The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-10-29
HOUSE DRAINAGE.
Essential Requirements as Set Forth by
Experts.

Plumber and Sanitary Engineer.
Every house-drain should have an inlet
for fresh air entering at point inside the
main trap, and carried 10 convenient
location outot.dooB, not too near win.
dows. The pipe will relieve the smaller
house.traps from pressure occasioned by
a descending column Of water that would
otherwise be likely TO force the seals oil
these traps. The air drawn through this
inlet to the lower part Of the drainage
system assists the circulation within the
drains, and Is essential to insgre the diff.
sion OF the gases generated within them.
A trap should be placed on every main
drain 10 disconneCt the house from the
sewer or cesspool. In places liable to
unusual pressure from the sewer It should
be double trap, with vent from between
the two traps, running up full size above
the ro9i; or, where the pressure from the
sewer Is only occasional and the rigor Of
climate will permit, this vent may be car.
rted to the sidewalk or area, at sale dis.
lance from windows. II the first trap is
forced the gas can gain easier exit through
this pipe than through the second trap.
Every vertical soil or waste pipe should
be extended at least full size through the
rool.
No traps should be placed at the foot
Of vertical soil pipes to impede circula.
ton.
Traps should be placed under all sinks,
basins, baths, wash trays, water closets,
ETC., and as near to these fguresas practi.
cable.
All traps under fixtures, wherever prac.
ticable, should be separately ventilated in
order to guard against espionage. Such
vent pipes should not branch into a soil
pipe below where any drainage enters II,
In some cases it is preferable to carry it to
outer air independently. The extension Of
soil pipe full size through the roof is not
a certain protection against siphenage OF
traps branching into It, and no protection
when traps are on horizontal pipe dis
lance from the vertical soil pipe.
Rain water leaders should not be used
as soil pipes, and when connected with
house drains they should be made of cast
iron in preference to galvanized sheet iron
or tin, there being less liability OF corro-
sion. Joints should be gas and water
tight, to preclude possibility OF drain air
entering open windows.
No safe waste should connect with any
drain, but 1t should be carried down in.
dependently to point where its discharge
would indicate the existence Of leak or
any overflow above.
No waste from refrigerator should be
connected with drain.
Unless the water supply is ample, so
that It will rise to every part OF building,
insuring at all times the proper flushing
Of fixtures and traps, cistern should be
provided into which tho water will rise at
night or into which It may be pumped.
Said cistern should be large enough TO
hold an ample daily supply, be kept clean,
covered and properly ventilated. The
overflow pipe from it should never be run
into any drain under any circumstances.
The supply for drinking water should not
he drawn from it, but from direct sup
ply, !. e, direct from the street main,
Water.closets should not be supplied
directly from the street pressure or by a
pipe from which branches are taken for
drinking water. Where the valve closets
are preferred to those that are supplied
from small cistern Immediately over
them, then the supply should be taken to
astorage tank, from which it can be con-
yeyed to the valves on the closets, thereby
insuring an equable pressure and secur.
ing more reliability to their working.
All draiA pipes within house should
be OF metal in preference to stoneware.
owing the liability of the latter to crack
and the difficulty of keeping the Joints
tight. 1t is best to run them along the eel
larwall or ceiling, with good incline,
They sheuldnever be hidden Underground,
as then leaks will not be percepti6!e. In
some places it is common to paint pipes
white, so that any leakage will show itself
10 the most careless observer.
All drains should be kept at all times
free from deposits; and il this cannot be
effected without flushing special flushing
arrangements should be provided so as to
efIectually remove all foul matter from the
house drains to the public sewers.
All drains should be laid in straight
line, with proper falls, and should be care
fully joined and made water.tight. No
right.angled junction should be allowed,
except in the case OF a drain discharging
into vertical shaft,