125

was that it was likely to keep a little longer. As public health experts it was for them not
to point to non-existing benefits but to work for the elimination of this most misleading
designation.
DR. LETHEM, replying, said that contagious abortion in cows was an intermittent disease,
often affecting an animal for only a week or two after calving, and that it was therefore
impossible to say how much infected milk was sold ; nor could sampling do much to reveal
the animal at fault because of the long time taken for a guinea pig test.

Rational Design of House Plumbing, by A. LONGWORTH. (Fellow.)

(Read at a Sessional Meeting held in London on March 28th, 1944)
I.-INTRODUCTIO.’;. z

HEALTHY housing has become one of the most urgent necessities in the post-war
H reconstruction programme, and its adequate fulfilment is largely dependent on
a good and efficient system of plumbing. No other trade so intimately affects the
comfort and health of the community. The standard of plumbing can either make or
mar that comfort, and good plumbing can therefore bring about a healthy and happy

community. This, then, is the ideal condition to aim for by all who are in any way
responsible for the installation of plumbing-from the entry of the cold-water supply
to the fixing of the hot-water system, the installation of the sanitary fixtures, and the
discharging of all wastes.
I regret to say that house plumbing between the two wars left much to be desired,
particularly in those features which are difficult to control by legislation.
Unfortunately, many so-called builders who were responsible for erecting small
houses were not competent builders at all. They knew very little about building,
and much less about plumbing, yet they were allowed to engage their own men instead
of being compelled to engage a qualified plumbing contractor. The labour was thus
operated without the skilled supervision of a master craftsman, and quality conse-
quently suffered. Furthermore, they seldom engaged an architect to advise them,
with the result that there was often bad planning and bad plumbing.
The plumbing was often considered as a last component in design, and was added
after planning the house, the bathroom being placed in the smallest room available,
without regard to its proximity to the kitchen and the hot-water supply, or to the
drainage system. In short, the comfort, convenience and health of ’the occupant were
not often considered.
On the whole, however, the general standard of plumbing work in larger buildings,
mainlv designed by architects, has been good when carried out by skilled craftsmen
and controlled by qualified plumbing contractors. It is recognized that good archi-
tectural design should embody sound practical principles and details, and there can
be no sound details without a proper specification for the plumber.

II.-GENER:~L.

(a) Value of ResearcJ<.-Without the slightest intention of decrying the admirable

efforts of present-day research workers, I do think that most of our present short-
comings have arisen from lack of sensible application of the knowledge and experience
which already exists. There is a tendency to give too much thought to new methods
and new materials, instead of applying present knowledge more widely.
It will be my endeavour in the following remarks to remind you of the available
solutions to the numerous problems occurring ; solutions which are already proved
and which can, and should be, applied immediately on the widest possible scale.
 126
I consider them to be of fundamental importance and of far greater value than
many high-sounding projects iiow being put forward in some post-war schemes.
(b) Des£g1ler’s Task. It is eyident from the number of drawiligs and articles
-

