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Home Sanitation and Hygiene: Tilting

Tilting Tank.-In houses where a sewerage system is not available and Caskiron manhole frame & cover Kitchen waste pipe.

Tilin Tapk Outlet pipe.

Tilting tank. (E. T. Wilson.) the liquid waste consists only of kitchen slops, these may be accumulated by means of a tilting tank as shown in the illustration. Install this in a suitable concrete trough with a convenient manhole and equip it with an outlet pipe of 4-inch vitrified tile.

Furnish the sinks and laundry tubs emptying into this tank with brass strainers to prevent the entrance of anything which might clog the kitchen waste pipe or outlet pipe. The tilting tank collects the irregular flow and discharges only when full. This provides for the necessary intermittent discharge.

Or provide a concrete or other suitable tank of sufficient capacity to hold the sink drainage and domestic slops for 24 hours or more and equip it with a check valve to be operated by hand. Furnish a tell-tale to show when this tank is sufficiently full to require attention.

Or provide a simple wire pan into which the slops may be poured from pails. All these devices require an outlet of vitrified drain pipe with tight joints long enough to carry waste water without leakage to a point where it may be finally disposed of.

Or to make a cheap temporary drain for waste water from the kitchen sink use 4-inch vitrified tile costing about 7 cents a foot. Run a drain about 25 feet in the opposite direction from the well, and convey the waste to a tub or barrel. Thence run it off to the garden by a small pipe or carry it away in pails. If a barrel can be provided with two wheels, and a tongue like a cart, it can be easily drawn away from time to time and emptied. The expense of such a drain is nominal: 25 feet of vitrified tile, $1.75; sink, $1.25; pipe and trap, $1. Total, $4. - Irrigation Beds. - Whether the liquid household wastes are collected in a septic tank, a simple flush tank, tilting tank or otherwise, provision must be made for their final reception and purification by contact with HOUSE SEWER MOUSS SEWER BISCHARGE P院 SEMAGE TANK SIPNON GEWAGE TANG品 DISCHARGE PI OUTLET CHAMBER PRING Details of a typical surface irrigation plant in plan and section. Courtesy State Board of Health of North Carolina. the ordinary surface soil, or by specially prepared filtration beds. Surface Irrigation. -The final disposal of household sewage-preferably after it has passed through a septic tank to remove grease and dissolve solid substances-may be on the surface of the ground. But in such case it must be carried not less than 300 feet- and the farther the better -from buildings, and with due care not to contaminate any source of water supply. Select for this purpose preferably a sloping tract of grass land, where the soil is a porous sandy or gravelly loam. If the soil is of clay, a much larger tract will be required. If wet, it must be under-drained. Carry the drain pipe along the side of the ridge and let it discharge at intervals upon the surface. Or receive the sewage into a transverse drain pipe across the head of the irrigation field and provide a series of outlets closed by suitable check valves or gates to admit of irrigating different portions of the field at intervals. Mark off the field into plats by means of low dykes and broad shallow ditches, or by means of furrows made with a plow.

Or, if the land is flat, with proper grading the sewage may be disposed broadly over the surface. The amount of solids in household sewage is so small that, if discharged intermittently at rather frequent intervals and in such a way as to give the different portions of the field enough rest to prevent them from becoming saturated, this system will prove by far the best and cheapest for isolated dwellings. If a suitable piece of land is available it can be operated without the slightest offense.

Filtration Beds. - This plan consists in receiving the sewage upon a specially prepared bed of sand. It may be preferred where the amount of land available is small, or the soil is of clay and poorly drained. Make Slape 12 to 1 Jand Gravel Broken Stone It in Diameter Section of filter bed. (E. T. Wilson.) an excavation from 3 to 5 feet deep and under-drain with 3-inch red unglazed land drainage tiles. A filter bed from 15 to 20 feet square having an area of from 225 to 400 square feet should be sufficiently large for a family of five persons. Discharge the sewage intermittently from a septic or flush tank and distribute evenly over the surface by means of wooden troughs, 4-inch red drain tile, or a 6-inch galvanized roof gutter pierced with small holes at frequent intervals. The efficiency of the filtration bed increases with the lapse of time, especially if the surface is raked over to the depth of an inch or more each week. The capacity of the septic or flush tank may be reduced at least one-half if a filter bed is used instead of sub-surface irrigation.

