Fixtures are connected to the soil and waste pipe system by branch wastes carried under the floors. The material used almost exclusively for such branch wastes is lead, and the sizes adapted to different fixtures have already been stated. The connection is very simple in the case of a single fixture, such as a kitchen sink, or a lavatory. The problem becomes more intricate in the case of a set of fixtures, such as are generally located in a bath or dressing room. A bath room of the better class of city houses contains a water closet, a bath tub, and a lavatory, sometimes also a hip-bath or bidet. It is desirable that each of these fixtures should have a separate connection to the soil pipe. Such is seldom possible, except when the soil pipe is located in a special shaft, or where it is possible to conceal the pipe and Y branches by a "false ceiling," as the height of timbers does not generally allow of the placing of more than one Y branch.

A very common, but most defective manner of overcoming the difficulty is by emptying the wastes of bath tub and bowl into the water closet trap below its water line, supposing the water closet to be of such type as requires a lead trap below the floor. As the waste pipes have only a slight fall to the trap, the water of the latter, which frequently holds ex-cremental matter, will stand for a long distance back in the waste pipe and keep it continually foul; the free flow from the bath and bowl is much retarded, the waste being air bound between the water closet trap and the traps of bowl and bath. Matters are even worse, when the water closet trap is meant to serve also as trap for the bowl and bath, these having no traps placed under them. The foul water standing back in the waste pipes will then readily evaporate into the dressing room, and fill it with noxious odors. Moreover, it frequently happens that this trap becomes displaced by tipping over, or that the waste pipe attached to the trap Bags, so as to render the water-seal, which is rarely over an inch in depth, ineffective. It will be readily understood how, under such circumstances, the foul gases of the soil pipe - especially if this be unventilated, as is so often found in examining old houses - gain an easy access into our rooms. Should the main drain have an untrapped connection to a sewer or cesspool, the gases from these would ascend and permeate the whole building. Such instances of faulty work are by no means rare, and are causes of much preventible headache and sickness.

To run such wastes into the water closet trap above its water line is equally wrong. Where the water closet is some distance away from the soil pipe, it is possible to insert between its trap and the junction with the soil pipe, on the horizontal part of the soil pipe, two 4" X 2" Y branches, or else one double Y branch for bath and bowl wastes. Where the water closet is quite near the soil pipe, and the connecting pipe between them is of lead, the wastes from bowl and bath may join the latter beyond the trap. Wherever there is room enough, a 4" X 2" double Y branch may be inserted vertically below the water closet branch on the soil pipe, or else one 4"x 2" Y for bowl above the water closet branch, and a 4"x2" Y below it for the bath waste. It seems desirable that the iron works should manufacture a combined Y branch, having a 4-inch opening for the water closet waste, and one or two 1 1/2 to 2 inch openings for the smaller wastes.

Long lengths of waste pipes under floors are objectionable; to avoid them it is sometimes better to provide a special stack of 1 1/2 to 2 inch vertical iron waste pipe near lavatories or baths, where these are remote from the main soil pipe.

It is customary to provide bath tubs, wash bowls, and pantry sinks with an overflow pipe, in order to prevent flooding of floors, if the outlet of any of these fixtures should be closed by a plug, and a faucet carelessly left running. These overflow pipes should enter the waste between the fixture and its trap, or else they should enter the trap below the water line, so that the trap serves for both waste and overflow. Overflow pipes do not receive a thorough flushing, and are liable to become foul with soapsuds, emitting unpleasant odors. For baths, fortunately, the overflow pipe can be safely dispensed with by using the standing overflow, for bowls those with "patent overflow," i.e., a concealed channel in the earthenware bowl, have the length of overflow reduced to a minimum.

A set of laundry trays is generally trapped by only one trap, thus leaving a long length of waste pipe in connection with the air of the room. I believe, however, that such wastes, properly restricted in size, and laid with sufficient inclination, can be kept well flushed and clean, and therefore unobjectionable.

In the case of a set of water closets or urinals I consider it imperative to have a separate trap under each fixture.

It is of the utmost importance that the connection between water closet and soil pipe should be absolutely tight. The different types of water closets are provided at their outlets either with a lead trap under the floor, or else they have a trap of iron or earthenware, as the case may be, above the floor, or they are so-called "trapless " closets, in which case the only water-seal against gases is formed by the water held in the bowl (either by a valve, pan or plunger, or by a special shape of the bowl). For water closets having a lead trap under the floor a brass ferrule is connected by a wiped joint to the end of the trap, and the ferrule is inserted into the hub of the iron soil pipe, and caulked tightly. The house end of the lead trap is flanged out, and the earthenware or iron horn of closet inserted into it, resting with its horizontal flange upon a ring of soft india-rubber, or of oakum, saturated with red lead. Wood screws, drawn through the horizontal flange into the floor, tighten the connection.

In the case of trapless closets and such with trap above the floor, the outlet is generally connected by a lead thimble to the soil pipe in the same manner as just described for lead traps.

Such a connection is in neither case a perfect one. But in the case of closets with trap under the floor, this connection is on the house side of the trap, and the danger from leakage of sewer gas from the soil pipe is prevented by the water seal. With trapless closets (such as some pan closets, valve closets and plunger closets), with closets having trap above floor (short hopper, some plunger closets), and finally with all "washout" closets such a connection is dangerous, and a better joint than is used at present should be devised, such as, for instance, a connection by means of a brass ferrule between water closet outlet and iron soil pipe.