is held down or let go, and acts without any valve. The objection to a syphon arrangement is the noise caused by the insuck of air at conclusion of the flush. They should not be used where the noise would draw attention to the neighbourhood of the closet. <Callout type="tip" title="Tip">Patented arrangements are in the market by which this noise is almost completely checked by a ball valve, and the noise can also be minimized by carrying the mouth of the syphon into a closed box inside the cistern, with an air-pipe and small supply-pipe to allow it to fill up while the cistern is at rest.</Callout> Vrfi- W ■l^'-U Figs. 307 and 808.— Section and elevation of brass air-regulator. There are many varieties of waste-preventing valves which can be fixed under water in ordinary cisterns on the top of the service-pipes. The telescope waste-preventer is one of the best forms of these; but where waste-preventers must be used, it will be found better to use the waste-pro- venting cisterns, or the ordinary forms of regulators under the closet seats as next described, which can be easier got at for repairs. The brass air-regulator shown on p. 347, which regulates the amount of water supplied to water-closets, washhand- basins, and urinals, consists of a cylindrical vessel closed at bottom, inside which another cylinder, closed at top, moves up and down freely; a cupped leather is attached to the lower end (as shown in section), which dips into a lubricant in the bottom of outer cylinder each time the inner cylinder descends, and thus renders the movement of the cylinder easy and air-tight. The inner cylinder is fitted with an air-escape hole at top, closed by a screw regulator which controls the time of descent of inner cylinder; and therefore, by attaching the upper portion of inner cylinder to the lever of the water-closet, which turns the water-supply cock or valve, and fixing the lower portion of outer cylinder in a convenient position, it efficiently regulates and controls the supply of water, and prevents waste. The water waste-preventer illustrated opposite can be used without any alteration to existing fittings, by connecting it to the apparatus under the seat. It consists of a copper cylinder, as shown, with float and cam-action lever attached, acting against the valve in brass box on top of cylinder, and is connected to supply valve of closet at inlet A. When the valve is opened, the water passes into the waste-preventer at inlet A, to basin of closet through elbow 6, and at the same time into the cylinder at D, gradually raising the float and closing the valve, after sufficient water has passed to flush the closet. A small pipe is to be connected to the union at c, to act as a weeping pipe to charge trap of safe each tinie the closet is used, or it can be carried into the waste-pipe. A good flush of water is obtained, however carelessly the handle is pulled up or suddenly let down, and with so little noise as to be unheard outside the closet. They can <Callout type="tip" title="Tip">be attached to existing closets without alterations to present fittings.</Callout> Flushing tanks of some form should be placed at the head of every important line of house drain. Tanks with a water-tight valve, not less than four inches diameter at bottom, opened by pulling a lever, and filled by a tap and started daily, are as effectual as any, so long as they are attended to. 350 DOMESTIC SANITARY DRAINAGE AND PLUMBING. Automatic tanks are more useful, as the rain waters may lie collected in them, and when they overflow the drain will be flushed clear. These may be constructed in any size or form, with syphons arranged having a widened overflow and a widened discharge, the latter sealed in a water-trap below, so that the air may be compressed in the syphon before the water falls over the lip and starts it. Automatic syphon flushing tanks have been in use many years. Fio. 311. — Iron syphon flushing tank. Fio. 812. — Earthenware syphon flashing tank. By another arrangement the same result is attained. A water-tight valve in the tank is balanced at opposite end of a lever by a small tank. The overflow of the large tank fills the small tank and overbalances the lever, raising the large valve and flushing the drain. A syphon pipe from the small cistern into the large is started by the rush of water, and empties the small cistern back into the large one, when the valve closes, and the tank collects the water once more. SANITARY APPLIANCES. 351 Public lavatories and conveniences — what shall we say of these, which are generally a disgrace to the country and a matter of surprise and disgust? If the chairmen and directors of the great railway companies could be compelled to inspect at least once a month all the appliances provided for the use of the travelling public of Great Britain, a very prompt and complete reform would be the result. The state of the urinals is frequently quite intolerable, and the pungent smell of chloride of lime may be noticed everywhere, that cure being often worse than the disease. These public urinals work well when made with long troughs with some inches of water always standing in them, and with stand-pipe overflow, occasionally lifted for full flush, but kept overflowing by a slight constant dribble, or by an occasional flush from a small self-acting flushing tank. Gratings and troughs in the floor are most difficult to keep clean. Plain, impervious tiling should be continued up to the wall under urinal, and kept clean by the attendant washing the tiles daily. The brass fittings, affording the plumber the power of drawing off or of stopping off cold and hot water in small pipes for domestic supply, will bring him much discredit if he employs inferior qualities of materials or supplies carelessly finished goods. Draw-off taps, stop taps, and ball taps should be the best of their kind ; yet we constantly find plumbers buying the cheapest description from manufacturers, hoping to save a few shillings on contracts, but losing credit and money by the defects which soon appear in actual work. Plug taps, requiring occasional grinding in