Improvements in Gathering, Cleansing, Filtering, and Storing Rain and other Water for Domestic, Brewing, and Steam Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Improvements in Gathering, Cleansing, Filtering, and Storing Rain
and other Water for Domestic, Brewing, and Steam Purposes.
ROBERT COOKE SAYER 11 Clyde Road, Redland Bristol Civil 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 :-
The process obtains by means of five different essential parts viz:-The strainer a :
(see Drawing which shows the system in section at Fig. 1) the separator b: the
filter c: the store tank d: and the combined overflow, flushing, and drawing off
apparatus E. The strainer a is formed of a perforated plate of sufficient area to
catch leaves and dirt. The separator b which is to be fixed near or at a distance
from a is for the purpose of allowing the first water from the roofs &c. which contains
the impurities of the air roofs &c. to pass in one direction for gardening or other
purposes; but when they are cleansed to pass in another direction for filtering and
subsequent storage for drinking or other purposes. This is accomplished by leading
the water through the container cover f into a central taper shaped pipe G that
works on a spindle G' and has attached a saucer shaped vessel H by means of the
rod H that passes through G: H is threaded and carries an adjustable balance
weight J on the other side: H has attached the small tube L to act as an overflow and
in addition to its mouth L has (within H) small holes one above the other by which
the water contained in H is varied as required: thus any required amount of water
in H flowing from fis adjusted to overbalance J. G. H and L: in the normal
position of J. G. H and L the water flows from a through G and the trough K away
through the side of b as desired.
When required J works in a small box (attached to b) having a slot for its arm,
and opposite Jin 6 an aperture is formed through which to pass a key for adjusting J:
this box is so arranged that any extraneous liquid finding its way in should only be
able to leave by the aperture in b. The cover f of 6 is dished to a concave form
externally and leads the water falling upon it to the aperture 0 (0 is covered by a
conical perforated cap to exclude dirt) and when the regulated amount over-
balances J. G. H and L, the water from a passes through G into b until after the
rain ceases and the water in H evaporates, and J returns them to their normal
position. The overflow from H passes off through K.

page_text: с
The Filter c is a round flat or curved top'd box with or without a bottom (if with
a bottom a hole or holes are provided), it is made of ware or galvanized iron and is
divided into several compartiments by flat plates or discs (six shown in the drawing)
the top and bottom ones M and N are perforated all over with fine perforations: the
intermediate ones P have similar perforations P' on alternate sides, and with these
exceptions they are all water tight: these plates or discs either rest upon rings of
rubber, timber, cork or other material, or are attached to the case as shown by
riveting, soldering or other means when of metal when the filter is of stone or other
ware a roughness and slight projections are formed on the body upon which the
plates or discs rest when in that stage of manufacture known as "biscuit" (or other
more convenient) and are additionally secured above by fitting up the spaces with
clay of proper consistency and is subsequently hardened and glazed over: the discs
have small spaces left in their peripheries to clear the before mentioned projections as
they are passed down the body to their respective places in small filters of ware
when it is not convenient to make the holes sufficiently small the plates or discs are
formed as porus plates through which the water will percolate but will not allow the
filtering material to pass through those portions of the plates through which the
water is not to pass receives either a coat of liquid clay to fill up the interstices and
are then glazed, or when the finer clays are used for the plates the interstices are
filled up with the glaze only as usual. The spaces between the discs are filled up
with filtering material and form different stratums of sand, coke, and animal charcoal
of varying degrees of sizes, and when charged they are compressed together to the
required extent: when the rings of rubber &c. are used vertical bolts draw all up
together and make them water tight. The top of c and the bottom of b are fitted
with short conical tubes 62 and c² so that one may fit the other and the joint is made
good by a rubber or cork ring. The filter c has at each stratum pairs of holes R in
its side each pair being at right angles to the others adjoining and at an angle of
45° to the vertical bolts when used: these holes have stoppers of cork hardwood or
rubber and they are drawn together by the horizontal bolts T, but in the smaller class
of filters the stoppers are made tight by having screw plugs. The water entering c
flows through the perforations and from stratum to stratum in the direction of the
arrows and into the tank d.
:
When required either or all the stratums of filtering material may be taken out
cleansed and returned or new substituted by taking out one or more pairs of the
stoppers in R. 6 has four straps U attached to its bottom, these are slotted so as to
take over the ends of the bolts T, an additional nut to each tightens it up and keeps b
in position. A temporary storage tank is provided either in b or detached for rain
that falls too fast for the filter.
d is a tank of any description and is fitted with a combined overflow, flushing out
and drawing off apparatus E: V is the bent overflow pipe, it has a flange V2 to which
is attached a rubber or cork ring that rests against the side of d, a second bend
pipe W works horizontally inside V and passes through the side of d, it has a bend W'
and collar W to which a second rubber or cork ring is attached and takes against the
outside of d: a transverse pipe X and stump bolt ✗* are screwed into the T piece X'
and pass through V horizontally or vertically to any desired height, they are threaded
and connected by washers and nuts: from the end of the T piece ✗³ a pipe X is
carried through W* and supports an armed nut W' (that is able to travel along it as
required), and stop tap Z Z: V is supported at the top and also at V2 by a stirrup
and strut, and the flange W³ is supported by and travels within the horse shoe
hoop W that has stops: thus the overflow passes off through V and away at W':
and water is drawn off at Z Z leaving the tank at Z³: and the tank is flushed out by
unscrewing W until the flange W³ meets the stops of W and continuing to turn W
V is driven in on its support and then the water escapes in volume at ZZ' and Z*
and may be caught if required at Z*.
In those cases where the overflow passes off at the top of the storage tank into
another, the combined flushing out and drawing off apparatus as shown in section
at Fig. 2 is adopted the same parts are lettered as above W³ is secured to d; X* has
;

page_text: not in this case a T piece but carries a piece of cork, rubber or wood X³ secured with
the nuts shown, and the end of X is supported either by the stirrups and struts V
or by three or four pins passing through X³ and bearing upon the inside of W³, as
most convenient: thus the water is drawn off as before at Z Z and leaves the tank
at Z³: and the tank is flushed out by unscrewing the nut W' and pushing the tap,
pipe and X³, and the water escapes in volume through W' and may be caught if
required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The general arrangement of the whole apparatus as described and shown on
the Drawing and the temporary storage of water that falls too rapidly for the filter to
take substantially as described.
2nd. The arrangement of the separator b whereby the water from the dirty roofs
and air is passed away for one purpose, and when the roofs &c. are cleaned by the
rain, the water is diverted and passes to the filter and is stored for another purpose
until after the rain has ceased and the water in the balance dish has dried up (or
evaporated) when the balance weight returns it to its normal position substantially
as described.
3rd. The arrangement of the filter whereby the water passes through varying
strata of filtering material backwards and forwards, the inlet and outlet to one and
all the strata being through fine perforations in the discs, or through porus discs, or
through portions only of the discs that have been made porus, together with the
means of securing the discs to the body of the filter: also for building up the
sides (or body) of the filter with rings of suitable material upon which the discs
rest and are tightened up by bolts and also for the holes in the various stratums
through which the filtering material may be washed out cleansed and returned:
also the means of securing the stoppers to such holes and making water tight:
also the mode of connecting the separator (or its tank) with the filter by means
of the conical joint substantially as described.
:
4th. The arrangement of the combined "overflow, flushing out and drawing off
apparatus" substantially as described.
5th. The arrangement of the combined "flushing out and drawing off apparatus
substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of November 1887.
"