appearing in the technical press that the professions and industries concerned are full
of good intentions for the future.
Research is being conducted and new standard specifications are being framed,
but, admirable as these activities are, they are not sufficient in themselves. Someone
must co-ordinate and put all these principles into effect. Mere conformity to byelaws
and formulae will not make a successful installation. The designer must approach
the problem with a clear conception of the requirements of the user and design an
installation to meet them. Byelaws, formulx and scientific facts must be his tools
and not his masters.
(c) Suggested Rational Approach.-What, then, are to be the rational bases for the
design of a plumbing installation ? I suggest the following fiv e points for consideration :
(i) Fulfilment of functions and convenience in use.
(ii) Safeguards against danger to health, life and property.
(iii) Trouble-free operation and minimum maintenance.
(iv) Standardization.
(v) Cost.
.. III.-DETAILED CONSIDERATIONS.
Having outlined my ideas and attitude to the general problems, let us now turn
to details.
(i) Fulfilment of Functions and C onvenÙnce iot Use.-There must be a.n adequate
flow of cold and hot water, gas or electricity to all draw-off points and appliances.
The cold-water supply must have a stop-tap fitted at the point of entry to the house,
with an emptying cock immediately above it, to drain the whole of the piping during
frost or when repairs may be necessary. There must be a reasonably rapid rate of
discharge of waste from baths, basins, sinks, etc. Sinks should be of convenient size
and fixed at a height to avoid fatigue by stooping. Sink taps should be fixed high
enough to permit a bucket to be filled.
The w.c. must flush properly by simple operation and leave clean water in the
pan after discharge. The w.c. should be fixed in a separate compartment and not in
the bathroom.
. All fittings should be closely grouped, the w.c. compartment next to the bathroom
and the w.c. and bathroom immediately over or adjacent to the kitchen.
By this arrangement all services and wastes can be compactly designed with branch
lines of minimum length, and the noise of discharges from the first-floor fittings is
then confined to the kitchen or the workshop of the house and not heard in the living
rooms.
With this close grouping and compact planning of fixtures, the &dquo; one-pipe system &dquo;
of waste discharge is recommended.
This system, as is now well known, provides for the collection and discharge of all
wastes from w.c., bath, basin and sink into one main pipe, which is connected directly
to the drain without the interposition of a trapped gully at ground-level. As drain
air is in direct contact with all fixtures, deep sealed traps must be fixed on the waste
pipes immediately under and as close as possible to each fixtures. The whole installation
of waste and ventilation piping can be fixed internally, and the main pipe housed in
a suitably constructed accessible duct made vermin-proof.
&dquo;
Hot water may be supplied to some housing schemes from a district &dquo; hot-water
supply system, or it may be obtained from instantaneous gas units, or from electrically-
heated storage units. It may also be obtained from a kitchen-range boiler or an
independent domestic hot-water boiler.
Wlichever system of hot water is installed, it must yield really hot water at all
draw-off points, and provide an adequate flow to the kitchen sink and the bath, if and
when these two fixtures are required to be used simultaneously. The cold-water feed
pipe to the hot storage vessel must be carefully sized and a pipe fitted large enough
to meet this demand. This pipe must have a fulway valve control.
.
The hot storage vessel should have a holding capacity of at least thirty-five to
forty gallons, so as to provide two baths in succession. If the boiler is fitted in the
 127
kitchen range, it should have a large heating surface exposed to the fire, with large
exposed bottom area. The flue should be carefully built, and a good example of this
is shown in the Minimum Specification, No. IV, published by the Institute of Plumbers.
With an independent boiler for heating the domestic water, an indirect hot storage
cylinder could be fixed, and heating radiators fitted in the hall and on the landing.
The warming of these spaces prevents cold air passing into the adjacent rooms. The
heating could be extended if desired, but probably the average householder would
still want to sit round a cheery fire in the living room.
The hot storage cylinder should be insulated to prevent heat loss. An electric
immersion heater with thermostatic switch could be fitted for summer use when the
boiler may not be lighted. An emptying cock should be fitted at the lowest point
of the system.
A heated towel rail in the bathroom adds much comfort and should be fitted in
every house. Another simple addition which gives the utmost satisfaction is a short
heated pipe coil fixed near to the kitchen sink for airing pot towels. These additional
amenities are by no means extravagant, and the cost counts nothing in relation to
the increased comfort, contentment and happiness of the user.
A printed card of instructions should be supplied to each householder, stating the
positions of all stop taps, and their function, with simple instructions for immediate
use during periods of frost or when any leakage occurs in the cold or hot-water
installations.
(ii) Safeguards against danger to Health, Life and Property.-(a) Sanitary Installation.
-In this section, I shall point out the tremendous importance of a sound plumbing
design. The designer must be ever alert to those dangers which are lurking behind
bad work and bad design.
We read in the press that, owing to the vast shortage of housing, the Government
departments concerned with reconstruction contemplate the erection of a limited
number of prefabricated temporary houses to meet the immediate demand. May I
issue a warning to them here and now that there must be no trifling with the plumbing
work. The health of the community is far too important to risk temporary plumbing
work in which failures mav occur.
I have recommended that the disposal of waste matter shall be on the. &dquo; one pipe
system,&dquo; i.e. all wastes discharging down a common pipe, and all branch pipes properly
ventilated.
Many designs of pre-assembled plumbing units grouped around a central position
have recently been illustrated in the technical press, and these are all fine examples
of close grouping, but there is a tendency to design these pre-assembled units not on
the &dquo; one-pipe system,&dquo; complete with its necessary ventilation pipes, but on a system
which is being called the &dquo; one-stack system,&dquo; that is, discharging all wastes down
one pipe but without anti-siphonage pipes.
Some of these installations, possibly most of them, have been tested on full-scale
models, but these tests can only have been made with clear water discharged through
a perfectly clean and new installation. Very different results may be established when
pipes have become coated with soapy matter and kitchen grease.
As many of m~- listeners will know, full-scale models of plumbing installations were
erected by, the Ministry of Works in Palace Yard, Westminster, using 3-inch, 3-!-inch
and 4-inch diameter main waste pipes. All wastes from ablutionary fittings had
3-inch deep seal traps, and were connected to the main pipe in a variety of positions
relative to the w.c. connection. With the 3-inch and 3i-inch diameter main wastes,
some siphonage took place in one or other of the traps in every test. With the 4-inch
main waste, slight loss of seal took place, but seals were not entirely broken. I repeat,
what will happen when the piping becomes fouled after some months of use ?
Experiments are being made in two large industrial towns where a number of houses
have recently been erected, and the plumbing is installed on the &dquo; one-stack system &dquo;
without anti-siphonage. The houses are tenanted, and it will be interesting to learn .

