There are great numbers of makers of valve water-closets who each have their own ideas as to what constitutes a good apparatus; but there are also several makers, who, in their endeavour to undersell other people, turn out poor, flimsy things, and which become a permanent tax, when fixed, for repairs on those who buy them.

Some sanitary engineers have valve water-closets made to their own especial design. Two or three have them made with a small weeping pipe from the supply pipe to the arm of the basin to the trap fixed beneath the overflow-arm so as to keep it charged with water.

Other engineers will not have any trap to the overflow from the basin, but retain the overflow-arm. In this case, if the basin fills too full the overflow discharges into the safe under the apparatus. In a great many cases the lead safes are found to have large pools of dirty water laying in them, and this occurs especially when fixed on the bedroom floors where slops are thrown into the water-closet. In a recent case, when searching for a cause for smells to which a doctor attributed a case of sore throat, the safe was found to be full to overflowing of slops, and which was giving off an abominable stink. The waste pipe from the safe was choked up with pieces of paper.

The writer once had to see to a valve water-closet that was much used by children. The overflow from the basin had originally been made to discharge into the safe, and complaints were made that the place always smelt offensive. In addition there was frequently a quantity of water dripping from the safe waste pipe and down the walls of the house. To prevent this dripping of water being such a nuisance, a pipe had been fixed from the end of the safe-waste and continued to the level of the ground outside. This new pipe had become so foul inside that the air which passed through it escaped beneath the water-closet enclosure and added to the cause for complaint. In another case the overflow pipe from the water-closet basin had been continued outside and connected with a rain-water pipe, but this had to be altered because of the offensive smells, and also because of the unpleasant draught of cold air that passed through.

One or two engineers have valve water-closets without any overflow-arm to the basins. When fixed in this way the plumber is being continually sent for to regulate the supply of water, as the basins fill too full or not full enough. In one case the maidservants were taught by the engineer how to adjust the valve-regulators when it was found necessary. No doubt these maids would make valuable "mates" should they ever become wedded to plumbers. After several years' experience, and with nearly all kinds of valve water-closets, the writer prefers those fitted and fixed that are similar to that shown at Figure 400.

When inspecting and reporting on the sanitary condition of houses, the writer very rarely condemns the closets if they are of the Bramah-valve description. Even the very worst valve water-closets, if well flushed and fixed over a good description of trap, are much better than a great many other kinds that have been introduced these last few years.

The traps beneath valve water-closets should always be fixed beneath the floor. Sometimes valve closets have been made with the trap attached to them, but they are not nearly so good as the others for the reason that when the handle is dropped the discharging valve will pick up any paper, etc, that may be laying in the trap. Figure 401 is a sketch of an apparatus with the trap attached, on referring to which it will be noticed that the basin-valve, Z, when opened dips into the water in the trap. Neither can the joint, Y, be made secure or trustworthy. With a lead trap fixed beneath the floor a soldered joint can be made with the lead soil pipe. At an examination of a large building, recently made, the valve water-closets were found to be fixed without any traps at all, the engineer, doubtless, thinking that the basin-valves would keep back any smells. But on testing the soil pipes with smoke it freely escaped at the junction of several of the apparatus with the soil pipes. There is not the least doubt that the joint, Y, Figure 401, is liable to the same defects. At the examination above referred to, one of the valves was found so defective as to allow all the water to leak out of the basin, and smoke freely escaped through and into the house. Traps may be considered objectionable, and plumbers may try all they can to do without them, but they are the only trustworthy barrier for keeping smells from escaping from soil or waste pipes. But the traps must be good ones, and properly fixed and ventilated to prevent the water-seal being broken, as described in an earlier chapter.

In some cases the writer has found that on filling the soil pipe with smoke - the pipe being left open at the top as a ventilator - that on pulling up the handle of a trapless valve closet, smoke has freely escaped through the discharging-valve, even in defiance of the downward rush of water. But with a ventilated water-trap beneath the apparatus this cannot occur. In several cases where trapless valve closets have been fixed, they have been afterwards taken up and traps fixed beneath them.

Figure 401.