to ensure staunch conditions, are very little called for now ; but where they are adopted, care should be taken to get the gunmetal good and strong. Plug taps lightly made and cheap fail immediately when the least strain is put upon them. Owing to the fact that they cut off the flowing column of water with a sudden jerk, straining all the piping dangerously and causing a ramming noise, they are unfit for high-pressure water supply. The high-pressure screw-down loose-valve taps, more in use than any other kind, are illustrated (Figs. 314 and 315) in elevation and in section. These valves, thoroughly well made, are remarkably durable, secure from leakage under high pressure, easily repaired, and prevent concussion in pipes. They should always be <Callout type="important" title="Important">taken to pieces before soldering on, and the valve and stuffing-box removed, else the leather on the valve and stuffing-box will be rendered hard and useless by the heat of soldering, and grease in stuffing-box will be destroyed and require repacking.</Callout> This care is especially necessary with stop- cooks, as there are two hot joints to be made for each tap. 2 A 354 DOMESTIC SANITARY DRAINAGE AND PLUMBING. The taps here illustrated have a double closing action, so that the loose valve can be repaired without taking off the water. They should <Callout type="important" title="Important">be used with gun-metal barrels for all good work.</Callout> These ball taps exhibit peculiar ease in turning, combined with quickness in opening and closing, requiring a rise or fall of about three to four inches of water in cistern to complete the action. The equilibrium ball valve has the advantage of simplicity in direction, but the writer has often experienced annoyance when equilibrium is disturbed, as sometimes happens, and a noise is set up throughout the whole house like sharp tapping, caused by the ball popping up and down in the cistern, from the pressure of the water behind the valve acting against the pressure on the float. Ball taps are often a great cause of worry. Plumbers as a rule have little idea of fixing or repairing properly ; often half a dozen charges appear in an account for fruitless attempts at repairs, including larger balls, etc., etc. When sent to repair ball taps of side boiler range cisterns plumbers often sit for half an hour watching for the last drop to come from the tap so that they can pronounce it staunch, and then if a little water is drawn off the boiler and the ball taps set running again another half-hour, eta, whereas a little common sense would show that the experiment could be done a dozen times in as many minutes by simply pouring water into the boiler and allowing it to flow back through supply pipe into the cistern and raise the ball to the proper level. You will seldom meet a plumber yet who thought of this, but when shown how the thing can be done many open their eyes in astonishment. Something should be done to prevent lead shavings being allowed to get into pipes. After a house is fitted up there is often constant annoyance and often injury to valves by extra pressure, etc., in trying to stop the flow of water, which cannot be done until perhaps fire is put out, water drawn off, tap opened, and then found with damaged seat, etc., owing to lead shavings getting into it. This ball valve (Fig. 323) is constructed to close at an extremely high pressure ; in fact, it will close with ease at a pressure of three hundred pounds with an ordinary sized float ball. It is full bore, and a three-gallon flush can be obtained in one minute, while the noise so common with other ball valves is almost entirely eliminated. The bath taps shown on p. 354 are constructed upon the same principle as the high-pressure water taps. The main feature consists in having a loose valve, the face of which <Callout type="tip" title="Tip">is covered with some flexible material, compressed out to a prepared metallic seat by means of a screw plug working in a stufling-box.</Callout> There are three cocks in combination, viz. for hot, cold, and waste water, connected to one pipe, forming the inlet and outlet to the bath, to be used as required. The principal object in introducing this description of bath cock is to get rid of the objectionable ground plug cock — whether used in combination for hot, cold, and waste water. Fio. 323. — Eccentric ball valve. Templeton's patent or separately for such purposes — as all ground cocks, especially for high pressure or hot water, are particularly liable to soon become leaky and troublesome, and very difficult to repair, requiring to be unsoldered and removed from the bath; while, on the contrary, the high-pressure loose-valve cocks are very durable, and, should they become leaky, can be repaired in a few minutes on the spot, without any removing or unsoldering, by simply replacing the flexible washers of the valves. The ordinary plug and screw-down bib and stop valves are known so well to plumbers that slight reference is required. SANITARY APPLIANCES. 359 Fig. 324.— High-pressure loose-valve bath taps, combined with waste. Fig. 825. — Cross-section of cocks. The new system of bib and stop valves invented by Lord Kelvin is so far superior to the ordinary system adopted, that it is essential to refer to it very specially, and to illustrate the various forms in the market. Plumbers who are up to date know these valves, and appreciate them highly. They are made completely of the best quality of gun-metal, highly finished, and tested to four hundred pounds per square inch ; no rubber fibre or leather is, there- fore, to be found in them. Packing round the spindle is also avoided, yet all parts are absolutely water-tight. The gun-metal valve a, on reaching the seating B, also of metal, is not arrested suddenly, nor seated haphazard; A, metal valve; b, metal seat; c, spring (non- corrosive) ; D, stop ; E, angular space ; F, ednotion tube. but, as the handle is turned, the valve also turns upon the seat, receiving a gradually increasing pressure from the spring c, applied on the centre by the rounded head of the stop D. The valve is thus rubbed on the seat at every opening and closing of the tap, maintaining a perfect surface, and even if the valve is damaged purposely, it will put itself right quickly by this friction. No packing is required, as all water which passes the screw when the valve is open enters the annular space K, and is drawn off into the bib through the tube F, in which <Callout type="important" title="Important">a current is induced by the velocity of the water flowing through the bib.