. what happens after a period of ordinary use.

When the results of the tests at Palace Yard are published, it may be proved that
the 3-inch and 31-inch diameter main wastes are unsatisfactory for installation without
branch anti-siphonage pipes.
It has long been established that unduly large diameter pipes are not self-cleansing,
and an accumulation may rapidly build up on the inside walls of the pipe. When the
128
bore of the pipe is reduced by such accumulations, siphonage will undoubtedly- take
place, as it did on the smaller diameter pipe under clean conditions.
I therefore recommend the 3-inch diameter main waste pipe as more self-cleansing,
properly fitted with loop vending to ensure safe and sanitary plumbing.
This will cost very little or possibly no more than the larger pipes without vent,
and even if it costs slightly more, we must not allow the present economy bogey to
’

influence good design.

You may have noticed that I have just mentioned loop venting. I should like to
&dquo;
see the acceptance of the words &dquo; branch ventilating pipe &dquo; instead of anti-siphonage
pipe.&dquo; I am sure the changed title would convey a truer meaning of the function of
the pipe.
Such a pipe not only prevents siphonage, but also ventilates the short branch
waste pipe. If we can only get this term established, it will be more readily seen
&dquo;
that it is essential in the one-pipe system &dquo; to have the branch vent pipe of the same
diameter as the waste pipe to ensure a full flow of fresh air through the whole range
of piping, comprising the complete system. It is most essential to ventilate a system
of piping conveying foul waste matter. A flow of fresh air passing through the piping
prevents the accumulation of slimy deposit, because such deposit dries and flakes off
the surface and is discharged by the next flush of waste.
Therefore, my design would be a combined waste-discharge system, comprising
a 3-inch diameter main waste pipe, a 3-inch diameter branch from a siphonic w.c. pan,
a ii~-inch diameter waste from the bath, a if-inch diameter waste from lavatory basin,
and i~-inch diameter waste from the kitchen sink. Traps with 3-inch depth of water
seal would be fitted to bath, lavatory and sink, and all traps ventilated on the loop
vent method.
At this stage I would like
to say a word about traps for waste pipes. They should
be self-cleansing, and the dip or inverted weir should not be concealed owing to the
possibility of it becoming perforated without showing signs of leakage. The best and
most self-cleansing trap is of bent pipe formation, with all its walls exposed. There
are on the market to-day some contraptions which the manufacturers claim are

