US174654A - Improvement in fire-place heaters - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. I. W. -IQEALL l FIRE-mm1: HEATER, No.174,654. Fatented March 14, 1.876'.

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2 Sheets-Sheet Z.

I. W. BEALL.

FIRE-PLACE HEATER.

No.1'74s,554:. Patented March14;1876,

ISAAC W. BEALL, OF SEWIOKLY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND PBILLIP H.

STEVESON, OF MOON TOWNSHIP, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA.

IMPROVEMENT IN i-'IiE-FLACE HEATERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l74,654, dated March 14, 1876; application filed February 12, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ISAAC W. BEALL, of Sewickly, count-y of Allegheny, State of `Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Place Heaters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise and exact de scription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a part of this specification, in which-like letters indicating like parts- Figure l represents, in perspective, my improved furnace, as placed in an ordinarychimney, the wall A of the chimney being broken away in part. Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the same, apart from inclosing Walls or chimney. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the line :t fr, Fig. 2, the parts represented being shown in perspective. Fig. 4L is a detached view of the escape-filles w 1 7 y on the back of the furnace. Fig. 5 represents a metallic plate or diaphragm used to divide the burning fuel in the fire basket or grate, and is shown in position in Fig. 3 by the dotted lines b b. Fig. b' shows more fully the manner in -which this plate or diaphragm. is secured in position, along with other features of my invention, presently to be described 5I and Fig. 7 represents a part of a movable hearth-piece shown inposition at r, Fig. 3.

My improved grate or furnace is designed to occupy the same position in an ordinary house-chimney as the common open coalgrate.

The walls of the chimney A, Fig. 1, form an outside casin g or vinclosure for the several parts of the furnace, and the open space B between these inclosing-wa-lls and the parts of the furnace proper is used as an air-chamber, cold air being admitted through suitable openings at or nea-r the bottom of the furnace, as-at j'. The air, being heated by the heat radiated and conducted from the inclosed parts of the furnace, rises and is conveyed by pipes O .and registers L to any desired part of the house.

As illustrated in Fig. l, the pipes O may be laid between the joists of the iioor E, or arranged in any other desirable way, and the registers L may open from these pipes O or open through the chimney-walls from the airchamber B direct into the adjoining rooms,

While the grate or lire-chamber may open into the same or another room of the house, as in the case of ordinary grates. Thus my improved heater serves the purpose of the ordigrates. -The [ire-basket a a1 c, which holds the burning fuel, is composed of the front and rear grates c al, which are suspended at the ends of the top bar of each of the grates on the pivot c2. Each grate is thus free to swing back and forth upon its pivots c2 as a center.

These grates form the front and rear and a part of the bottom ofthe lire'basket. The remainder ofthe bottom ofthe basket is formed by A the angular connecting-piece c, Figs. 2, 3, and 6, which hooks to or is jointed with the bottom bars a3 c4 of both the front and rear gra-tes c ci in such manner that it may be readily removed, but whilein place the Whole fire-basket may be swung or agitated back and forth.

In Fig. 6 I have showna convenient method of connecting this bridgepiece c with the grate-bars a, ct. rBhe hook b3- may engage one of the lower grate-bars, as a3, andthe hook b4 the other grate-bar a4. As the hre-basket is swung or agitated the'front and rear grates c a1 may thus each swing upon its own pivots a2 as a center, while the angular bridge-piece c, which connects them at the bottom, will not only move back and forth across the space between the grates a al, but will also have a small upward and downward motion in the same space, thus more effectually stirring the lower part ofthe tire, and clearing it of ashes and other residua of combustion.

