The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-05
WOULD SAVE BURSTING PIPES.
ALDERMAN JARRELL's PLUMBING
INSPECTION ORDINANCE.

Fixtures Very Small and Would
nnds of Dollars Annually in BroI-
en- Pipes as Well as Do Away With
the Great Waste of Water and
Danger to the City After Each Sc
we're Freeze.
Alderman Jarrell's plumbing inspection
ordinance, summing up the existing
plumbing ordinances and providing addi-
tional regulations with regard to plumb
ing inspection, will probably be brought
up for consideration in Council some time
this month. Had the recent cold spell
been as productive of broken water pipes
as was the case in the severe cold spell
last spring, it is safe to say that the
plumbing ordinance would have become
live topic at once.
/ One of the main features of the pro-
posed ordinance is a provision relating to
| stop and waste cocks, intended to serve
as a safeguard to the property owner for
the preventing of bursting pipes and
thereby saving him much vexation in spirit
and large lois in pocket, as well as do
! ing away with the large waste of water
which results whenever Jack Frost gets
in his work with the pipes at a whole
sale rate, as was the case a year ago.
The general use of the stop and waste
cock has been frequently urged by the
heads of the water department as val
liable and inexpensive device to have In
connection with the plumbing fixtures OF
every house. The chief reason why no
attention has been paid to this recon-
mendation is probably because the aver
age property owner is not a plumber and
does not understand what is required. The
cost of providing this precaution is so
small that there is no money in the pock
els of the plumbers to seek such work,
and besides it is not to the interest of the
plumbers to advocate its adoption, as they
would thereby be deprived of the large
windfalls which come in their business
with almost annual regularity.
The farrell ordinance makes 1t impera-
tive upon the property owners to add this
fixture and it is made the business of the
plumbing inspector to see that the fix
ture is provided. The ordinance requires
that the stop and waste cock snail be
placed in a box suitably constructed for
the purpose at the outer edge of the side
walk with q vent or drain pipe so ar
ranged to drain the water from the pipes
in the house Most houses have such
boxes with the stopcock already but only
a few have the wastecock. BY means OF
the stop cock the water can be shut off
from the house at any time and with the
waste cock attached an additional turn
of the wrist will serve to drain the water
out of the house pipes and thus do away
with all danger of frozen and burst pipes.
The stop and wastecock is in general use
rHArA f~nar tho
weather is the rule in winter and in most
of the Southern cities as far south as At
lanta. SaVannah's comparative exemption
from freezing weather until within the
last few years accounts for the general
lack of this appliance.
Plumbing Inspector Campos estimates
that the cost of putting in the stop and
wastecock will not exceed $3.50 to $3.50 for
each house. He is greatly in hopes that
this feature of the ordinance at least
! will become a law
ANY property owner can well afford TO
go to the expense of putting in one of
these stop and waste cocks" said Inspec-
tor Campos, when it may save him $500
TO $500 in plumbing bills in one winter,
! to say nothing of the possible damage TO
/ walls and plastering Every property
owner should do this as a matter of self
/ interest without being required to do so
! by ordinance. 1t is to the interest of the
]
! or four times within as many years the
| waste of water has been so great after a
! severe cold spell that very little pressure
! could be maintained at the water works,
! and in case of a confagration the fire
| department would have been helpless.
| This state of affairs has come to pass sew
! eral times within recent years, and il is
! only pure luck that the city has not had
a big fire to face just at such time. With
the stop and waste cock in the property
/ owners would have no excuse for allowing
! the water 10 run all night in their houses
| to keep the pipes from freezing. Enough
| water could be drawn for the night. and
! the water could then be turned off at the
! sidewalk and the pipes drained, assuring
absolute immunity from freezing pipes"
| There is another important feature of
| the ordinance and the one which proba bly
| account for the fact that it has been held
| up temporarily. This is section which
| gives the plumbing inspector power TO con-
| denim and require the removal of defective
| plumbing in any house where, in his judy
| men. such removal is required for sanitary
! reasons. AT present the power of the IN
spector is limited to requiring that all new
plumbing shall comply with the ordinances
! and he has no power to require the re-
moval of old plumbing, no matter how de-
! fectve it may be.
| Some of the members of Council think
| this would be placing too much power in
aware that the average properly owner
| who should be ordered to tear out his old
| plumbing and substitute new plumbing in
! stead would feel very much aggrieved I'M
| less 1t could be shown that the change was
one of absolute necessity. 1t is likely that
| this feature of the ordinance will be
amended so as to give the property owner
the right of appeal TO the plumbing board
where the inspectors recommendation
would be reviewed by three plumbers as
well as the health officer and The chair
man of the Health Committee. There is
no doubt a great deal of defective plumb.
ing in the city, but it is evident at the
same time that any such power as that
proposed should be enforced with great
discretion.
The ordinance also makes it the duty of
| the plumbing inspector to make inspec-
lions within twenty-four hours after re-
ceiving notice. AZ present there is 70
fixed time specified and this has been the
cause of some complaint when there was
a rush of work.