Sub-Surface Irrigation. -The advantage of this system, when properly installed, is that household sewage may be disposed of without offense beneath the lawn or garden and within a very limited distance of the house. The first cost is greater than that of surface irrigation or a filtration bed, but such a system may be regarded as the best and most sanitary method of sewage disposal. A well-made septic or flush tank if properly covered is free from odor.

It may be located as near the house as may be desired, provided the tank and outlet pipe are made watertight up to the point of sewage disposal. This admits of convenient access, especially if no automatic syphon is provided and the sewage must be discharged by means of a check valve by hand.

To provide for a system of subsurface irrigation it is first necessary to under-drain the land provided it is hard or clayey and not naturally dry.

Lay the drain tiles for this purpose 3 or 4 feet below the surface and carry off the ground water by means of a suitable outfall. But this will not be necessary if the soil is a porous, sandy, or gravelly loam. Now open a system of trenches from 8 to 12 inches deep, distinct from the trenches for under-drainage, if any, and in these lay red unglazed land drainage tiles to receive the sewage.

Select tile 3 inches in diameter and 1 foot in length. Lay them end to end with the joints open for a space of to + of an inch between the tiles HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE and with a very slight grade of about 2 inches to 100 feet. If the grade is much greater the lower end of the system will be flooded.

After laying the tile, fill in the trench so as to cover them 2 or 3 inches deep with small pebbles, gravel or very coarse sand. This will assist in distributing the sewage through the soil. Lay down the tract to grass or cultivate it as a kitchen garden, taking care to work the ground when necessary with a spade or fork and not deep enough to disturb the tiles. The total capacity of these tiles should equal that of the LAUNDRY SETTLING TANK SETTLING TANK FLUSH TANK SIPHON may be as broad as it is long. A header or central pipe may be used to throw the sewage into long branches.

Or laterals may be thrown off from the main drain at intervals of 4 or 5 feet at any angle or to any desired distance. Or preferably the drains may be so laid as to constitute two or more distinct systems. Thus the sewage may be diverted from one to another so as to allow the land intervals of rest. The accompanying illustrations show a number of the various schemes that may be devised. The importance of the intermittent discharge of sewage is greatest in sub- BROOK --- HOUSE a 8 DISCHARGE PIPE GATE CHAMBER UNDERDRAIN DISPOSAL TILES UNDERDRAIN ----- DISPOSAL TILES UNDERDRAIN Rectangular tanks close to house.

Separate settling tank for laundry building.

Underdrains in disposal area to drain out underlying ground water and water from purified sewage in naturally wet or dense soil. Courtesy State Board of Health of North Carolina. discharge tank from which the sewage comes. Hence the total length of irrigation tiles needed for the family consuming 360 gallons of water a day would be not to exceed 1,000 feet.

And probably in porous well drained soil, 25 per cent less or 800 feet would be sufficient. To ascertain the number of tiles required divide the total number of gallons reckoned as 60 for each member of the family, by the capacity of each tile. This may be estimated roughly as one-third of a gallon.

The system of tile may be laid out in any form best suited to the size, shape and contour of the available land, provided that the lines should be laid at least from 3 to 5 feet apart. The plot of ground occupied surface irrigation. A septic tank must be provided large enough to hold at least a 24 hours' supply with an automatic syphon that will flush the tank properly at 24-hour intervals. Or the tank must be flushed by hand if necessary each day at a regular time.

