Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-05
SANITATION IN THE H0m|
CARE AND BRAINS SHOULD BIZ
USED IN THE PLUMBING.
Advantage Of Having Sanitary
Engineer Supervise Installation
Of the Bathroom Fixtures.
From the World To-day.

From the World To-day.
Every persn who contemplates building
is anxious to have his home well equipped
with plumbing fixtures, but many are de-
TERED from that wise course by the be-
lief that plumbing work is too expensive
for persons Of moderate means, and con-
tent themselves with having installed only
such fixtures as are absolutely necessary.
This dread of getting the plumber into
the house is the survival Of that time
honored joke about plumbers who wear
expensive diamonds and charge for SOL
der at radium rates. Conditions have
changed with time in the plumbing bust
ness, however, and careful householders
are beginning to realize that in the
plumbing within house, as we'll as in
other branches of the building trades,
taste and judgment. combined with a
knowledge of what is good and bad. both
in the structural part and in the fixtures,
will go much further than money toward
providing q satisfactory sanitary equip
ment. People who build in some of the
larger cities, where old plumbing laws.
which have failed to keep abreast of the
times, are still I'm force, have little or
nothing to say about the mechanical part
OF the installation, and In such localities
the rough plumbing for one bathroom
will often cost as much as the equipping
some cities large sizes and a bewilder-
ing multiplicity OF pipes are required for
the drainage system from a single bath
room, while In the more progressive
plumbing can be installed with less pipe
and that Of smaller siZe 1t will pay the
prospective builder to start right by look
ing carefully into the plans and specih-
cations regarding that part OF the work,
for it Is in the rough plumbing that most
Of the money is spent, without anything
to show for the outlay. An expenditure Of
SIS for the services of sanitary engineer
in preparing plumbing plans and specif-
cations will often save as much as $10O
| above the fee, besides doing away with
vexatious extras and insurin2 a better
installation.
Plumbing Systems.
The main thing to be pointed out to
the householder at the present time is
| that there are two systems Of plumbing,
known respectively as the one-pipe sys-
tenn and the two-pipe system. and. where
there is nothing to prevent the adoption
Of the one-pipe system. enough money
can be saved on the cost Of fitting up
! the usual fixtures in a private house to
pay for at least two additional lava
tories. fitted up in sleeping rooms 1t
might be we'll to remark in this connec-
| ton that fashions in building, like fash
| ions in clothes. change at times. and the
| fashion Of the present is to have sta
| tionary lavatories with running hot and
! cold water In those sleeping rooms of a
| home that are not convenient to the
| bathroom, or to dressing room having
toilet accommodations. This is quite a
| change from the former practice Of hav-
| ing a lavatory only in the bathroom and
excluding them from sleeping rooms on
| account Of the irrational dread of the
supposed deadly sewer gas. 1t is now
| known that Illness never visits q home
| by way of the drainage pipes and that
SO far as the old belief in the deadly
| nature Of air from the drainage system
| is concerned. there Is nothing to fear.
A further saving can be effected in the
cost Of plumbing work by using gal
| vanized wrought-iron or steel pipe in
stead Of lead pipe for the water supply.
Considered in point OF time. lead pipe
might prove the cheaper material in the
end for there Is practically no limit to
| the life OF lead pipe. Indeed, lead pipes
that were used to supply water to some
OF the fountains OF Rome, during the
| time Of Caesar. are still in use and in a
good state Of preservation; whereas
| wrought-iron or steel pipe. at It's aest.
probably would not last ever fifty years,
| and with some waters might be cor
rooed SO as to be worthless inside OF
| three years. notwithstanding these
facts, iron is the preferable material in