proof against siphonage, and do not need anti-siphon pipe. I repeat that every
branch waste pipe does need a ventilating pipe, and consequently further contrivance
for preventing siphonage are unnecessary and expensive.
The whole of the sanitary installation, waste, ventilating piping and underground
drainage must be tested for air and water tightness before the premises are occupied.
These tests should be made in the presence of the sanitary authority’s representative,
who should issue a certificate for soundness of the whole installation.
(b) Ventilation and Lighhng.-The bathroom, w.c. compartment, and the kitchen
should have permanent ventilation by means of air bricks, as well as ample openings
in the windows. The windows should be of large size to give maximum daylight and
should finish as close as possible to the ceiling. They should be easily accessible to
afford a simple opening. There should be a ventilating hood fixed over the cooker,
with a pipe to the external air, terminating through an anti-down-draught cowl.
(c) Precautions against 1,7ey)itin..-Wall surfaces around sanitary fittings should be
smooth and impervious. Tiling or composition surfaces are the most satisfactory,
but if these cannot be afforded, the wall should be rendered with cement or hard wall
plaster, trowelled to a smooth surface and painted with gloss enamel. All internal
angles should be coved.
Cupboard, ducting or pipe casings should have smooth surfaces without panels or
moulding, and should be equally smooth and clean inside as well as out.
Access doors to pipe ducting should be screwed permanently to prevent house-
holders having too easy access wherein to throw unwanted articles.
(d) Precautions aoa7,’)ist Frost.- The damage caused by burst water piping is a source
of great inconvenience, annoyance and expense, and can all be avoided by careful
positioning of the piping.
All underground piping should be laid in straight lines at least two feet six inches
below the surface, and continue at this depth inside the house for about three or four
feet before rising through the floor. A stop tap with loose key should be fixed at the
boundary of the premises, with hinged cast-iron access cover fitted at surface level.
Another stop tap must be fixed on the service pipe immediately above the floor inside
the house, with a draw-off or emptying cock immediately above the stop cock.
 129
The service pipe should then nse on a partition wall and continue to the storage
tank. All branch pipes and horizontal runs should have slight fall towards the emptying
cock.
The cold-water system can then be easily emptied for repairs or before temporary
vacation of the premises during frosty weather. The hot-water system should also
be emptied before temporary vacation of the premises by opening the emptying cock
.at the lowest point of the system.
Where the tank is fixed in a roof space, it should have a casing of wood, leaving
a space of two inches all round and under the tank. This space should be filled with
slagwool. A loose cover should be fixed on the tank and another wood cover two
inches above. The underside of the top cover should be lined with hairfelt. All piping
in the roof pace and any other exposed position should be cohered with insulating
material.
Wherever possible, I recommend that the storage tank should be fixed below the
ceiling and above the hot storage vessel.
(iii) Troitble-free Operation and J.l1ini1n1tm J.l1aintenance.-(a) lVorkma1lsl1ip.-This is
of primary importance, but as I have indicated the standard of workmanship necessary
throughout my paper, I do not wish to take up any time at this stage, eaceptilig to
-emphasize that sound craftsmanship is essential.
(b) Fixillgs.-Preparation should be made in the building structure during erection
for the secure fixing of all sanitary fixtures, so as to allow for pinning in all brackets,
pipe clips or other supports. Drilling and plugging of green walls, shakes the fabric,
and screwed-on fixing is not really satisfactory owing to the tendency to become loose.
Many defects which develop, and which are often blamed on bad plumbing work-
manship, are due to inadequate foresight in this direction. These difficulties are
particularly troublesome in some forms of construction, such as hollow block partitions,
pre-cast slabbing, and the like. Only by planning the plumbing to the smallest detail
and with close liaison between the other trades concerned, can these preparations be
properly made.
(c) Noise.-Noise in water pipes may be caused by air pockets in the pipe runs,
excessive pressure, loose valves in stop taps, quick-closing taps and badly-fitting plungers
in ball taps.
Other noises in a plumbing installation may be caused by water waste-preventer
mechanism, flushing discharges down w.c. pan and soil pipe, and gurgling of waste
discharges from ablutionary fittings.
All these noises can be reduced and some of them prevented by taking the following
precautions. All water pipes should be laid in straight lines, with a fall to the emptying
&dquo;
cock, as recommended in Frost Precautions.&dquo; All bends should be of easy radius.
Excessive pressure should be controlled by a pressure-reducing valve, and for large
housing schemes this should be fitted on the water company’s main. The main stop
tap. at the boundary and the one immediately inside the house should be screw-down
fullway gate-pattern valves, and all other draw-off taps should be screw-down pattern
with pinned valves. Ball taps should be fitted with silencing tubes on the delivery
side, with perforation above water level in the tank to prevent back-flow. There
should also be a silencer fitted on the inlet to the ball tap ; a simple type being one
which is fitted with a number of discs of fine mesh non-ferrous gauze. These arrest
the turbulence in the flow due to the sudden restriction through the small orifice in
the ball tap.
A fullway gate valve on the supply pipe to the ball tap permits regulation of flow
and reduces noise considerably.