</Callout> The washers used in ordinary taps are well known to give constant trouble, and to require renewal. All materials tried have proved insufficient. Lord Kelvin abandoned them all, and metal to metal surface is for the first time adopted with full success ; there are no perishable parts, and the valve and seating improve with use, instead of deteriorating as in ordinary systems. The writer has used these valves with so much success, they are recommended without hesitation to plumbers. Fig. 326. — Draw- off tap. A new form of tap for rapid opening, useful for hospitals, lavatories, etc., where water is wanted quickly, has been introduced with success, and is here illustrated. In order to get the full opening with a quarter turn a coarse pitch of screw-thread was essential, and this has been formed round the barrel with excellent results. These illustrations (Figs. 326-340) are given to enable the plumber to know the various forms of Lord Kelvin's taps, which he can obtain on the market without delay or difficulty. 362 DOMESTIC SANITARY DRAINAGE AND PLUMBING. Fig. 328.— Kelvin bib Up, vertical. Fig. 329.— Details of Kelviu taps. SANITARY APPLIANCES. 363 Fig. 330. — Kelvin bib tap, diagonal, with vulcanite handle. Fig. 331.— Kelvin range tap, with vulcanite handle for hot water. Fig. 332. — Kelvin bath tap, with bent union. Fig. 333.— Kelvin flanged bib tap. 364 DOMESTIC SANITARY DRAINAGE AND PLUMBING. Fio. 334.— Kelvin pillar tap for tip-up basin. Fio. 385.— Kelvin tap for tip-up basin. Fig. 336.— Kelvin tap for tip-up basin. Fio. 388.— Kelvin tap for pantry trough. SANITARY APPLIANCES. 365 Fig. 339.— Kelvin stop tap. Fio. 340. — Kelvin steam tap. Disinfectants for water-closets, soil-pipes, waste-pipes, and drains should never be required. Where air with its purify- ing action has free course, as it should have through all such concerns, disinfectants will generally be worse than useless, and should not be employed except under medical advice in some cases of infectious illness. Chloralum may be used with advantage as a deodoriser in cases of illness, for deodorising and disinfecting excretions. Hydrochloric acid, in twenty times its bulk of water, may be used as a disinfectant in vessels where typhoid fever excretion is discharged. Carbolic «tcid is the best rough-and-ready disinfectant for drains, cesspools, etc. Theocamf is a new disinfectant, which, on the authority of Dr. J. Emerson Eeynolds, Professor of Chemistry in the University of Dublin, possesses properties superior to all other disinfectants. The basis is a liquid which results when sulphur dioxide gas is brought in contact with camphor. It is effectual in disinfecting rooms, drains, excreta dejection, clothing, bedding, etc. The advantages of fresh air flowing freely through every drain and pipe, and abundant ventilation in all closets and passages, will be sufficient to secure health and vitality in the household. Let us remember that the question of sanitary internal appliances is of very great importance. Many of the odours attributed to the sewers proceed from dangerous and defective fittings. Sanitary appliances should be such as to fulfil as perfectly as possible the two objects of sanitary plumbing — 1. To remove all foul matter rapidly and completely from the house ; 2. To prevent the entrance of foul air from the drains into the house, so as to secure purity of air, purity of food, purity of water, purity of person, and purity of the habitation and of all its surroundings.
Key Takeaways
- Use syphon arrangements with ball valves to minimize noise
- Install water waste-preventers for efficient flushing without waste
- Place flushing tanks at the head of house drains for regular cleaning
- Maintain high-quality brass fittings and taps for reliable performance
Practical Tips
- Install a ball valve on your syphon arrangement to reduce noise.
- Use a water-waste preventer that can be attached without altering existing fixtures.
- Regularly inspect and maintain flushing tanks to ensure they are functioning properly.
Warnings & Risks
- Be cautious when soldering valves, as it can damage the valve and stuffing box.
- Avoid using lead pipes, which can cause damage to valves and fittings over time.
- Do not use disinfectants in drains unless medically advised, as they may be harmful.
Modern Application
While many of these historical plumbing techniques have evolved with modern technology, the principles of efficient sanitation and proper ventilation remain crucial. Modern readers should focus on maintaining high-quality fixtures, ensuring proper installation, and regular maintenance to prevent failures that could compromise hygiene during emergencies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are some types of water waste-preventers mentioned in this chapter?
The chapter mentions the telescope waste-preventer, which is one of the best forms for preventing water wastage. It also describes a brass air-regulator that can be used to regulate and control the supply of water efficiently.
Q: How should flushing tanks be maintained according to this chapter?
The chapter advises placing flushing tanks at the head of every important line of house drain, ensuring they are attended to daily. Tanks with a water-tight valve that can be filled by a tap and started regularly are recommended for effective sanitation.
Q: What is the importance of using high-quality brass fittings in plumbing?
The chapter emphasizes that brass fittings should be of the best quality to avoid defects. Inferior materials can lead to frequent repairs, loss of credit, and money due to poor performance over time.