US314884A - Dry closet - Google Patents

Description

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2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

atented Mar. 81, 1885.

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I. D. SMEAD.

DRY CLOSET, 5w.

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that shown in Fig. l.

lUNrTni) STAT-ns PATENT OFFICE ISAAC D SMEr-XD, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

DRY CLOSET, C.

SPECIRICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 314,884, dated March 31,1885.

Application tiled August 13, 1884.

.T0 all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, Isaac D. SMEAD, of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and 'State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dry Closets, Src., of which the followingis a specitication.

My invention relates to dry closets forschool and other buildings; and the invention consists in so arranging the closets that the t'oul or Warm air which is taken out of the rooms for ventilation shall be made to pass through the vault or duct which receives the fecal deposits, and from thence enter the Ventilatingshaft and be conducted to the outer air above the building, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is atransversevertical section of a portion of a building with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line x x of Fig. l, the view being taken at right angles to Fig. Sis a vertical section on the line y y ot Fig. 4, showing a series of closets with the foul-air room, vault, and ventilating-shaftyaud Fig. 4t is a transverse horizontal section ofthe same on theline z z of Fig. 3, with the addition of the heating apparatus.

As is well known one of the most difficult problems of the day, in a sanitary point of view, is the proper arrangement of closets or privies for use in or in connection with public buildings, especially school-buildings, where large numbers of children or persons congregate, and more especially in those cases wh ere there is notan abundant water-supply.

The advantages or superiority of dry closets, either with or without the use of dry earth, have of late been more fully recognized; but hitherto no system hasbeen devised, so far as I am aware, by which they could be made practically available for general use in public buildings, and none in which the air drawn from the rooms ofthe building in ventilating the same has been utilized for that purpose.

The object of my present invention,therefore, is to so construct and arrange the closets that the warm foul air drawn from the rooms shall pass through the vault of the closets, and by being brought in contact with the fecal de- (No model.)

posits desiccate or dry the same, at the same time taking up and conveying away all offensive odors, &c. A

It is obvious from the nature ot' my invention that the special arrangement ot' the parts will have to be varied more or less to adapt it to the great variety ot' buildings; but the accompanying drawings will illustrate the prin ciple so clearly that with the following description architects and others will readily understand the nature of my invention Iand how to apply the same.

In Fig. l I have shown ascction of a building which is Ventilated by drawing the foul air from the rooms through registers a or any suitable openings arranged at the sides of the room near the door, preferably in the baseboard, these openings communicating with the space under the iioor c in a wellknown manner.

The floor-boards, instead of being nailed to the joists e, as is usual, are secured to strips d, placed at right angles to the joists, as shown in the several figures', so that the air which enters the registers a will have a free space in which to move underneath the entire floor, and thus be free to be drawn ofi" at either side and at any point where desired. This method of Ventilating underneath the door is old and well known. 1t is not absolutely necessary to my invention, as the air may be taken out'of the room above the tloor and at other points; but I prefer this plan as most convenient for my present purpose, as it enables one to locate the foul-air shafts or ducts which convey the air fromthe rooms at either side of the room, as may best suit his convenience in other respects. Another reason why I prefer this plan is that it causes the fresh warm air as it enters the room to diffuse itself evenly across the entire room7 thus warming all parts ofthe room with a degree of uniformity not otherwise attainable, and also because by taking the foul air out underneath the door the latter is kept warm, thus preventing cold feet, which is a matter of great importance, especially in the case of school-children, who often enter with their shoes saturated by rain or snow, and are compelled to sit for hours without changing them, the evil results of which are too well known to require specifying.

