l()9-2

PRACTICE
OF
ARCHITECTURE. Book III/
3030. Where rubble walls are used, the best thing to be done is perhaps to point them
with a mixture of 1 of Portland
cement to 2 of sand, and then to colour the whole with
cement wash. But this should not be done until after one summer's sun has assisted in
drying the stone, or the damp may dry inwards. It is considered that a 2-feet stone will
not dry thoroughly, even under favourable circumstances, in less than two years.
3031. Plaster, whether on brick or lath, is exceedingly porous, and permits of a ready
diffusion of gases. A wall mex-ely whitewashed or coloured is better in a sanitary point
of view than one that is covered with oil paint, which is then practically impervious to
the passage of gases. Wall papers are probably not so bad in this respect as oil paint,
but inferior to colouring or distemper work.
3032. The foundation of a house is an important part of it. The most perfect is a
solid platform of concrete extending over the entire area of the building, from 2 to 3
feet in thickness, and coated on the top with nearly pure cement. Damp cannot pene-
trate this, it is considered. The joists should be laid on sleepers, so as to obtain venti-
lation to the space
;
in case of the bursting of a water-pipe or of water getting into the
concrete bed, it should be laid sloping, so that water could be carried off by outs de
gratings. This would be expensive, it is true. Another system would be, to build the
walls and dwarf-walls to a certain level, and then to fill in with hard dry rubbish, and
cover the whole witii cement 3 inches thick, composed of 1 of cement and 2 of coarse
sand. Or, this might be covered with asphalte, also over the walls, or the usual damp
course take its place. This damp course must be put to main and dwarf walls.
3033. Gratings should be placed all round the building, thoroughly to ventilate the
space under the basement floor, about 10 feet apart. If a town house, then about 5 or
6 feet apart and each about 10 by 6 inches. Cross walls should have good openings in them
to obtain this circulation of air. The floor may be considered cold by this ventilation;
if so, the floor ctn be pugged, or the boards be grooved and tongued.
3034. In this wet climate, where occasionally half an inch of rain falls in a d.ay, it is
well to cover the tops of the chimneys, in order to prevent rain from coming down the
stiaight flues into the grate, or down others into the gable walls and keeping them damp,
preventing the smoke rising ; and this cover can be combined with some means for
preventing downdraughts.
3035. A simple method of ventilating a room is to drill a series of smallish holes
vertically through the lower frame or meeting bar of the top sash of the window,
say six or eight to the sash
;
the air rises through them into the room in the same manner
as in a Tobin's tube. This is an old custom, and often tends to cure a smoky chimney
caused in a room. Another is to hare a bar of 3 or 4 inches in height to fit in between the
frame on the sill of the lower sash, when raised for the purpose; there will then be a space
left at the meeting rails for inlet of air.
3036. At the meeting of the Sanitary Institute of Great Britain, held at Bolton,
Mr. R. K. Middleton, C.E , read a paper on the then proposed Sanitary Registration
of
IhiilJings Bill, 18S7, in which he quoied a specification where water-closets are used. It
is here given, as showing the present views, extremeorotherwise, of many sanit;iry officials.
"
1. Every drain or part of a drain inside a house and all soil pipes thali be water-
tight throughout.
"
2. The main drain of the house shall be ventilated at its upper extremity by means
of a continuation of the soil pipe, or by a special pipe provided for the purpose
;
such
ventilating pipe, whether connected with the soil pipe or otherwise, having a clear sec-
tional area of 10 square inches throughout, and being carried to such a heiglit that its
outlet shall be at least 3 feet above the eaves of the roof, and the same distance above
any window or opening in the roof, not being a chimney, and not less than 6 feet distant
from any chimney or opening in the roof, whether of the house to which it belongs or of
the next artjoining house, measured in any direction. The main soil pipe shall Le simi-
larly ventilated, and if there be more than one soil pipe, then each such soil pipe which
shall be longer between the basin of the closet and the main drain than 8 feet shall be
similarly ventilated. The main drain shall be disconnected from the sewer or cesspit by
means of a syphon trap of approved construction, provided with m>ans for cleaning the trap
and the portion of the drain between the trap and the sewer or cesspit ; and it shall be
ventilated by an inlet air-pipe or ventibiting disconnecting manhole
;
and if there be more
than one outlet ventilating pipe connected with the house drain, then each such portion
of drain and outlet ventilating pipe shall le provided with a s-uitable sjphon trap and an
inlet air-pipe or disconnecting manhole, as already described; and the area of the inlet air-
pipe shall in all cases be at least double that of the outlet ventilating pipe in the clear.
"^3. No pipe which passes through any part of a house, not being a soil pipe or soil
drain, shall be connected directly with the main drain.
"
4. No water-closet shall be situated next to a larder or place where food is stored.
No pan-closet or
D
trap shall be used, and cxcry water-closet shall be trapped, and shall
be arranged so as to prevent syphonage.