For purposes presently to be described# prefer to make this angular connecting-piece c soliden one of its inclining faces, and grated or with suitable openings on its other face or inclination, as seen in Figs. 3 and 6; and it is also made reversible end for end, thus bringing the grated or solid faces either to the front or rear halt' of the tire-basket, as desired. The purposes served by this reversible feature of the connecting-piece c will presently appear. The curved plate or diaphragm b, Figs. 3, 5, and 6, is connected with the angular piece e by pins b1, which pass down through openings in the apex ofthe piece c, as at b2, Figs. 3 and 6; or it may be connected in any other suitable way, leaving the plate bsut'tcient freedom of motion, so that, as the bridge'piece c moves back and forth, the plate bv may not press so as to bind against the fuel in either the front or rear parts of the fire-basket. The plate b may be supported in a sufiiciently upright position either by its manner ot' connection With lthe piece c, or by lugs or pins el projecting from the end ofthe chamber in the front and rear ot' the piece b. I iind a convenient support to consist in pins b1 passing through the angular bridge-piece c, and pressing against either face of the bridge-piece, on its under side, or against the lugs b5, Fig. 6, which prevents it from falling in one direction, as forward, and a pin or lug, el, Fig. 3, to prevent it from falling in the opposite direction 5 or these pins b1 maysupport the diaphragm b from falling in. either direction by coming against the, bridge-piece, as seen in Fig. 6, sufiicient play being allowed between the two supports to allow the tire-basket to he readily agitated. The purpose of this plate b is, to divide the re when desired, and also along with the solid inclination of the bridgepiece c (when such inclination is placed forward as shown in Fig. 3,) to direct the draft which enters through the front grated upward, and prevent it from passing through the body ot' the fire direct to the back tlues or openings. The ends of the hre-basket are formed by the end ot' the common combustioni chamber, and may be lined with iii-e brick or tile, or other refractory material, as shown at d, Figs. 2 and 3.

Directly beneath the grates or trebasket, I construct a smoke and .gas chamber, G, as follows: The plates g g are hinged to the bottom bars a3 (dof the grates a a1. These plates g g pass down and outside of the plates h 11.1, which are pivoted to the ends of the furnace-frame by the rods h2 h3. The plates lL tl are pivoted below their centers ot' gravity, and pins or lugs c2 in the cud of the furnace'fra-me prevent the upper and heavier half of the plates from swinging to or beyond the vertical line of its suspension. Thus the extra weight of the upper part ot' the plates rhl tends to keep the two plates closed or in contact at the bottom, and the plates h h1 are so hung in relation to the plates g g that, as ltheplates la h1 are closed at their through the hre before they are allowed to escape through the escape-line, the plates g g and 'IL h1, which form the sides and bottom of the chamber G, being hinged and pivoted as dcscribed. As the grates a a are agitated or swung, these plates will also be agitated, and the ashes and other residua which enter this gas-chamber between them will be prevented from adhering to the sides of the chamber, and allowed to pass out between the lower edges of the plates l1, h1, into the ash-pit H in the basement below. Such part of the ashes as falls through the grate a1, back of this gaschamber, will be conducted by the inclined sides of the furnace case or framejj1 into the same ash-pit H, while such part as falls from the front grate c will be received by theash or sifting-pans m m, Fig. 2, which have openings or grates to permit the ashes to pass throughl while the ciuders are retained, and such part of the ashes as passes through these pans is conducted by the sidesj2 of' the furnace to the ash-pit H.

The sitting-pans m m are so made as to be readily removable, and the ciuders and other contents may be emptied into the fire and reburned.

Between these pans on m and the hearthpiece a of the furnace I leave a space through which vertically-.sliding doors o o pass, and to cover this space when the doors are up or down I iit a false or moving hearth-piece, r, to the under side ofthe hearth-piece a. Springs s s are attached to the front or jamb ot' the furnace-frame, and so connected with the hearth-piece r as to cause it to cover the space between the pans m m and heartlrpiece n, when the doors are up or down, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3. A detached view of a part of this movable hearth-piece r, with one of the springs s attached,` is shown in Fig. 7. v

The doors 0 o are made to slide vertically, one outside of the other, as the sash of an 'ordinary window, and are preferably counter balanced by weights p, Fig. 2, suspended by pulley and cord at each side of the doors. I