Cess-pools. The ordinary cess-pool is not a solution of the problem of sewage disposal. It is merely a method of getting the sewage out of sight. It is now regarded as absolutely unsanitary and highly objectionable. The necessary depth of a cess-pool is such as to contaminate the soil beyond the reach of the purifying bacteria which require the presence of oxygen. The ground surrounding the cess-pool becomes con- UNDERDRAIN taminated for a constantly increasing radius and eventually the resulting poisonous liquids and gases find their way to strata of the soil through which they reach and pollute the air of cellars or sources of water supply. If, however, a cess-pool is deemed necessary, it may be converted into a rude form of septic tank by turning down the inlet pipe to a point below the water level and providing an outlet pipe similarly turned down so that the inward and outward flow of sewage will not disturb the processes which are going on in the surface scum and in the sludge at the bortom. Such a cess-pool should preferably be made water-tight by lining it with concrete or stone set in Portland cement mortar. The effluent from the outlet must then be carried to a considerable distance from the house and disposed of by surface irrigation, or by means of a small filtration bed as above suggested. a Where water sewage is not available, proper sanitation demands strictly separate method of disposal of the three kinds of waste matters, namely, solid excreta, slops and garbage. The garbage should be fed to pigs or chicken, burned or buried in a trench at a suitable distance from dwellings and sources of water supply. Kitchen drainage and domestic slops should invariably be disposed of by one of the methods above recommended. They should never be thrown on the surface of the ground near the house or well, allowed to accumulate in an open drain or pool, or deposited in an open privy vault.

The cost of a simple system of disposal of these liquid wastes is slight and the danger to health requires that this, at least, be done at any sacrifice.

The Sanitary Privy.-A recent investigation of the subject of soil pollution from open vaults of the ordinary type has been made by Charles Wardell Stiles in connection with his study of the spread of the hookworm disease, especially in the southern states. The following suggestions arė condensed and adapted from his report to the Surgeon-General. This plan if generally adopted throughout the United States would eliminate a nuisance which is practically universal and which is perhaps the greatest menace to health now existing in the vicinity of most rural dwellings.

HOW TO BUILD A PRIVY The following are the essential features: There is a closed portion (box) under the seat for the reception (in a receptacle) and safeguard- The average style of privy found in the South. It is known as a surface privy, open in back. Notice how the soil pollution is being spread, and how flies can carry the filth to the house and thus infect the food. ing of the excreta; a room for the occupant; and, proper ventilation.

The receptacle consists practically of a box, with a top represented by the seat, with a floor which is a continuation of the floor of the room, with a front extending from the seat to the floor, with a hinged back which should close tightly, and with two sides continuous with the sides of the room and provided with wire screened ventilators, the upper margin of which is just under the level of the seat. The seat should have one or more holes according to the size of the privy desired, and each HOME SANITATION AND HYGIENE a a hole should have a hinged lid which lifts up toward the back of the room; there should be piece of wood nailed across the back, on the inside of the room, SO as to prevent the lids from being lifted sufficiently to fall backward and so as to make them fall forward of their own accord as soon as the person rises. In this box there should be one or more water-tight tubs, half barrels, pails, or galvanized cans, corresponding to the number of holes in the seat. This receptacle should be high enough to reach nearly to the seat, or, better still, so as to fit snugly against the seat, in order A sanitary privy showing firmly closed door, thus preventing flies, animals, etc., from having access to the fecal material. to protect the floor against soiling, and sufficiently deep to prevent splashing the person on the seat; it should be held in place by cleats nailed to the floor in such a way that the tub will always be properly centered. The back should be kept closed, as shown in the illustration.

The room should be water-tight and should be provided in front with a good, tightly fitting door. The darker this room can be made the fewer flies will enter. The roof may have a single slant, or a double slant, but while the double slant is somewhat more sightly, the single slant is less expensive in first cost. The room should be provided with two or three wire-screened ventilators, as near the roof as possible.

