July, 1912 
from the house and keep the drains as 
free as possible from the deposits that 
generate them. ‘The all important trap 
achieves the first object and proper 
flushing and intelligent laying of the 
pipes the second. 
A trap is a device placed close to 
every fixture and the barrier by which 
it prevents the passage of air between 
the drain and the house is created by 
water held in a chamber so arranged 
that it will remain full even after the 
discharge of the fixtures through it. 
Traps are beset by certain dangers which 
tend to destroy this seal. An abnormal 
pressure in the soil or waste pipe may 
force it by back pressure. Sudden rapid 
discharges through the soil create a suc- 
tion behind them that may draw out 
the contents of a trap—an effect known 
as siphonage. Evaporation and capillary action also act 
on the seal. To equalize the air pressure on both sides of 
the trap and thus eliminate the conditions that lead to 
siphonage and back pressure, air is introduced to the trap 
at its discharging end by a back vent pipe leading to out- 
doors. New dangers arise for this complication, if not 
handled by skilled plumbers, sometimes exposes a by-pass, a 
misarrangement of pipes that permits a direct entrance of 
gas into the room. Back vents accelerate evaporation and 
sometimes become clogged by ejections from the trap so 
as to become entirely useless; they also increase the cost of 
the work about ten per cent. These conditions have brought 
about the invention of non-siphonable traps, which are de- 
signed to be used without back venting. Many eminent 
experts advocate this simple method, but city laws do not 
yet recognize an absolutely safe non-siphoning trap and 
back vents are generally prescribed. Traps are designed 
to be self-cleaning, but they should be exposed to view 
where possible and accessible for special cleaning. 
Vigorous flushing is the watchword of good plumbing. It 
means ample precipitate discharges that will fill and scour 
the pipes and carry everything before them. Slow, dribbly 
discharges, only partially filling the pipes, leave the filth 
to be smeared and deposited in the waste channels. A 
common error is to have waste outlets too small and drain 
pipes too large in proportion, as even if 
there is plenty of water it is not admitted 
fast enough to the pipe. The waste out- 
let should be equal in area to the section 
of the pipe. Fixtures with flushing tanks, 
like water-closets, generally have ample 
discharges; so have bathtubs if their 
wastes are large enough, but kitchen 
sinks suffer from defective flushing. 
They receive many small dribblings 
often of thick, dirty fluids containing 
grease, which is a special enemy of the 
pipes and traps, for it adheres and pro- 
duces an odious putrefaction. To rem- 
edy this defect sinks are sometimes ar- 
ranged with reservoirs or flush-pots that 
will contain about six gallons and when 
they have become full the plug is lifted 
and the contents are ejected with vigor. 
All fixtures should be as close as possi- 
ble to the soil so as to avoid long hori- 
zontal runs of pipes, which retards 
speed, and good workmanship must 
guard against sags in horizontal pipes 
and assure careful joints with no pro- 
AMERICAN HOMES: AND GARDENS 
A tiled bathroom 
A sanitary bedroom lavatory 
257 
jections to form recurring obstructions. 
Concentration of fixtures should be 
practiced for both economy and sanita- 
tion. They should be grouped so as to 
avoid the multiplication of soil pipes. 
In a small house especially this is im- 
portant, and by placing the bath over the 
kitchen and the laundry under the 
kitchen but one soil is needed. ‘The less 
plumbing essential in a house the better; 
avoid fixtures not absolutely needed and 
keep none in sleeping-rooms. Use no 
floor drains where a mop can serve. 
The maintenance of plumbing re- 
quires intelligent care and its status is 
often a fair index to the thrift and en- 
lightenment of the family. If it is not 
understood or is neglected there will re- 
sult an undue deterioration of the prop- 
erty, avoidable repair bills and the es- 
tablishment of unsanitary conditions. With regard to the 
cleaning of fixtures many housekeepers do not know that 
glazed surfaces are injured by many of the acid or gritty 
cleaning compounds, powders and scouring soaps, as for 
instance Sapolio, which makes very fine scratches that in 
time become dark with the filigree they gather. Muriatic 
acid attacks porcelain and enamel, so it is dangerous to 
employ dilutions of that chemical. A very fine powder, 
manufactured, is said to be a safe cleanser for porcelain 
and tile work and has also been well spoken of as a material 
for cleaning tile walls. Naphtha washing soap and hot 
water is also advised for fixtures and stains may yield to 
oxalic acid. Kerosene oil is sometimes helpful for cleaning 
glazed surfaces, and with warm water may help to cut the 
grease of the kitchen sink. The copper pantry sink may be 
treated with rottenstone and oil or with oxalic acid. The 
water-closet should be frequently scrubbed with a scrubbing 
brush and hot water and soap. The seats should be washed 
and, unless of the white celluloid type, should be periodi- 
cally oiled or rubbed with furniture polish. Varnish and 
shellac should not be used, for they are cut by soap. The 
flush cisterns of the water--closet should be occasionally 
cleaned, for deposits of silt or grit may cause leaky valves. 
Branch waste pipes should be periodically treated to a solu- 
tion of hot water and lye or caustic potash. Washing 
soda, though not so strong, may be used. 
The solution may be poured in at night 
and washed out in the morning. Once 
in awhile use a disinfecting solution. A 
plumber should be occasionally em- 
ployed to disinfect the soil pipe by means 
of formaldehyde, gas, or other disin- 
fectant applied with a smoke-testing 
machine, and the pipes can then be ex- 
amined for tightness. Also traps, 
nickel, brass and copper fittings tarnish 
rapidly in damp climates and require 
careful rubbing with a woolen cloth and 
may be polished with dry flour or whit- 
ing mixed into a paste with soap foam. 
Too much rubbing is apt to wear away 
plating, especially if polishing powders 
are used. Nickel may be cleaned with 
whiting powder and alcohol or with 
silicon and vinegar, finishing with a 
chamois skin. Copper may be treated 
with diluted oxalic acid and common 
salt, using after the acid whiting to pre- 
vent tarnishing and wiping the metal 
(Continued on page 264) 
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