The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1891-04-03
BRIDGEPORT.
PLUMBING

Now that the board of health have got
rid of the piggery at the town farm, let
them turn their attention to plumbing be-
ing done in our city. Not that there is
any immediate danger, as there are few
cities with as large population which
can boast of being as free from any kind
of plague. 1t is but natural that with
the increase of population the death rate
grows higher; it cannot be otherwise.
At present, no plumbing can be done
without first notifying the building in
spector and his orders compel everything
to be back-vented, all closet, sink and
other traps. Traps that have been back
vented by long pipes are more easily
syphOned than those connected by short
ones; wash bowls in bedrooms seldom
used have evaporated through the vent
pipe, letting the sewer gas escape
through the house until discovered by
some one of the family and stopped by
drawing water into the bowl, again fill
ing the trap. This could not occur in a
trap used every day, but in nearly every
house there are one or more spare rooms
not used more than once month and
here is where the danger arises. If not
bacl-vented, the water has not as much
chance of evaporation. A sink properly
connected and used hundreds of times
during the day cannot and does not need
to be back-vented. Many of the new
houses fitted up with the most sanitary
plumbing by those who call or advertise
themselves first class sanitary plumbers
have nearly all, if not all, their ventilat-
ing pipes about on the same princi-
pie as if a farmer wanted to put up a stove
pipe and run the pipe all around the room
out through the side of the house, around
the barn and hen house, then back into
the chimney. Reader, do you think his
stove would draw? If not, then look, all
you who have the latest sanitary plumb
ing, and see if many of your back-vent-
ing pipes do not run in about the same
manner. Then stop and consider what
ventilation for sewer gas your ventilat-
paid your plumber for putting in as much
pipe, fittings and time as he could and
they have met the requirements of the
law by which they are governed. No
better and more thorough ventilation can
be secured, than by having the main
stack or soil pipe run as direct as posi-
BILE through the highest point of the roof
and if all closet and other plumbing is
closely connected to the stack, there is no
need of this back-venting. All closets
should have a seat vent, which, while it
ventilates the seat, also ventilates the
room, and is, [ believe, really necessary.
In nearly every case, the present system
of back-venting is nothing but a farce
and simply used to help the plumber ex-
tort money from many man who, in
building home, must pay about one
half the whole cost of house and lot to
settle the plumbers bill. The board of
health or the city authorities should take
the matter in hand, consult the most ex-
pert and practical men on this subject
and then make laws which would gov
ern the entire plumbing business, put
ting in each house what is really neces-
sary for the health of its occupant and
stop these plumbers from running pipes
any way or any how, as long as it cov-
ers the laws as now foolishiy made
NJ.