' prefer to make the face of the doors angular in form instead of plane, the surface being cast with variously-designed openings or latticework, and lined with mica. plates. These doors may be made in a single piece, forming one door instead ot' two, but I consider two preferable, because, by properly adjusting them with reference to each other, an opening for admitting draft to the tire may be made at diiferent points, the doors thus serving the purpose ot' the ordinary blower or draft front, as well as closing entirely the front of the tire-chamber for either safety or couvenience. 'To the upperedge of each of these doors I attach loops or tags o, for convenience in moving` the doors. These tags remain a 'remesa 3 little above the hearth a when' the doors are shoved down, as seen in Fig. 2, and serve not only as a convenience in drawing the doors up, but also, by their curvedform, press back the movable hearth-piece r as the doors are raised.

The springs s s are also curved, and the in ward deflection passes into slots c in the lower edges ofthe lower door,when itis raised up, and as the doors are pushed down the edges of the doors press against the inward deflection of the springs s s and force them outward, and with them thehearth-piece r. 4 Thus, by the combined form of the tags e, springs s s, and door edges, the upward or downward moving of the doors will, at the proper time, move aside the hearthpiece r and open a passage for the doors, the action of the springs s s closing the passage after them.

In the crown ofthe hre-chamber is a damper, dl, which opens and closes a passage from the tire-chamber to the iiue d2, Fig. 3, which passes back over the top of the fire-chamber and discharges into the common escape-flue y. Thus a direct draft is secured from the iire tothe escape-flue. But, to secure the full benefit of the several devices in my furnace, I close this damper d', when the smoke and other products of combustion pass upward to theupcast iiucs k k, the opening to one of which is shown in the crown of the tire-chamber K, Fig. 3.

lThe smoke and gases are conducted by these `upcast tlues k k upward for any desired distance and returned by the downcast dues 7c 7c', which discharge intothe.smoke-chamber G immediately under the tire, one of which discharge-openings is shown at K', Fig. 3. From this cham ber the smoke and gases pass through the back part of the angular bridge-piece c, (when it is in the position shown in Fig. 3,) and up through the tire in the back part of the lire-basket.

In this passage through the re the free carbon in the smoke, carbonio oxide, and what other combustible gases are present, will he wholly consumed-that is, resolved into the products of a perfect combustion. These resulting products pass either to side chambers through the grates c1 c2, or through the grate a1 tothe back chamber lying between the grate c1 and furnace-casing jl. The regulator e, Fig. 3, being raised, these products will pass under it to the escape-flue y, and also to the iiues 'w w, which are the lower part of the downcast tlues q q', one of which flues, w, is shown in Fig. et. 'lhe gaseous products are thence conducted bythe cross-fines w1 w1, to the common escape-tine y, and the whole is discharged. By adjusting the damper e, Fig. 3, the whole or a part of the gaseous products may be sent through the end gratings cl c2, whence they are conveyed by the upcast iiues q q, upward for any desired distance, (see Figs. l. and 2,) and returned by the dowucast lines q q to the cross iiues zu 1c', through which they will be discharged into the escape- 'iiue y, along with that part coming up through the iiues w l1,0 from the back chamber, between al and jl. The height to which the up and down cast iiues are extended is immaterial, and in this respect as well as in regard to their size they may conform tothe conditions furnished by the house to which the furnaceis applied. The principal object in extending these ues is to give a longer passage to the vheated gases through the air-chamber B, in-

closed by the chimney walls A. When adapted to a house of two stories for warming rooms on either iioor, I prefer to extend, say, the upcast iiues 1 q, Fig. 1, a little above the second iioor, into the space ordinarily occupied by a grate, and the remaining upcast tlues k k I extend to the top of the mantel, or nearly to the second floor. At the upper limit of the air-chamber B, I place across the chimney a tile, z, leaving sufficient opening for the e'scape-hue y. The heated air is thus confined to the chamber B, and may be admitted to the desired rooms through the registers L, as before described.