The ventilators are very important additions to the privy, as they permit a free circulation of air and thus not only reduce the odor but make the outhouse cooler. These ventilators should be copper wire screened in order to keep out flies and other insects. There should be at least 4 (better 5) ventilators, arranged as follows: One each side of the box; one each side the room near the roof; and a fifth ventilator, over the door, in front, is advisable.

Latticework, Flowers and Vines.- At best, the privy is not an attractive addition to the yard. It is possible, however, to reduce its unattractiveness by surrounding it with a latticework on which are trained vines or flowers. This plan, which adds but little to the expense, renders the building much less unsightly and much more private.

Disinfectant. It is only in comparatively recent years that the privy has been thought worthy of scientific study, and not unnaturally there is some difference of opinion at present as to the best plan to follow in regard to disinfectants. Top Soil. Some persons prefer to keep a box or a barrel of top soil, sand, or ashes in the room and to recommend that each time the privy is used the excreta be covered with a shovelful of the dirt. While this has the advantage of simplicity, it has the disadvantage of favoring carelessness, as people so commonly (in fact, as a rule) fail to cover the excreta; further, in order to have the best results, it is necessary to cover the discharges very completely; finally, at best, our knowledge as to how long certain germs and spores will live under these conditions is very unsatisfactory. Lime.

Some persons prefer to have a box of lime in the room and to cover the excreta with this material. Against this system there is the objection that the lime is not used with sufficient frequency or liberality to keep insects away, as is shown by the fact that flies carry the lime to the house and deposit it on the food.

Water and Oil.-A very cheap and simple method is to pour into the tub about 2 or 3 inches of water; this plan gives the excreta a chance to ferment and liquefy so that the disease germs may be more easily destroyed. If this plan is followed a cup of oil (kerosene will answer) should be poured on the water in order to repel insects.

Cresol.-Some persons favor the use of a 5 per cent crude carbolic acid in the tub, but probably the compound solution of cresol (U. S. P.) will be found equally or more satisfactory if used in a strength of 1 part of this solution to 19 parts of water.

If a disinfectant is used the family should be warned to keep the reserve supply in a place that is not accessible to the children, otherwise accidents may result. Cleaning the Receptacle. -The frequency of cleaning the receptacle depends upon (a) the size of the tub, (b) the number of persons using the privy, and (c) the weather. In general, it is best to clean it about once a week in winter and twice a week in summer.

An excellent plan is to have a double set of pails or tubs for each privy. Suppose the outhouse is to be cleaned every Saturday: Then pail No. 1 is taken out (say January 1), covered, and set aside until the following Saturday; pail No. 2 is placed in the box for use; on January 8 pail No. 1 is emptied and put back in the box for use while pail No. 2 is taken out, covered, and set aside for a week (namely, until January 15); and so on throughout the year.

The object of this plan is to give an extra long time for the germs to be killed by fermentation or by the action of the disinfectant before the pail is emptied.

Each time that the receptacle is emptied, it is best to sprinkle into it a layer of top soil about a quarter to half an inch deep before putting it back into the box.

Disposal of the Excreta. For the present, until certain very thorough investigations are made in regard to the length of time that the eggs of parasites and the spores of certain other germs may live, it is undoubtedly best to burn or boil all excreta; where this is not feasible, it is best to bury all human discharges at least 300 feet away and down hill from any water supply (as the well, spring, etc.).

Many farmers insist upon using the fresh night soil as fertilizer. In warm climates this is attended with considerable danger, and if it is so utilized, it should never be used upon any field upon which vegetables are grown which are eaten uncooked; further, it should be promptly plowed under.

In our present lack of knowledge as to the length of time that various germs (as spores of the ameba which produce dysentery, various eggs, etc.) may live, the use of fresh, unboiled night soil as a fertilizer is false economy which may result in loss of human life. This is especially true in warm climates.