IOO

Foul-air ducts B, as represented in Fig. l, are arranged on whichever side of the various rooms may be most convenient to receive the air from the rooms and conduct it to a foulair or gathering room, C, located at the base of the building, as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4. These foul-air ducts B may be constructed so that each one may receive the air from several rooms; or there may be a separate duct for each separate room, as is found most practicable. I prefer, however, that each room be provided with a separate duct, so as to prevent the possibility of the foul air taken from one room entering another room by accident or otherwise. In constructing a new building these ducts B should be built in the walls or partitions, so as not to occupy the space in the rooms; but in case of old buildings they may be placed alongside of the walls, on the sides, or in the corners of the rooms, where most convenient, and where they will afford the least obstruction. All these foul-air ducts B, wherever located or whatever their num- .most cases.

ber, are connected by intermediate ducts, channels, or pipes with a foul-air or gathering room, O, so as to concentrate the entire volume of air which is drawn from the rooms or from a series of rooms, according to the size of the building and the purposes for which. the building is used.

The building` should be provided with one or more large Ventilating-shafts, E, extending from the basement out above the roof, as shown in Figs; l, 3, and 4, and the closets I, more or less in number, are so arranged that the vault D underneath them will form a duct or passage connecting the foul-air room C with the vent-shaft E at its base, as shown clearly in Figs. l and 3, so that all the air drawn from the rooms shall pass through the vault D of the closets and act upon whatever deposits there may be in said vault.

As represented in Figs. 3 and 4, these closets I may be located in the basement, and preferably alongside of one of the walls, they being elevated sufficiently to afford a propersized vault or duct, D, underneath them; or, if preferred, they may be placed on a level with the door, and the vault be 'sunk below, though the former is the simpler method in Their seats o will be provided with hinged covers n, which should be arranged to be self-closing, so as to prevent their being leftopen accidentally. If the proper draft be secured in the shaft E it will not be necessary that these covers should fit air-tight, because the little air that will be drawn through the orevices into the vault below will simply serve to ventilate the closets and prevent the accumulation of foul airor disagreeable odors therein.

In order to secure a strong draft in the ventilating-shaft E, I build the smoke-line T alongside of it, as represented in Fig. 4, or locate a metallic smoke-pipe within the shaft E, as shown in Fig. 1 and by dotted lines in Fig. 4,

either plan being adopted at will. The smoke and gases which escape from the furnace or furnaces F (there being two shown in Fig. 4) will so heat the shaft E as to insure a good strong draft, thereby drawing a large volume of air from the various rooms through the vault D, and thence out above the roof through the shaft E. Where two air-warming furnaces are set in the same air-chamber, their smoke-pipes t t may both be connected to one larger pipe, h, which latter enters the smoke-stack T, or, as before stated, may extend upward within the Ventilating or foul-air shaft E, if preferred. The fresh warm air will be conveyed through ducts H into the rooms, as represented in Fig. l, there being of course a suitable duct or ducts leading from the outer air to the heatingchamber of sufficient capacity to supply a large volume of fresh air. Separate warm-air ducts EI may be provided for each separate room; or, if preferred, onelarger duct may be made to supply two or more rooms in the same vertical plane.

' In order to insure a positive draft up the shaft E and for use when there is little or no heat in the furnaces, I locate a heater of any suitable kind within the shaft E, as near its top as may be convenient, as indicated at R, Fig. 1, there being provided a door, m, in the side of the shaft for access to the same. Where gas is used this heater may consist of one or more large Argand burners, and where there is no gas coal-oil burners may be substituted. It is not absolutely necessary that this heater should be located so near the top, except in those cases where there are openings into the stack E at some point above the vault D; but it should in all cases be located above the highest opening in the shaft within the building. I prefer, however, not to have any opening in the Ventilating-shaft except at the bottom, so that by no possibility can any of the foul air escape from the shaft E inside the building.

While I have shown and described the heating apparatus as consisting of furnaces, it is obvious that any of the known methods of heating may be used so long as the arrangement is such as to draw the air from the rooms into and through the vault and out through the exit-shaft, as explained. So, too,'it is obvious'that any of the known appliances in use may be availed of to increase the draft in case such should be found necessary.

