The fact that plumbing during the past ten years has reached a most remarkable stage of development in the construction of improved systems of sewerage, house drains, ventilation and fixtures, is due to several causes.

In the first place, the manufacturers of plumbing supplies in their pursuit of commercial supremacy have employed a number of sanitary engineers, who by experimenting and investigation, have perfected systems and fixtures which are a preventative against the dangers of sewer gas and their subsequent results, such as typhoid, scarlet fever, dysentery, etc., coming as they frequently do from no apparent cause, as far as modern science will permit.

Secondly, good and safe plumbing has ceased to be a luxury. Its protection against the above mentioned diseases, and its safeguard to good health, have made it an necessity. Heretofore many earnest, well-meaning persons, not appre-ciating the importance of correct drainage and plumbing, were inclined to sacrifice this vital factor in their buildings, and even to-day the remark of some builder is often heard, to the effect that the balance of the house has cost so much more than was originally intended, that no more money than is absolutely necessary can be expended for die plumbing. The knowledge and skill which is employed for the construction of the rest of the house, should be as carefully applied to the sewer, ventilation, bath and toilet rooms, and their fittings.

Modern knowledge has taken the place of ignorance and neglect, and the fixtures and systems, which were thought good enough ten years ago, are to-day branded as old, on account of their not being a proper safeguard against disease. Every builder should weigh these facts well, and make himself familiar with the dangers arising from putting in a poor system, as even the smallest leak will cause sickness and often death.

The first subject to be taken up in the plumbing line, is the house drain, which are the pipes which carry from the house the liquid and soil refuse. The accumulated waste from food, clothing and bathing, tends to decay, and must be removed promptly and properly, or disease will result. The sewer which conveys the matter from the dwelling, must be absolutely perfect. In all cases, the sewer pipe within the foundation wall, should be extra heavy cast-iron pipe, coated inside and out with hot asphaltum, and should run through the foundation wall, and the connection should be made to the vitrified sewer at least ten feet outside of the building wall. The connection between the iron and vitrified soil pipe should be carefully made at X and cemented tight with a good grade of Portland cement. A good idea is to incase the connection at X in a block of concrete, which will prevent the breaking of the joint at this Point.

In the drawing Fig. 1 an installation is shown which is commonly used by a great many plumbers, but which has many disadvantages. The trap at A, which is placed in the connecting sewer, to prevent the ingress of foul gases from the main sewer, is in a poor location, on account of its inaccessibility. The vent opening to the fresh-air inlet at B ventilates the house system of drain pipes. This vent is often placed between the sidewalk and the curb, or in the front yard. The vent bonnet is very liable to become loose or broken, which will permit of dirt, stones, and sticks falling into the opening so left, and choke the sewer, which necessitates digging down to the bottom to clean it out. Another objection to placing a vent in a position such as shown, is that grass and other vegetation is liable to grow up around and into it, thereby destroying its efficiency. When a main disconnecting trap must be located outside of the building and underground, there should be built a brick manhole around it for easy access. The manhole for this purpose, should be two feet and five inches in diameter at the base, and closed on the top with a limestone cover, three inches in thickness, with an eighteen-inch diameter round cast-iron lid, which should have a one-inch bearing on the stone all around.

Fig. 1.

The drainage system illustrated in Fig. 2 is a very excellent one for a residence. The fittings as shown are standard stock articles, and consequently reduce the cost to a minimum. In the ordinary residence, a four-inch pipe is sufficiently large enough to carry away all of the sewerage. A drainage pipe must not be so large, that the ordinary flow of water will fail to float and carry away the refuse which ordinarily accompanies water. The pipe should be laid to grade, or a fall of one foot in forty feet. Care should be exercised to allow a large enough opening in the wall where the pipes pass through it, and espedaily over them, to allow for setting of the wall without touching the pipes.

Fig. 2

Extra heavy cast iron soil pipe, weighing thirteen pounds to the foot, coated inside and out with hot asphaltum, should be used in all cases for house drainage.

At A is shown a double-vent opening running trap. By calking a four-inch brass ferrule, with a brass-trap screw ferrule, into the hub at C, an opening which gives free access to the drainage system on the sewer end is obtained. Care should be taken in making this joint, and a good grade of spun oakum should be packed around the ferrule, with an iron yarning tool. The hub should then be run full at one pouring with soft molten lead, and then thoroughly calked with a blunt calking iron, which will make an absolutely airtight joint. The trap-screw cover should be screwed tightly into the ferrule with a good pliable gasket. It is very necessary that this joint be hermetically sealed, as the pipe X will constantly be loaded with sewer-gas from the main sewer, and any defective work at this joint will allow the gas to escape into the basement. The vent opening at B is to be treated in the same manner, giving an opening which permits easy access to the trap.

The air vent pipe D is run at an angle of forty-five degrees, and the extension E, which is run to the surface in this particular instance, is run close to the foundation wall, and the elbow calked on the top of the pipe, which prevents a possibility of any sticks, stones or other debris getting into same and retarding a thorough circulation. In order to have this drainage system properly vented, the fresh-air inlet pipe should be the same size as the drain pipe. Where it is impractical or impossible to run this fresh-air vent up close to the foundation wall and turn it over as shown, it can be run as shown by F, and when placed in the yard the inlet pipe can be capped with a regular air vent-cap fitting. Care should be taken in placing this fresh-air inlet, so that the chances of having it knocked off and broken will be as small as possible.

The extension piece in all cases should be long enough to permit of the opening in the vent-cap being, at least, eight inches above the ground. In the drawing the sewer or drain pipe is shown above the floor. In cases of this kind rests or supports should be provided at an interval of five feet, or in other words at every joint, to prevent the same from sagging and probably breaking the joints. When placed underground the top of openings B and C should be on a level with the flooring. In case of a shallow sewer in the street, the piping can be suspended from the ceiling, with a good heavy hanger supported by a joist clamp or swivel joint, which will permit the hanger being shortened or lengthened after the pipe has been hung.