FIRE BRIGADE DRAINAGE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8068, 27 March 1906, Page 3

FIRE BRIGADE DRAINAGE.

REPLY TO ENGINEER'S REPORT

At the New Plymouth Borough Council meeting nn Monday, the following communication from Hr. Home, Borungli Officer, was read ■ "T am in receipt of a copy of the Borough hngineer s statement in reply lo my criticism ot the drainage system of the Central Fire Brigade sta'ion.

11l my original letter I put it that the main delect was the want of a I properly constructed intercepting trap between the trout inspection chamber and the street sewer. All modern I sanitary -by-laws insist upon such an arrangement, and if it had been inserted in the present instance 110 nuisance would have resulted, as the other defects in the' scheme are minor ones. I quite fail to >co any object in omitting this intercepting Irap. The plea of saving expense cannot be any excuse, for it is simply the difference in cOst between an ordinary drain pipe and a trap pipe with a raking arm. If this had been put in, the back inspection chamber would not have been necessary, An -ordinary inspection pipe would have done quite well in its place, and its tall ventilating shaft could have been used at the front of the premises.

Bathroom Waste Pipe.—lt is quite possible that if the batli should not be used for a day or two in hot weather (as does occur sometimes) the seal, being of small bulk, would dry but. Also, I cannot quite accept the engineer's assurance that it would never, under any circumstances, syphon oat, for 110 anti-syphonage vent is provided' Ventilation of back inspection chamber.—lt is quite an easy matter to show that under certain atmospheric conditions, the shorter of the Uvo pipes leadinginto this chamber acts frequently as an outlet, and the want of the intercepting trap puts it directly into communication with the main sewer. It opens within less than three feet of the only window of a bedroom, in which a man sleeps at night. Sewer gas can, and docs, certainly escape from this pipe at times. I have smelt it myself, standing two feet away from the end of the pipe 011 two separate mornings, at between 3 and 4 n.111., when I was out on other business, and took the occasion to investigate a faint sickly smell of sewer gas, which could not have come from anywhere else. Out (low of kitchen sink.—This certainly requires anti-syphonage vent outside the building as recommended iu the by laws.

Wash-house drainage. -T quote from "Practical Sanitation," sixth revised t'Jilion hy G. lieid. M.D.. ltiedica) ollit-ov of health for Staffordshire, pige Sit, "In the cnso of a laundry where n considerable quantity of water must necessarily full on the floor, the plan to adopt is lo lay llic floor Villi a slope towards a channel leading to an outside gully. A gully trap is au excellent thing in its proper place, but its proper place is not inside a' house." As regards the smoke test applied by the Borough Engineer, it may hold for any given hour or for any given day, but in this system of drainage under criticism conditions etui arise on occasion when the test would not hold.

The Central Fire Brigade station is n building in which people lice hy day and hy night, and therefore requires the same specillcations lo lie carried out in its drainage as an ordinary dwelling-house, and m accordance with the live-laws."

The Mayor commented on the fact tlmt the report of the Government otlicers had not yet been received. '

On the motion of Grs Brooking and Browne, the letior above will he acknowledged, and Dr Home informed that instruct ions have been given to have the work brought into line with the bye-laws;. The engineer said there would be no delay in carrying out- the Council's instructions, '