimney is
most conveniently applied in the course of construction and is intended to be a

page_text: permanent fixture whereas the device for the fire place is so constructed that it
can be carried about and moved from one room to another, it being so arranged as
to require practically no fixing and is adapted to fit existing fire places without any
alteration thereof.
It is obvious that I may vary the form or construction of my improved heating
apparatus without departing from the nature of my invention, for example I may
use a coil or coils or other suitable structure.
Dated this 12th day of March 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Apparatus for Heating Rooms.
I, EUGENE ROBERT STARMER, of 14 Hercules Terrace, Hercules Road,
Lambeth, late of 131 St. George's Road, Southwark, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for heating rooms
and is intended more especially for intercepting a great portion of the heat which
now escapes up the chimneys of open fire-places and utilizing such heat for
'warming the air in the room in which the fire is, or other room or rooms of the
building.
:
The important feature of my invention consists in the employment of hollow
structures adapted when heated to cause a circulation of air therethrough by
drawing in air at one or more inlet openings at or near the bottom of the said hollow
structure and discharging such air, after it has been warmed by contact with the
interior surface of the structure through one or more outlet openings at or near the
top of the said structure.
I place such hollow structure in the fire place behind and below the fire, or just
above the fire, or in the chimney.
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood I will now proceed
to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a front view of an ordinary grate fitted with one form of heating
apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is a side view of the heating apparatus shewn in Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 are detail views of a modification of part of Figure 2.
Like letters of reference denote similar parts in all the drawings.
A is the ordinary grate of which A, A' are the front bars. B is a shallow
metal box which is of a shape and size to loosely fit and rest upon the bottom of
the grate.
B B are other shallow boxes supported on tubes C which connect the said boxes
to the lower box B. B is an arched tube connecting the two boxes B' and also
connected by tubes C' with the lower box B. D is an outlet pipe leading from the
arched tube B2 into the room. E, E are tubes screwed into the front of the lower
box B and which act as air inlets. The box B is also provided with other air inlets
E, E at the ends of the side portions of said box.
Instead of screwing the pipes E into the front of the box B I prefer to attach
the same in the manner shewn in detail in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 shews a
sectional plan view of the joints of three of said pipes E and Figure 4 a side view
of the end of one of the said pipes. The front wall of the box B is provided with
ribs having undercut sides forming ledges b'. The pipe E has a tapered flanged
end e adapted to slide and be supported between two adjacent ribs b so that the pipe

page_text: is opposite to the orifice in the box. I may adopt other methods of securing the
said pipes to the lower box B. This construction admits of the pipes E being easily
replaced. The end pipe may be formed with a branch as shown projecting at any
desired or suitable angle. By removing said end pipes and replacing them by
others having branches inclined, or which themselves are inclined, at different
angles, the apparatus can be made to fit grates of different sizes. The said lower
box may also consist of two or more boxes secured together in any suitable manner
and I may modify the construction in various ways which are sufficiently obvious
without further description.
The operation of my improved device is as follows, that is to say, when a fire is
lighted in the grate a strong current of air is caused to pass through the above
described structure, entering the lower box by the inlets E, E and passing through
the pipes C, C1, the upper boxes, the outlet pipe D and into the room again.
A great portion of the heat from the back and bottom of the fire place is thus
utilized in heating the air in the room and consequently the fire is rendered much
more efficient and economical, less of the heat being wasted by passing up the
chimney. Instead of said shallow boxes connected with pipes, the structure may
consist of only one high and large box of a shape suited to fit in the fire place
and provided with a tubular grate having inlet and outlets.
In some cases I mount a heating device in the chimney either in lieu of the
device in the fire place or in addition thereto. The said device may be of any
desired shape, a convenient form consisting of an upper and lower annular ring
connected by upright or inclined tubes the lower ring having an inlet tube and
the upper ring an outlet tube leading into the room. This device may be
arranged to pivot about the said inlet and outlet tubes or any other suitable
pivot so that it can be conveniently turned aside if required into a recess pro-
vided to receive it in the chimney to allow of the chimney being swept. Or
the apparatus may be turned outward into the room, on a suitable door provided
in the chimney breast being opened.
The outlet tubes can be arranged to deliver the heated air either in the same
room as the fire is situated or into one or more rooms on the floor or floors
above. It is obvious that my improved heating device can be applied to the
several floors of a building and all extracting heat from one chimney which
belongs to a fire-place in the basement or first floor, thereby utilizing the heat
to a great advantage in heating bed rooms for example. The device which I
place in the chimney is most conveniently applied in the course of construction
and is intended to be a permanent fixture whereas the device for the fire place
is so constructed that it can be carried about and moved from one fire place
to another, it being so arranged as to require practically no fixing and is
adapted to fit existing fire places without any alteration thereof.
It is obvious that I may vary the form or construction of my improved
heating apparatus without departing from the nature of my invention, for example
I may use a coil or coils or other suitable structure inside of which the air is
heated.
Although I have hereinabove described my improved apparatus as intended
for heating air, it is obvious that it may be used for heating water in the same
manner. When water is to be used in the heater, the latter is connected with
a closed system of pipes which pass around the room.
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. The employment, in combination with a fireplace, of a portable hollow
structure provided with inlet and outlet openings adapted to cause a circulation
of air or water through the said structure, for the purpose specified.
2. A heating aparatus for utilizing the waste heat at the back and sides of a
fire place, consisting of boxes connected by tubes or of a single box. which

page_text: loosely fits the grate, and provided with inlet and outlet openings, constructed
substantially as described, and operating as specified.
Dated this 9th day of December 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co., .
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.