US142791A - Improvement in fire-places - Google Patents

Description

l. M. IRWIN.

Fire-Places.

N0. 142,791, Patented September16,l873.

UNITED STATES APrrrnlv'r OFFICE.

JAMES M. IRWIN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-PLACES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,791, dated September 16, 1873; application filed May 17, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. IRWIN, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Open Coal-Burning Fire-Places; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I is a perspective view of my grate and its nues, and Fig. 1I is a vertical central section of the same.

My invention consists, first, in constructing the back wall of a lire-place or grate perpendicular, and the opening into the smoke-line horizontal, and at right angles to each other, which facilitates the draft, and consumes more perfectly the gases arising from the re, and also enables the soot to be removed more easily from the flue; and my invention consists, second, in making a part of the back wall hollow, forming one or more openings on a level with the hearth under the grate-bars, and also in the wall in the rear of the re. These communications make a strong draft of air pass directly into the back of the fire, producin g a more perfect combustion of the coal 5 and my invention particularly consists in combining this construction with an ordinary grate, so that the grates in common use may be adapted to my improvement without the necessity of sacrificing the old grate and adopting another.

In the drawings, A represents the gra-tefront; B, the basket or grate; G, the tile or back of the fire-wall, and D the opening into smoke-flue. This opening extends all across the top of the tile G, and is placed near the upper part of the fire-place, the top of which is formed by the tile E, having a lip or projection, P, which projects over the front of the back tile G, and catches the smoke as it rises along the face of the back wall, and turns it into the opening D, through which it passes into the smoke-flue F. The bottom of the flue F and of the opening D forms a hori-` zontal shelf, which catches the soot which falls down the flue, and prevents it from entering the room, and is readily removed from the shelf at intervals with a scraper without danger to carpets or furniture of the apartment. The back wall G can be constructed of either brick or tile, with perforations below the grate-bars on a level with the hearth by openings, seen at K K K, which communicate with a back iiue or chamber, I, formed between the tile G and the back wall of the chimney. From this flue or chamber openings H H H communicate with the back of the basket B just above the gratebars. The openings may all communicate with one ilue, I, or they may be separated from each other by a brick partition, and each form a small flue, through which the air producing the back draft passes in the direction indicated by the arrows in the drawing.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: The air passes under the fire into the openings K, and through the ilues I and H, and, becoming heated and rarefied, produces a powerful draft upon the back of the coal in the lire, which facilitates its combustion. The smoke and gas then pass up the high back wall, which, becoming heated7 not only radiates the heat into the room, but its vertical position facilitates the combustion ofthe smoke and gas as they rise. The top tile E then directs the smoke into the smoke-flue, in the direction indicated by the arrows, and the soot which falls down the flue lodges upon the shelf, and is readily removed.

I am aware that the air has been introduced into the rear of the coal in the grate, but by an expensive means, necessitating the removal of the ordinary grate and the introduction of a different one; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire t0 secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The back wall ofI an open grate with perforations below the grate-bars, and perforations back of and opening into the basket or grate, each communicating with a chamber or passage constructed in the back wall, the whole combined with an ordinary grate and flue, substantially as described.

2. In an ordinary open-grate tire-place, the combination of the passages, extending from beneath the grate through the back wall to and into the rear of the basket or grate, with the vertical back G, smoke-flue, and grate, substantially as and for the purpose described.

The above specification of my said invention signed and witnessed at Pittsburg this 13th day of May, A. D. 1873.

JAMES M. IRWIN.

Witnesses:

ALEX. Mnrcnnrr, G. M. SHOFF.-

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