In some districts only drinking-water taps are allowed to be connected to the service
pipe, and all other fittings must be supplied from a storage tank. In many cases,
this is done to provide storage and relieve peak-load periods on the street mains. It
also gives the advantage of controlled and constant pressure on all distributing pipes.
Where the water undertaking has ample reservoir storage and a constant supply,
it is often permissible to connect all cold taps direct to the service pipe. Under these
conditions, I would recommend that the water to all w.c.’s should be supplied from
a storage ,tank. A low-pressure ball tap can then be fitted to the w.c. and noise is
reduced to -a minimum.
The bell-pattern siphon used in waste-water preventers should be discarded in favour
of the less noisy valveless siphon. This is more positive in action, but even this pattern
130
makes some noise, notably at the finish of the flush when the siphonic action is ceasing..
The flush valve is the most silent fitting, but unfortunately it has not found favour
with water engineers as it may so soon get out of order and cause undue waste of water.
Noise of discharge down the w.c. pan can be considerably reduced by the adoption
of the siphonic basin as standard.
Gurgling of waste from bath and lavatory is reduced by fitting the branch ventilating
pipe. The grating in the waste fitting should have a total open area equal to the
diameter of the pipe and should be bell-mouthed.
(iv) Standaydization.-It is gratifying to know that the British Standards Institution
is compiling many new specifications and revising existing ones for plumbing materials.
An important feature in the specifications for sanitary fixtures is that the positions
and dimensions of inlets and outlets will all be standardized, and the number of types
of fixtures will be reduced to a safe minimum.
We await with interest the report of the Committee on Post-war Plumbing, and
trust its recommendations may form the basis of many new standards.
&dquo;
The Codes of Practice Committee on Water Supplies,&dquo; convened by the Institute
&dquo;
of Water Engineers, also the Codes of Practice Committee on Sanitation and Drainage,&dquo;
convened by the Institute of Municipal and County Engineers, are dealing with subjects
related to plumbing, and these will also form excellent standards of workmanship and
design.
The Institute of Plumbers has published three excellent minimum specifications.
No. I deals with soil and waste pipes, No. 3 drainage, and No. 4 cold and hot water
supplies.
All these contributions signify progress, and should be made enforceable by byelaw.
I now wish to offer my own suggestions of the lines on which standardization of
fixtures should be pursued.
(a) The bath should be of cast iron, porcelain enamelled, rectangular in shape
with flat rim and coved edge to joint to the wall tiling. A soap recess with hand grip
should be fitted into the wall tiling. The loose panel to enclose the bath should be of
porcelain enamelled cast iron or pressed steel, or may be made of other strong material
which has a smooth, glazed and impervious surface. Where the bathroom walls are
not tiled, there should be fixed a plinth at least twelve inches high to all edges of the
bath abutting a wall. This plinth may be of glazed tiling, vitrolite or other smooth
glazed material, and must have a watertight sealed joint to the bath rim.
(b) The lavatory basin should be made of glazed vitreous china. This is stronger,
more impervious, and therefore more hygienic than either glazed earthenware or fireclay.
Vitreous china, during manufacture, is subjected to a temperature in the region of
2,000° Fahrenheit. The material, after firing, allows very little absorption, and unlike
earthenware or fireclay does not depend upon the glazed surface to make it impervious.
Vitreous china w.c. pans and wash basins have been in use for some time, but I under-
stand there are some manufacturing difficulties to overcome before sinks will be avail-
able in this material. There should be a back-skirting integral with the ware, all
internal angles covered, and all surfaces plain and smooth. The back should be straight
and level for tiling or for the fitting of a splash-back. The overflow should be integral
with the ware ,well glazed inside. The inlet of the overflow should be slotted, of ample
size to facilitate cleaning. Wire-type inlet affords easy cleaning, but unless a hinged
grating is fitted, small articles and pieces of soap may fall down. Soap dishings should
be formed with good drainage into the basin, and should be fluted to allow the soap
to dry.
(c) The water-closet pan should be made of glazed vitreous china, constructed for
simple siphonic discharge, and the outlet not more than 21 inches internal diameter,
so as to permit the fixing of the 3-inch diameter soil pipe.
The water-waste preventer must be designed in conjunction with the pan to ensure
the best possible flushing action, and should be of low-level design with silent siphonic
flush. The seat should have a hard polished surface, preferably of plastic material,
and the underside perfectly smooth without any recesses.
(d) The kitchen sink should be of stainless alloy steel with draining-board and
back skirting attached all in one piece, ,suitably stiffened and sound-proofed. The
flutings in the draining-board should be parallel and spaced not more than i~-inch
centres. The sink should be a minimum size of 20 inches by 16 inches and 8 inches
deep inside. When space and expenditure permit, a double sink is preferable, with
 131
drainer on both sides. The second sink may be smaller than the wash-up sink and
could be used for rinsing. The whole unit should have a plinth of tiling or vitrolite,
or other smooth-glazed and impervious material at least 12 inches high wherever the
unit abuts a wall. Taps should have anti-splash nozzles and be fixed at least 14 inches
above the bottom of the sink to allow a bucket to be filled. For the double sink a
swivel-arm delivery nozzle should be fitted white glazed fireclav_ laundry sink or
’ ’

