The Washington critic., 1888-01-02
KITCHEN ROILERS.
How They are to be Relieved of Their
Dnnger.


Danger,
Amicable relations have been re-
stored between the District Com-
missioners and the plumbers. On ac
count of the difficulty of obtaining
plumbers permits from the Com
missioners Office their relations were
erstwhile n trlle strained; but the
recent pronunciamento Of the Com
missioners to the effect that citizens
who allowed the Potomac water to run
a little so as not to freeze in the water
pipes would be fined So each has re-
stored the plumbers good nature.
Accompanying this announcement
was published a recommendation that
the water be turned off "outside the
premises" to avoid frozen water
pipes.
But they failed to elucidate some
points in connection with the matter.
For instance, it is against the law,
contrary to the Commissioners regu-
lations and punishable misdemea-
nor for citizen to in any way man
ipulate the stop-cock, which turns
off the water outside the premises"
without permit, as Mr.. Grain had
occasion to remember q short while
ago. Again, person to turn off the
water Outside the premises" must
have a very fair knowledge of the
plumbing business and some tools, in
cluding an iron "key," which is some
thing Ike twelve feet long.
And the water must be turned off
after the fires are out ut night and
turned on before they are built in the
morning, or the consequences may be
serious, and especially so where houses
are heated by steam.
Mr.. A. A. Duly, secretary of the
Board of Steam Engineers, when seen
by u Critic reporter and asked if there
would not be danger in following the
recommendation of the Commits
sioners, said:
at may not be dangerous, but
would not do it in my house. In
houses heated by automatic steam
heating apparatus such q course would
be extremely dangerous. If the water
was turned off from the boiler, and
the fire started in the morning with
out its being turned on again, the
boiler would become empty and GER
tainly explode The water should
never be cut off from a boiler.
'In the case of kitchen boilers or
hot water reservoirs the danger might
not be so great; in fact, hardly think
it probable that there would be any
danger, because it takes from an hour
and half to two hours after the fire
is started for the water in kitchen
boiler to become enough heated to
be dangerous, and before this time
had elapsed it is probable that some
one would try to draw water, and,
seeing that it did not run, would know
that it had been turned off and turn ii
on again. But if the water should be-
come hot without having been turned
on, there might be an explosion.
"The way to obviate any such dam
| ger would be to open the cocks at the
sink after the water had been turned
| off and leave them open. The water
would not run, as it had been cut of
from the main, and as soon as the
water in the reservoir became hot, il
could escape through the open cock,
which would act as safety-valve and
also as q reminder.
"The 'water-back' of an ordinary
| range is but about an inch thick and
the inlet pipe half or three-quarters
| of an inch in diameter, and it is moi
| probable the water could be heated to
dangerous degree in less than an
hour and half. The danger is that
the cocks might not be opened within
that time, and the water is bound to
expand and must have an outlet back
into the service pipe when that is not
stopped or burst"