By providing a large heating-surface and large ducts for the admission and expulsion of the air, not only can the air be introduced in a much larger volume than is usual, but also at a much lower temperature than is the general custom, and thus be in a far better condition for inhaling, and by causing this larger volume of air to pass out through the vault the desiccation of the fecal deposits in the vault and the removal of all foul odors are more thoroughly effected, especially as the air will leave the rooms at a temperature of not IOO less than o under ordinary circumstances, or more. The location of the closets must of course be governed by circumstances; but it is immaterial Where they are located so long as the ducts are so arranged as to conduct the air from the building through the vault, and from thence out into the outer atmosphere at such a point that it will not be wafted back into the building through the doors or Windows.

In carrying out my invention I prefer to make the floor of the vault of concrete, cement, asphalt, or otherwise render it waterproof, and also to coat theinterior of the walls with a similar material, so as to prevent them or the foundations from becoming saturated or permeated with any 0f the liquid contents of the vault or any foul odor or gases, though as a matter of fact I have found by experiment that whatever liquid deposit may naturally be in the vault is so rapidly evaporated and all odors so quickly and thoroughly taken up and conveyed away with the passing current of air that even when the deposits were permitted to fall upon the naked earth at thc bottom of the vault no foul odor was left.

The fioor of the vault should beinclined toward the bottom of the Ventilating-shaft, so that if from any cause there should be sniiicient fluid matter to flow at all, it will iiow toward or into the bottom of the Ventilatingshaft, thereby insuring its rapid evaporation and the carrying out of the building whatever odor there might be even temporarily.

In case it be necessary to provide a large number of urinals, or where the urinals are in constant or frequent use, as in public buildings, a separate trough or pipe may be arranged Within the vault to receive their liquid contents and convey it direct into the sewer, if there be any, or to a drain outside, if there be no sewer. Where there are sewers and a water-supply, the urinals will preferably be connected therewith in the usual manner; but where there are none and the urinals are not used to any great extent, the pipe therefrom may be made to deliver the liquid in the bottom of the shaft, which in that case should be supplied with some absorbent material, to be removed at frequent intervals.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the gist of my invention consists in so arranging the closets in relation to the exhaust-ducts and Ventilating shaft or shafts as to cause the foul air which is drawn from the rooms to pass through the vault which receives the fecal deposits and desiccate the same, and at the same time take up and carry off all foul odors. As the airleaves the rooms at a temperature of about G5", it will readily be seen that it is in a condition to rapidly absorb moisture and produce a drying effect upon any matter with which it may be brought in contact. By this method the fecal matter is quickly desiccated and greatly reduced in vol- 'avoid all the serious difficulties or objections which have heretofore existed in reference to closets, especially when located within buildings, the closets themselves being as free from offensive odors as are the ordinary rooms of the building. rlhe advantages of this plan will be readily seen, especially as by it I am enabled to avoid the use of the ordinary cesspools and sewers, which constantly tend to produce poisonous and disagreeable gases and odors, and also dispense with water-pipes and all their incidental expense and annoyances.

I am aware that various plans have been devised for drawing the air from rooms through and over the bowls of water-closets and other sewer-pipes or connections, and I do not claim any such; but, on the contrary, my invention is designed to dispense with the use of waterclosets and sewer-connections, and to substitute therefor a dry closet or closets, in which the fecal deposits shall be desiccated and all odors removed by the warm air drawn from within the building.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination and arrangement of one or more ducts for the removal of the foul air from a room or rooms of a building, a vault for receiving and retaining the fecal deposits, connected with said duct or ducts, and a ven` -tilating orexit shaft connected with said vault,

whereby the warm air from within the building is made to desiccate or dry the deposit in the vault and remove all odors therefrom to the outer air, as set forth.

2. The combination, in a building, of a series of foul-air ducts, B, a gathering-room, C, a vault, D, anda Ventilating or exit shaft, E, with means7 substantially such as described, for creating a draft through the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A dry closet arranged in relation to the ducts which convey the air from the room or rooms in a building and the Ventilating or exit shaft, substantially as shown Vand described, whereby the foul and warm air from the room or rooms is made to pass through IIO said dry closet, and thence out through the ventilating-shaft, as and for the purpose Set forth.

ISAAC D. SMEAD. ,Vtnesses:

J. R. KIRKUP,

NV. J. FARRAR.

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