tub may also be fitted.

(v) Cost.-I am not attempting to approximate the cost of the Rational Design
of Plumbing which I have outlined to y ou this afternoon, as that would be impossible
without a planned lay-out and a bill of quantities.
I do want to say, however, that good design and sound craftsmanship may cost
slightly more initially, but maintenance costs are thereby reduced to a minimum.
Therefore, good work is more economical over the period of its useful life.
The quality of the fixtures, the piping and the workmanship, should be commen-
surate with the estimated life of the structure, but when temporary prefabricated
housing is being considered, care should be taken that the quality of the plumbing
work is still sound and will outlast the building. This is essential if the health and
comfort of the occupier is to be maintained ; therefore, temporary plumbing work
must not be tolerated.
Costs can be reduced by standardization of fixtures, uniformity of sanitary byelaws
and water regulations, and controlled pressures of water supplies.
The model series of byelaws for sanitary services aimed at uniformity, but the
trouble lies in the different interpretation of these byelaws by the various sanitary
authorities, and that is why I suggested earlier in my paper that the Codes of Practice
and Minimum Specifications should become enforceable.
There are operating in this country 838 public water undertakings and 231 private
water companies, and manufacturers of plumbing materials are faced with the problem
of complying with hundreds of different designs for taps, ball taps, water waste-pre-
venters, etc., and manv different materials and strengths of piping.
All water undertakings and companies should be compelled to treat their water at
source, to neutralize acid water, and to distribute water of a maximum of, say, seven
degrees of hardness, and to treat moorland water against the action of plumbo-solvency.
IV.&horbar;CONCLUSION.
In conclusion, may I express the hope that the standard I have set may be aimed
at and achieved. In order to maintain this standard, we must have more inspectors,
fully qualified to examine and test the sanitary and water services, and strong in their
determination to enforce the minimum.
&dquo;

My policy has always been : Only the Best is Good Enough.&dquo; If we keep this
ideal as our slogan we can continue to say : &dquo; British Goods and British Workmanship
arc- the Best in the World.&dquo;

MR. R. J. AUDREY (’ice-President, Institute of Plumbers) said the presentation of this

particular paper was appreciated, more especially at this period when so much consideration
was being given to the post-war period for planning and design of houses.
In the past, owing to the general amenities of the house, too little detail had been given
to plumbing installations. Invariably it was found that such work was placed on the north
or east elevation; this, in turn, was detrimental in providing full security from frost, unless
. care was taken.
Under design, the architects could, with advantage, when planning, use the services
of plumbing experts ; a complete co-ordination would provide benefits to the future occupier
of the dwelling. _

