from the main drain, a larger quantity of water is required to cleanse the closet, soil-pipe, and long length of branch drain, than would be the case with a closet fixed upon the main drain, or within a very short distance of it.

As the flushing-pipe to the closet (s, fig. 140) would only be charged with water during the time of the flushing it needs no protection from frost; but where the flushing-cistern would be likely to freeze, it should be inclosed, and the service-pipe to it protected from frost (Chap. XXV., Art. 13) and cased in. When the back of the flushingcistern would stand upon the internal face of an external wall of the house, especially a north wall, it should have a piece of board fixed behind it to break the contact.

To deaden the noise of flushing to anyone in a room at the back of a closet flushing-cistern, a board fixed behind the cistern (c, fig. 140) and the flushing-pipe is very valuable, especially with a sheeting of india-rubber between the board and the wall. A silence-pipe should be fixed on the nose of the ball-valve, and the flusher should be fitted with a cover.

5. When there is no water company to interfere with the supply of water to closets, there is no better way of supplying a valve-closet than by a valve-and-regulator apparatus attached to the closet, as directly the closethandle is pulled, and even before the contents of the basin have passed out, water is made to enter the closet to dilute fæcal matters and cleanse the basin before the bottom valve is closed again. And no matter how carelessly the handle may be returned to its place, how suddenly it may be dropped, sufficient water will be retained in the basin, or will come into it after the flap-valve has been closed, to recharge the basin.

6. The service-pipe should be of such a size, that a flush of about three gallons of water can be sent into the closet

in about five seconds. Where the head of water upon the supply-valve is under 3 ft., the service-pipe should be 21⁄2 in., and the supply-valve 2 in. With a foot or two more head of water, 2 in. pipe and 11⁄2 in. valve will give a good flush. With 8 or 10 ft. head of water, 1 in. pipe, and 1 in. or 1 in. valve. From about 10 ft. to 15 ft., 1 in. pipe and 1 in. valve. Above 20 ft., 1 in. pipe and 1 in. valve. Instead of supplying a valve-closet from a service-pipe with a greater head of water than 30 ft., it is better to fix a small cistern over the closet-a cistern holding not less than six gallons of water; and, for the sake of appearance, the cistern could be of wood, panelled, and lined with lead. The cistern could be painted to match the surroundings, or it could be inclosed in polished mahogany.

7. Where water companies insist upon a water-wastepreventing arrangement to a valve-closet, instead of fixing an ugly water-waste-preventer over the closet, it is better to fix an "under-the-seat" waste-preventing supply-valve for flush and after-flush, such as those made by Messrs. J. Tyler and Sons, or Messrs. T. Lambert and Sons, or any good waste-preventing valve of which the company may

approve.

8. All apartments in which water-closets or slop-sinks are fixed should be so ventilated that the air in the room may readily be changed by proper inlet and outlet tubes or shafts. And the ventilation should be so planned and arranged, that no effluvia from the closet apartment-or only after such offensive air had been much diluted— should enter the house; and that should chiefly be from what had hung about the clothes of the person using it. Especially should this be the case in all public waterclosets, and, indeed, in every closet likely to receive several visitors in quick succession, or its last visitor would be likely to beat a hasty retreat, under the impression that he

had found out a secret way to the lower regions. This subject is too large to go into here, but it may be worth while to caution the zinc-worker-for he is the man (not the plumber) who does this kind of work in London-to be careful with the jointings of such ventilation tubes, and see that they are all air-tight, to prevent the effluvia escaping through them into any other apartment, or in fact into any part of the house.

Fresh air should be made to enter the closet apartment as near its doorway as possible, so that whatever air was sucked into the house through the closet apartment should be diluted with the fresh air brought into the room through the Tobin-the fresh-air inlet.

The outlet should be from the ceiling, from the highest part of the room, and preferably over the closet-seat. And the shaft from it should be carried up above the roof, with a cowl fixed over it to prevent down-draught. Or it may be taken into some general W.C. air-shaft, when fixed in large buildings, with some artificial means for inducing an up-draught.

A

CHAPTER XXXIII.

SLOP-SINKS AND DRAW-OFF SINKS.

1.

SLOP-SINK should be fixed on every alternate floor, if not on every floor of a dwelling-house, on which there are many bedrooms, and where they are likely to be much occupied. Where there is no such convenience, despite all warnings to the contrary, the slops will be emptied down the nearest closet, which will most likely be found out in a disagreeable sort of way by the next person

using the closet; for it is not every chambermaid who is thoughtful enough to wipe up any spillings upon the seat.

2. In a small house, where the mistress has more control, and to save expense, the closet on the chamber floor might be constructed to answer the double purpose of watercloset and slop-closet combined; but where this is done, and for certain reasons the pedestal or open closet is objected to, the closet-basin should be constructed with a table-top, and so fitted up that not a drop of slops or a particle of foul matter shall be able to find its way inside the inclosure.

3. In my works I prefer to separate slop-sink waste-pipes from soil-pipes, and to "disconnect" them from the soildrain, either by a disconnecting-trap, such as shown at G, fig. 143, or by a similar trap, but with a mica-valve fixed on the mouth of the fresh-air induct, as circumstances may require. See fig. 114.

In cases where such traps would stand under a window, or near the entrance to the house, and especially so in the case of hospitals, I should seal over the top of the trap and bring fresh air into it from some convenient place, and if circumstances called for it I should fix a mica-valve over the mouth of the induct-pipe, to prevent foul air escaping through it in times of down-draught, etc.

4. I prefer the separation of slop-sink waste-pipes from soil-pipes, and also their "disconnection" from soil-drains, because a slop-sink has only one seal-the water-seal of its trap between the house and its conduit, and which may be broken either by evaporation, or by a cleansing of the sink. Servants have admitted that they have dipped their flannels into the water held in the trap when cleansing such sinks. In testing the drains of a house a year or two ago (which had been previously tested by more than one engineer and found to be sound, but where there were continued com