St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-06-18
Ventilation of Sewers.
HINTS ON PLUMBING AND SEWERING-
HOW TO MAKE HOMES HEALTHY, AND
SAVE DOCTORS BILLS.

IA circular prepared by the City Engineer Ellis
and issued by authority of the board of health.l
The prevention of disease arising
from sewer gas can only be accom-
plished by obedience to the following
sanitary requirements
A trap should be placed on every
main drain to discOnnect the house
from the sewer or cess-pool. This trap
should have a seal of not less than IL
inches and be furnished with a hand
hole for convenience in cleaning if
stopped from any cause; while if the
rain water down spout is connected
with the sewer just above the trap,
great assistance will be rendered in
preventing deposits. "Every house
drain should have an inlet for fresh air
entering from point inside the main
trap and carried to convenient loca-
ton out of doors, not too near win
dOws.n plumber and Sanitary En-
gineer.) For the latter reason the
down spout selected must be one run
ming to the caves of the main building
and not stopping at the piazza or at
any lower point. every vertical soil
or waste pipe should be extended at
least full size through the roof" not less
than four feet and surmounted with a
plain ventilating cap of such form as
not to obstruct the exit of air.
''No trap should be placed at the foot
of vertical soil pipes to impede circula-
ton" "Traps should be placed under
all sinks, baths, basins. wash trays,
water-clOsets and other fixtures and as
near to them as possible" All traps
under fixtures should be separately
ventilated, in order to guard against
siphOnage; such vent pipes should not
branch into a soil pipe below where
any drainage enters it, but always
above, and in some cases it is prefer
able to carry them to outer air indie
pendently. If the ventilation of traps
under the kitchen or basement sinks be
impracticable the discharge pipe below
should be ] inch greater diameter than
the trap and pipe above.
The safe, waste and refrigerator
pipes and tank overflow pipe should
not under any circumstances be run into
any drain or soil pipe, but discharged
independently into an open sink or
bowl, so that the connection with the
sewer shall be completely cut off
piled directly from street pressure or
by pipes from which branches are taken
for drinking-water."
No drain should be constructed under
a dwelling-hOuse except where abso-
lutely necessary, and then it should be
of cast iron, with tight joints and VEN
tilated at each end. All drain pipes
within house should be of metal, the
soil pipes of cast iron, other pipes of
lead; under no circumstances is the |
use of cement or earthern ware permits
sible. The joints of cast iron pipe |
should be filled with melted lead and |
calked. The union of lead |
with iron pipes should be made by |
means of soldered brass ferrule, or cast
iron sleeve; in the latter case the lead |
pipe put through, turned over it, and |
the ferrule or sleeve inserted in the hub |
and loaded in the usual manner. Such |
joints should not be made with putty |
or cement.
A not uncommon method of ventila- |
ton is to connect the main drain with
the kitchen chimney; with the cold air
inlet, this gives a circulation of fresh
air in the lower drain while the Chin
ney remains heated, otherwise it is a
source of danger, but at it's best, it is
no assistance to the vertical pipes,
which cannot be ventilated or guarded
against espionage, except by carrying
ont at the roof full-size and ventilating
traps as directed.
The requirements all apply with
equal force to connections with cess
pools. And where these are used, they
should be ventilated at the cess-p pool in
addition.-[Springfeld Republican.