It was pleasing to note that the author stressed the need for ventilation to all pipework
for foul or waste water. The human race depended upon clean and fresh air for their
existence ; with foul and polluted air they would soon deteriorate. This surely applied
to sanitary systems, if it was desired to maintain the installation in good order.
Regarding the acceptance of completed work, it was general in large towns and cities
that the sanitary authorities controlled all drainage and sanitary installations, they inspected,
tested, and passed work for soundness. The water authorities inspected and examined
fittings and pipework to conform with their particular requirements, but, unfortunately,
132
no one control was responsible for the complete examination of a plumbing and sanitary
installation. One control to inspect, accept or reject a good or bad installation would be
the ideal way of preserving and assuring good work and eventually eliminating inferior work.
Should it be eventually decided by the Government to adopt a Code of Practice for
plumbing, together with the Minimum Specifications issued by the Institute of Plumbers,
these, made compulsory, would ensure good practice for work to be installed. The industry
and householders would certainly benefit by having only sound, tried and proved methods
of installations.
Regarding the hot-water supply, it was stated that this should be provided with ample
storage capacity ; no one appreciated that better than the housewife. In view of economy
of fuel, ease of work in control, and general cleanliness, no doubt the small domestic boiler
would prove more beneficial if generally used. The benefits derived from an abundance
of rcally hot water should outweigh other considerations, a point certainly indicated in the
paper.
On behalf of the Institute of Plumbers, Mr. Audrey congratulated the author for such
a balanced contribution on design and installation for house-plumbing work.

1TR. R. H. B>;w (Harrow) expressed appreciation of M1’. Longworth’s very descriptive

paper, and agreed with him that full ventilation was necessary to all branch and main
waste pipes-no substitute could be relied on.
He referred to an occasion when asked to examine some sanitar y fittings in connection
ivith four new blocks of flats, each having five floors, with a bath and lavatorv basin. The
wastes were connected to the usual common 3-inch cast-iron vertical and ventilated waste
&dquo; &dquo;

