Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1883-11-12
WINTER PLUMBING.
The Autoerat Of the Pips-How to Thaw
Out Pipes-Something that Hailcyite
Had Better Bear In Mind.

VuV GIpcS-COulcCu1u8 tu8t nancy lCeS
Had Better Bear In Mind.
Pittsburg Chronicle
The cold wind doth blow,
And We shall have snow,
And that will make every one mad;
For the freeze will come,
And the water won't run.
But the heart Of the plumber'll be glad,
The foregoing distich, by courtesy,is
the impression of plumbers generally
entertained, but the Chronicle reporter
found on a tour Of investigation that
the idea aSas altogether erroneous.
ono; we would much prefer pipes
would not BURST" said Penn avenue
plumber. "There is no money in that
petty jobbing trade. Say it is small
burst, or a trivial stoptage; we'll, we
send man there, to whom We paw 81
a day, and he takes tools and material
that cost us about dollar more. He
does the repairs in about an hour, but
he consumes an entire ha'f day of time,
and then when we itcmize our bills for
81 it is questioned. 1t is a very mis-
taken idea that the plumbers thrive in
the winter.
The most work is done between july
and the first of December. Rep RS
really form but a minor item in a
plumbers business. The pipe bursting
season GENERALLY commences in the
latter part of November or in the first
part OF December, but if people would
only take the ordinary precaution we
try to get them to do, burst or frozen
pipe would be a rarity. In all plumb
ing now we put stop cock. But in
its use people should be sure and
+ member to leave the spiggot open
IT you simply shut the water off aud
keep the splggot shut also, the loaded
pipe will probably freeze more solid
than If the stop cock had been used.
1t takes changeable weather to break
pipes. Take a soft, mild day and eve
ming, and let It cool off suddenly about
loor IL O'Clock p. M, and there'll De
a rush of SO OF 100 orders in here II. xt
day."
TO a gentleman we'll versed in the
business the question was asked if
there was not some way to proven,
pipes bursting. "Not that has been
discovered" he replied. "Therc is "A
felt cover made tina: protects pipes.
1t sells at from 10 to Is cents a yard,
but it, of course, can give no heat 1t
simply holds the heat that is in the
water, and if that IS low it is no pre-
ventive to bursting. A box filled
with sawdust or charcoal is about as
good as anything"
"What is the best method for re.
ieving frozen pipe:'
ave plumbers frequently burn
paper under them. An excellent way
is to get a good suppl y of scaldine
water, and wrap your pipe around and
around with WOODEN rags. Pour the
water on slowly and it will relieve the
pipe about as quickly as anything l
know off,
In reply to an inquiry Of why pipes
burst, one master plumber answered.:
"Pipes burst because they wear out.
In all water pipes there is contin-
ually active contraction and expan-
sion. 1t occurs during the variation
of pressure. Lead is very expan-
sive mineral, and this elastic property
is greatly tested in the shutting off or
turning on of water. Ordinarily
lead pipe ought to last some fifteen
years without repairs, but where the
change of pressure is continual they
will crack quicker.