Home Makers^ Conference. 313 



vated tank during dry periods and it necessitates a tank holding at 

 least twenty barrels to allow of sufficient storage to carry over all but 

 the most prolonged dry periods. The house must be well built in order 

 to sustain this weight. In all tanks installed within the house it is 

 necessary to provide an overflow pipe to insure safety. This overflow 

 may either lead to the drain or to a place where it may be used for water- 

 ing or for further storage. 



The most common type of water supply is that of an elevated tank 

 supplied with a windmill. The tank is either elevated on a tower or 

 in a building, and connected directly with the faucets and bath room 

 as well as with watering troughs at the bam and in the lots. Such a 

 system is in general the most practical where a large amount of water is 

 desired. It has the disadvantages of danger from frozen pipes, of oc- 

 casional water shortage when there is no wind, and of a considerable 

 expense, although under average conditions it is one of the cheapest 

 forms for the water supplied. It has the advantage of capacity, of re- 

 quiring little attention and of a moderate cost for the water provided. 

 Such a system will cost approximately $250 for windmill, piping, bath 

 room fixtures, tank, pump, drain, and labor where the well is within 

 100 feet of the house. Attention is called to the desirability of using 

 a galvanized iron tank rather than a wooden one, the latter being very 

 difficult to keep from leaking. 



The second general type of water supply is through a compressed 

 air tank. There are various means of arranging such a system, but the 

 general plan is to have an air tight tank, ordinarily of steel, located 

 at a convenient place, usually in the basement or underground, into 

 which the water is pumped against a cushion of air, the pressure of air 

 raising the water to the desired height in the house. The tank is usually 

 provided with an air pump for regulating the pressure or the amount 

 of air contained. A pressure of ten pounds per square inch will raise 

 water twenty-two feet, and a fifteen pound pressure, thirty-three feet. 



The pumping power for a pressure tank may be either a windmill, 

 a gas engine, or a hot air engine. An automatic regulator is usually 

 provided which stops the pump when a desired pressure is reached. 



The cost of such a system varies considerably with the size of the 

 tank, with the kind of power used, and with the general plan, but it is 

 usually from $50 to $75 more expensive than the elevated tank. 



Such a system has many advantages in that water is supplied in 

 large quantities wherever needed, it gives adequate fire protection, and 

 where the tank is located in the basement there is little danger of freez- 

 ing. It has the disadvantage of necessitating slightly greater expense 