pipe. ii-inch and I4-lllch P traps with 3-inch water seal were used, but the tests of
ordinary discharges from the fittings resulted in a loss of water seal from 2 inches to 2~ inches.
Forty fittings in all were tested. Resealing traps were substituted to avoid the branch
ventilation and to comply with the L.C.C. byelaws for the preservation of the water seal
of a trap. He asked how long such fittings would function ?
With regard to the one-pipe system, why was an internal position always advocated,
when an external position was more convenient and accessible for the small dwelling ?
He asked what was wrong with the two-pipe system ? It seemed there was a lot of
nonsense and craze in attempting to lower costs. No evidence had as yet been given of
comparative costs, or that the one-pipe system was less costly. Faultless design and sound
craftsmanship must be regarded as essential in any post-war building.
MR. 10RMAN LIGHTOWLERS (Islington) said that of recent years there had been an
expression of opinion that sanitary pipes should be fitted inside premises and encased.
He considered tlus practice was likely to make the discovery of defects a matter of great
difficulty, and the possibility would arise of nuisance by emission of smells and drainage
gases for some long time before their discovery by the occupier. It had been his experience
that pipes perished, due to the action of gases, but were somewhat preserved by the internal
coating they received from the effete and foul matter they carried. This meant that the
internally-fitted and cased-in piping constituted a greater danger to health than that fitted
outside, where the ever-vigilant sanitary officer could view it without the necessity of being
called to investigate a smell, probably of long standing. Concealed plumbing led to the view
&dquo; out of sight, out of mind.&dquo; The compulsory use of standardized and good quality materials
had led to a feeling that there was no danger to fear, but tlis was not so, as even the best
of materials perished in time.
MR. D. LONGDEX (Mill Hill) congratulated the author. He noted the trend of pre-
fabrication, and said that, whatever the opinion of the plumbing trade, those who fabricated
pipework for Spitfires would find the simple pipework required for houses child’s play by
comparison. Previous speakers had stressed the fact that houses between the wars were
equipped with inferior plumbing, now the engineers said &dquo; we will make an engineering job
of it.&dquo; He urged that qualified sanitary engineers should design all sanitary installations,
and, granted that dilution of labour would be necessary to overcome a crisis, a craftsman
plumber should be placed in charge of a number of houses to supervise and test all work.
Concentration on repair work by plumbers and prefabrication of plumbing by engineers,
might lead to a decline in craftsmanship which would affect the plumbing trade adversely
in the years following the initial rush of house construction. The subject should be closely
studied by the whole plumbing fraternity.
He asked was not a rational byelaw essential in order to achieve rational plumbing, and
 133
said that one byelaw coald serve the whole country, exceptions being made for trade wastes,
which had to be dealt with separately ? Also was not &dquo; grouping of plumbing &dquo; receiving
too much attention ? He said that there was a danger of the house being made subservient
to the plumbing, whereas the opposite was most desirable. Plumbing should be con-
centrated where possible, but the house should not suffer to gain this end.
Mr. Longden’s third question was whether we were not thinking too much in terms
of the one-pipe and single-stack systems. In his opinion, the choice of system depended
upon the lay-out of the building, and the best should be chosen in each case. He instanced
a soil pipe receiving one w.c. by a short branch, a waste pipe receiving one lavatory and
one bath by short branches, and both connecting to a manhole which also received the
sink waste. This system gave perfect ventilation, but could not be called one pipe, two
pipe, or single stack. Admirable as the system was, it would be prohibited by the bye-
laws as existing.
COUNCILLOR MRS. G. HA YES- JONES (Sunbnry-on-Thames) stated that from her experience
one of the chief reasons for bad plumbing in homes was the ignorance of many so-called
plumbers of their trade. She urged that a register of qualified plumbers should be in every
locality to guide the public, and that byelaws should be strengthened and more severe
where health matters were concerned. Also, greater powers should be given to sanitary
inspectors and surveyors to condemn unsatisfactory fittings and workmanship ; only the
best of each was satisfa,ctory.
She stressed the desirability of providing a drying cupboard in every new working-class
house. This she considered necessary for the welfare of the working man out in all weathers.
She certainly believed very drastic changes were essential in the design and planning
of kitchen and sanitary amenities, and as women knew best what was required to make
the home comfortable, she suggested that the employment of more women architects by
local authorities, and the election of more women to the housing committees would do much
to solve the problem. She expressed the hope that the powers that be would &dquo; get a move
on now,&dquo; and not wait until a post-war economy campaign raised its head.

In reply, MR. LOXGWORTH said it was important that sanitary and water installations
should be examined and tested before the house was occupied. Whilst it would be very
desirable to have one certificate of approval for the whole of the plumbing, it was not
always possible, as the water undertaking might be a private company and the sanitary
section under the jurisdiction of the local authority.
A small domestic hot-water boiler was more efficient than the range-back boiler, and
produced a better supply of hot water, but each case should be considered. If cooking
were done by a coal-fired range and there was a separate domestic hot-water boiler, two
fires had, of course, to be attended to.
With regard to the block of flats where the waste-pipe traps were unventilated, the
simpler and correct remedy would have been to fit branch ventilating pipes, and this more
approved method would probably have cost no more than the installation of so-called
re-sealing traps, which were not self-cleansing and became very foul after a short time.
The one-pipe system need not necessarily be fitted internally if the outside position
could be arranged at the side or rear of the house. The system is recommended for its
simplified design and consequent deletion of the objectionable open-top gully which is
is necessary with the two-pipe system.
Mr. Longworth hoped that all byelaws would be unified for the whole country, and
looked forward to the compulsory adoption of Standard Codes of Practice and the Minimum
Specifications of the Institute of Plumbers.
Grouped plumbing or prefabricated units should not be so rigidly designed as to deter-
mine the lay-out of the house, but each unit should be designed to suit the plan of the house.
One manufacturer had stated that prefabricated units should be specially and technically
designed by experts to suit every particular lay-out of the sanitary fitments.
With regard to the experience of bad plumbing in homes, :Mr. Longworth said it was
pleasing to note that the plumbing industry had in operation an indentured apprenticeship
scheme, governed by employers and operatives, which provided for day-time technical
training for two years, continuing with evening classes until the end of the term of
apprenticeship.
Some form of registration of both operatives and employers should receive Government
support.