2l8 



The Country House 



Every tank should have an overflow pipe attached to it a little below the top, 

 to avoid any possible chance of flooding the house. It should be considerably 

 larger in sectional area than the feed pipe, for the reason that water will not run 

 from it with equal force to that of the higher-pressure supply. It should not 



drain into the sewer or its connections, 

 as even with a trap the sewer gas 

 would escape. The reason for this is 

 that the overflow is merely a precau- 

 tion and is not brought into play uut 

 at very rare intervals, thus any trap 

 would become dry and useless. For 

 this reason it should be carried to the 

 outside air, as to the house gutter, or be 

 brought down over some fixture, like a 

 sink, which is in constant use. In 

 event of its opening to the outside air, 

 a fine screen of sufficient mesh to ex- 

 clude possible explorers should be 

 attached to the outlet. 



The top of all tanks should be 

 open for ventilation, and to prevent 

 loose insects from committing suicide 

 a thin cheesecloth canopy may be found 

 to be of advantage. If this be so 

 constructed on ribs that will not al- 

 low of its "bagging" on the top, it 

 may be found an excellent screen for 

 dust as well. 



Under the head of "fixtures" we 

 shall consider such accessories as washbasins, bathtubs, sinks, water closets, etc., 

 but before doing this a word may be said on the subject of open plumbing. 



The installation of the plumbing fixtures in the old way, that of enclosing 

 everything possible in a wooden casing, should not be considered for a moment. Not 

 only does it make the working parts extremely hard to get at in case of trouble, 

 but it tempts the cheap plumber to dishonest work and aids him to perform it 

 with little fear of detection. So soon as the sheathing is in place it is next to im- 

 possible to tell what it may conceal. The author remembers distinctly his ex- 

 perience in a little house just outside of New York City. The plumbing was 

 of this type, and the first time the bathtub was used it was filled too full, so that 

 on getting into it the tide at once rose above the overflow outlet. Visibly there was 

 nothing wrong, but a protesting cry from the kitchen resulted in a hasty with- 

 drawal from the tub, and an investigation elicited the fact that no overflow 

 pipe had been attached to the overflow. It was not from neglect nor absent- 

 mindedness that such an oversight occurred. It was a deliberately planned 

 scheme on the part of the plumber to cheat his employer. 



With the open plumbing the case is different; all the working parts are 



Portion of a small bathroom showing a handy shower bath and 

 a serviceable lavatory and mirror 



