32 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
January, 1914 
At the left, a gate valve closed. An opened globe 
valve is at the right 
charge them with air 
every few weeks. The 
right-hand figure on page 
31 shows how this can 
be done. Shut the stop 
and waste cock (a) and 
open the pet cock (b). 
The water that has ac¬ 
cumulated in the cham¬ 
ber will drain out of 
the waste hole (c) ; the 
chamber meanwhile will 
refill with air through 
the open pet cock. 
Shut the pet cock and open the stop cock and the air chamber 
will again be ready for work. 
The short pieces of pipe sometimes placed close to sink, bath 
and lavatory faucets to serve as air chambers are to some degree 
useful in lessening water hammer, but are too small to be prac¬ 
tical remedies. 
It will assist in at least modifying any 
noise that may occur if water pipes are 
not placed near living-rooms. Run the 
pipes through the kitchen, pantry and 
rear halls or closets. If the pipes must 
be placed in the walls of living-rooms, 
have them covered. Hair felt securely 
wrapped on with wire is good, or a 
specially manufactured covering can 
be used. 
Round-way stop cocks and gate valves 
should be used instead of the flat-way 
type. Reference to the illustrations will 
show the difference between the full 
open waterway of the first and the 
Two types of faucet. Left, compression; right, fuller. 
The former is preferable 
the water will force 
the ball (a) to its 
seat and produce 
water hammer. 
When the washers 
of compression fau¬ 
cets (a) are soft or 
become worn, they 
sometimes produce a 
chattering noise as 
the faucet is closed or when it is opened slightly. In this case 
the washers should be replaced with new ones. 
Rumbling in the pipe connections between water backs in 
kitchen ranges and hot water boilers may be caused by small 
pipe connections. While N-inch pipe is often used for boilers 
of thirty, forty and even fifty gallons capacity, one-inch connec¬ 
tions are better. The plumbers should ream out the ends of the 
pipe so that no projecting piece is left or formed to retard the 
flow of water or to collect rust or sediment. 
Pipe connections should pitch upward from the waterback to 
the side connection of the boiler. The lower connection should 
grade downward from the boiler to the waterback. 
If the waterback of a range is too large for the boiler, it is 
possible that at times so much hot water will be produced that 
steam will form. The steam when it reaches the boiler will pro¬ 
duce a loud cracking or pounding noise as it condenses. The 
remedy is to replace the waterback with a smaller one or install 
a larger boiler. The first suggestion is the better. 
Pipes that carry ofif waste water from the upper floor fixtures 
should not be placed in the partitions next to living-rooms. When 
W/JTBR JB*CK 
A shows burrs made in cutting pipe. They 
should be reamed out as at B 
If the pipe sags, as shown by the dotted lines, water 
will not circulate freely 
An effective way of silencing noise in large 
waste pipes. Outer casing filled with 
mineral wool 
undersized, contorted waterway which distinguishes the latter. 
If water meters are used and the clicking of the mechanism 
is noticeable when water is drawn, wrap them in hair felt or pack 
them in a box of sawdust. 
In the country, where water is secured by pumping or by 
hydraulic rams, the pounding of these devices is often annoying. 
If two or three feet of high-pressure rub¬ 
ber hose, instead of so much iron pipe, is 
inserted at an accessible place near or just 
inside the house, it will usually overcome 
the trouble. 
Two principles are employed in the con¬ 
struction of faucets—the fuller and the 
compression. While the fuller pattern 
faucets are convenient to operate and of 
a more pleasing appearance, the compres¬ 
sion faucets, which close slowly, prevent 
water hammer and give better service. 
Compression faucets close against the 
pressure of flow water. Fuller faucets 
close with the pressure of water; and when 
the pressure is high or the faucet worn, 
Bell supply fittings avoid 
filling 
this is impossible through the location of bathrooms, the pipes 
should be covered with hair felt, securely wrapped on with wire 
or packed with mineral wool. The mineral wool can be held in 
place by means of a wooden box or, better, a sheet metal pipe — 
galvanized iron is good. This sheet metal casing should be one 
inch larger on each side than the waste or soil pipe that it covers. 
The space between the waste pipe and the 
metal or wood casing can be filled and 
closely packed with mineral wool — sawdust 
is sometimes used. It is advisable to in¬ 
sert “stops” in a long vertical casing every 
two or three feet to prevent the mineral 
wool and sawdust from settling and leaving 
the upper end of the pipes exposed. 
Among the fixtures, water closets are 
usually the offending members in produc¬ 
ing noise. Closets with high tanks are as 
a whole much more noisy than those fitted 
with low tanks. 
The fittings within the tank itself are 
often the cause of much of the annoyance 
(Continued on page 55) 
splashing and noise in 
the bathtub 
