The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-20

to advise you to purchase fixtures or
traps that cannot be easily cleaned.
The whole trend of invention IN these
appliances IL toward accessibility for
cleaning and repairing.
plumbing and drainage pipes accom-.
plishes two very important things. 1t
prevents a heading or pressure OF gas
forming In any of the pipes. and 1t pre-
vents the formation of a vacuum or
partial vacuum in any line or parts OF
dition prohibits the forcing Of any trap
seals by air or gas, and also prohibits
the syphoning of the seals Of traps.
Many of you will find in the floors OF
your cellars, and In the floor OF your
cellar entrance from the yard, or In
the yard itself, a grating through
which the surface water flows. These
are cesspools. In some Of them, II you
lift the grating, you will find bell
shape piece of cast iron attached to
the grating. This forms what Is called
a bell trap. 1t Is not the best form OF
trap for the reason that when this Is
exposed to the air. and 1t necessarily
seal of the trap will In times OF
drought evaporate and permit the air
from the drain to pass up through the
grating.
When this form Of trap is used. water
should be poured into the grating from
time to time to take the place of that
which may have evaporated.
In cold weather steam may be seen
issuing from the outlets of plumbing
pipes above the roof. This Is caused
by the condensing Of the warm air
from the pipes when 1t comes In con-
tact with the cold air. In very cold
weather frost accumulates in the ex-
posed ends of these pipes and fire.
quently entirely closes the orifice; when
this occurs the purposes of the system
are defeated. ana you have all OF the
defects Of the old methods. We use
larger pipes in the lines at the upper
ends to allow for an accumulation Of
frost. but with long continued low tenn
perature even this does not prevent the
tion of these vent pipes would be In
convenient on account of the inaccessi-
bility of the pipes themselves.
CLOSED WITH FROST.
1t is not unusual to find them closed
with frost, and 1t Is unfortunate that
this should happen at times when the
building Is closed as tightly as pos
sible on account of the weather. and
therefore does not have the usual
amount of ventilation by means of
| and animal matter during the process
| of decomposition gives off gas which If
breathed in sufficient quantities pois-
ons the system and lowers vitality.
1t is this gas and it's injurious effects
| that we have to contend with In our
| sewer and plumbing systems. 1t Is a
heavy gas, so much heavier than the
atmosphere that it requires some force
| to dislodge it from the drainage pipes.
| The circulation of air by the introduce
tion of the fresh air inlet gives this
result.
The breathing of this gas will not in
itself result in any specific disease un-
| less the gas is the cOnVeyOr or the
germs of the disease, but IL breathed
in appreciable quantities will so debili-
tate the system as to make it more
| susceptible to disease. We are exposed
| at all times to risk of contracting dis
ease by the germs being blown through
the air we breathe.
| 1t is claimed by some experts that
| the gas generated in drain lines gath
ers disease germs and its opportunities
must be great for doing so.
| The manner Of piping required by
| your law is called the ventilated sys-
tenn. There is another method advo.
Gated by maryland used In some COM
munities-which we may call the dif-
fusion system. This latter system Is
/
scribed as a system which makes every
building connected to the sewer sys-
/ tenn of the city a ventilator for the
| sewers. 1t is claimed by its advocates
| to be superior to the ventilated sys-
| tenn, for the reason that there being
no distractions in the lines In the form
| of traps, there Is perfect and unOb-
| structed circulation of air through the
sewers and pipes within the buildings.
As you are not allowed to use this
| system in your city, the merits of the
| two systems need not be considered.
My own opinion is that the ventilated
system is the best. when we'll con-
structed. 1t must be well constructed
for any fault in it's arrangement will
very often cause either forcing or
| syphonage OF the traps, and 1t Is on
this fact that the advocates of the
other system base their strongest ar
guments. ] will explain by diagrams
how traps may be syphoned and forced
TROUBLE WITH GAS.
1t is also claimed that should there
be gas In the lines, the gas in contact
| with one side of the water seal allows
the water forming the seal to absort
the gas and escape through the water
into the room, but the theory of the
ventilated system does not admit that
gas Is allowed to remain in the pipes
for the reason that there Is always a
circulation inward at the fresh air in
let and upward to the outlet Of the
roof.
l believe that eventually we will use
on our plumbing lines q mechanical ex.
haust, by means of an attachment tC
the lines, containing a slow-speed elec-
trio fan. This will make positive what
is now at best an intermittent circula-
tion dependent upon atmospheric con-
n nd hn <Nf thn ind
Theoretically if smoke should be ap-
piled to the fresh air inlet 1t would al
once disappear therein and pass quick
ly through the lines and out at the
roof, but it does not always do this
The lines are so long and the pipes are
so small that the friction causes the
air to move very slowly. This can BIZ
demonstrated in a very simple way. II
you blow through a short tube the
breath will pass through faster thar
you can readily supply 1t. If you
lengthen the tube, keeping the diam.
eter the same, the force required will
increase with the length. As We de,
circulation of air through the pipes, II
can be easily seen that We ask toe
much Of nature. and should assist the
natural flow of air with some me.
chanical power.
Should such mechanical power be ap'
piled to exhaust the air from the lines
We could omit the traps from fixtures
and the result would be that each fix
ture would then become a ventilatol
for the room in which it may bs
located, instead of menace; ant
Furthermore. as heat and moisture pro
mote decomposition, the positive ant
continuous passage of air at fai
speed would quickly oxidize the sew
age matter and the result would be a,
/ DerfeCt a avatam need he
AS TINS power would be a materia