When at any time only a small re is desired, and that to warm the room into which the hre-chamber opens, I prefer to shift the van, i;ular bridge-piece c so as to bring the grated inclination forward and build the fire in the forward haltl of the-tire basket only, when, by opening the damper d1, a direct communication is secured to the escape-flue y. Thus my improved furnace may furnish all the advantages of an open agitating-grate, or when desired, combine therewith the many desirable qualities of ahouse-warming furnace.

The ash-pan H I support on suitable sliding ways, so that it may be readily drawn out and its contents removed, and when the chimney is built against the outer wall of the house .the ash-pan H may be made to slide toits place from theoutside through the foundationwall, thus making it more easy to remove the contents. Ordinary ilues or pipes are provided for furnishing cold air to the air-chamber B at the points f, and the bottom of the air-chamber at the base of the furnace is closed tight to exclude cellar air. When using both divisions of the hre-basket, I prefer to-keep the rear division nearly full vof fuel, so as to cover or nearly cover the flue-openings through al and 0102, thus preventing any tendency of the indraft to pass through them to the escape-flue y, instead of rst passing through the tlues k 7c.

The operation of my furnace or heater is as follows: I kindle a fire in the fire-basket or grate a a c, and, if desired, adjust the doors o o to regulate and direct the draft to the front grate a, and also the damper (l1 may be turned to open a direct passage from the fire to the escape-flue y, when my furnace will operate `asthe ordinary open grate. But, as soon as the tire is well started, I prefer to close the passage at d1, and the flue-openings at c1 c2, and al being covered with fuel the smoke and heated gases escaping from the upper surface of the fire will rise to the upcast ues la lc and be conducted by them and the downcast iues t- 7c to the chamber G, immediately under the fire. The angular bridge-piece c being placed as shown in Fig. 3, with its grated or open inclination next the rear-grate al,

the smoke and gases will pass through these closing entirely the whole will pass to the side openings 0102; but I prefer to permit a part to pass through this opening to the flues 1v. w, and y, as the action ot'- the two currents through the cross-fines w w is beneficial to the draft of the flues q q.

When it is desired to leave a fire unattend ed through the night, or at any time, the doors o o may be raised in front ofthe fire, as in Fig. l, thus insuring safety and economy by lessening the draft to the lire; or, when desired, they may be partly or wholly removed, as in Fig. 2, by moving them below the hearth, as described.

By connecting` a suitable hook to the projecting loop d, Fig.- 2, the Whole grate or firebnsket may be agitated by swinging it on the pivots a2, and the combined action ofthe front and rear gratos a al and angular bridge-piece c changes the form ot the receptacle as it is sprung, and eii'ectually sifts out ashes and other residua, and at the same time effectually stirs the fuel and increases the fire. And

while I gain in this way a perfect combustion of fuel, as well as a convenient and ornamental pen grate, I also economize the heat radiated and conducted from the several parts of the inrnace by constructing an air-chamber between the walls of the chimney and the furnace, as described.

I claim as my invention- 1. A swinging lire-basket consisting of the front and rear grates a al, and connectingbridge c, constructed and arran ged substantiall y as described, whereby the front and rear grates a al each swing upon its pivots a2 as a center, and give the bridge-piec`e c an upward and downward and backward and forward movement within lthe space between the grates a al.

-2. The angular bridgepiece c for connecting the gra-tes a a1 at the bottom by a pivotcd or hinged joint, constructed substantially as described.

The combination of the grates a al angular piece c, and diaphragm b, constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The smoke and gas chamber G, having l vibratory or oscillating sides and bottom, constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. The combination of the fire-basket a a1 0,'

dues le k lo 7c', and gas-chamber G, arranged substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. The combination of the vertically-adjustable doors o o', and movable hearth-piece r, and springs s, constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.

' 7. The combination ofthe rebasket a al c, gas and vapor chamber ajl, and flues w ur y, arranged substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ISAAC W. BEALL.

Witnesses 'OLAUDIUs L. PARKER, J AMES M. CHRISTY.

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