Draft Regulator – Patent No. 390,284
Inventor: Phillip W. Cornwell, of Brookton, Massachusetts.
Patent Number: 390,284
Date of Patent: October 2, 1888
Description: Phillip W. Cornwell’s patent for a “Draft Regulator” is a device designed for use with stoves and furnaces. The invention’s goal was to regulate heat with greater accuracy, provide a more efficient means for the escape of gas, and achieve a more economic combustion of fuel.
The key features of the invention include a main damper with a dome and curved slots, a supplemental annular ring, and a system of levers and a rod to control the position of the ring. This supplemental ring, which moves in relation to the main damper, is the primary means for regulating the draft after the fire has been built. The invention aimed to offer a more precise way to control the airflow, and therefore the rate of combustion, in a stove or furnace flue.
Significance: Draft regulators, also known as barometric dampers, are important components in heating systems. They help maintain a consistent draft in a flue by opening to allow in air from the room, preventing the fire from burning too intensely due to a strong natural draft. While modern furnaces use more advanced systems like draft inducer blowers, early inventions like Cornwell’s patent represent an important step in the development of more efficient and controllable heating technologies.
