Abstract: In a steam iron with a handle and fill opening to a water tank above an electrically heated soleplate and having a steam generator in the lower rear portion of the iron and soleplate steam ports, and a pump mounted in the handle and connected to the generator to rapdily force a volume of water to the generator for a surge of steam out the ports. To this general known combination, the invention provides an improvement of a bellows pump fixedly supported on an internal wall in the upper forward portion of the handle and completely external of the tank. Connected to one end of the pump is a double tubular conduit with the pump and conduit both being a flexible elastomer heat insulator with one conduit extending through the tank and terminating at and forming an exhaust outlet to the rear generator and the other conduit terminating adjacent the generator and in the tank as a suction inlet to the pump.

Abstract: A steam iron with a water tank, handle structure, ported soleplate, water valve assembly, thermostat control passing through the tank, and a fill opening in the forward handle portion to pass water through a riser tube to fill the iron is standard structure. To this is applied an improvement in the riser tube which comprises a single substantially cylindrical integral plastic member having an outer flange around its middle to rest on the tank with the tube extending down into the tank. The tube has a forward cut-away portion with the rear portion forming a baffle both being in the tank. The tube top is closed by a wall and a forward extension below the top wall is connected to the fill opening with an apertured baffle in the tube behind the extension. The top of the tube has a series of openings for selective use such as for self-clean or spray features and an operable stem extends through one of the openings connecting to the water valve.

Abstract: A self-cleaning steam iron with steam control means, a fill opening to an interior water tank, a ported soleplate and a steam generating boiler and coverplate with distribution passages therebetween and having means to purge the iron of water and residues including a substantially large opening in the tank with means operable to control the opening to suddenly dump and conduct the water directly into the boiler.