2io The Country House 



sounds. Such noises are more than likely to be caused by poor circulation, due 

 to the following conditions: The connection between waterback and boiler 

 may be sagged, as already explained. The waterback may be choked with dirt 

 or sediment from the boiler. If not attended to as soon as discovered it is liable to 

 become stopped up entirely, and then look out for flying fragments. There are two 

 conditions attending the explosions of the waterback. With the connections 

 stopped up and containing hot water, heat applied will generate steam, which, find- 

 ing no ready outlet, makes one of its own. If it be dry (the water being turned 

 off) and a fire be built in the range, the waterback may become red hot. You have 

 only to turn on the water to see things fly, as the steam may often be generated 

 too fast for the boiler's safety. Further danger lies in the freezing of the connec- 

 tions between the boiler and range. As the water may flow from both hot and 

 cold-water faucets at the sink on a test, which would seem to be all right, it is 

 always best to examine the connection before there is a chance for trouble. 



The ordinary hot-water boiler is deficient in its construction, inasmuch as it 

 allows the cold water to pass through the bottom, thus making the waterback con- 

 nection a receptacle for sediment. The possible results from this source have 

 already been noted, but if one is careful to draw off through the waste a fair 

 quantity of water once every week one may rest easier on that score. A better 

 solution of the problem would be the attachment of a sediment chamber to the bot- 

 tom of the boiler, and making the connection to the water-back through the side 

 of the boiler. This device is simple and effective, collecting the sediment ;nul 

 discharging it through the waste as desired. Like most labour-saving contriv- 

 ances, it will not do the work automatically, but requires a little attention at 

 stated intervals say about once a month or so. 



Although the boiler is sometimes of galvanised iron, it is true economy to 

 use that made of copper, as it is more durable and easily cleaned. 



The service pipe may be either of two sorts, galvanised iron or lead. The only 

 advantage in the use of the former is its cheapness; no one will steal it. Its price 

 is about one-third that of lead, the labour involved in its use about one-sixth that 

 of the latter. It has several disadvantages, however, which are more or less serious. 

 If the coating comes off, as it frequently does in bending or otherwise, the 

 exposed pipe will rust. The coating process sometimes leaves rough surfaces on 

 the inside of the pipe, which retards the flow of the water and forms a base for 

 the collection of further obstruction. Being a hard metal, it will not stand the 

 frost as well as lead, but is apt to crack. The principal ingredient of the galvan- 

 ised coat is zinc, dangerous if taken into the system, and all the more so if the 

 water be pure. 



The lead pipe is perhaps on the whole more safe than the galvanised iron. 

 When new, however, there is a slight danger of poisoning, especially when the 

 water is perfectly clear. Ordinarily the slight sediment from the water forms a 

 thin protecting lining on the inside of the pipe, thus stopping any action of the water 

 upon it. Lead pipe is more durable than iron and easier to repair. 



The tin-lined lead pipe, although serviceable for some purposes, requires to 

 be put together by a first-class workman, as the tin melts at a lower temperature 

 than the lead, thus causing complications. As the first-class plumber is not 



