Gas pipe

“ When one fits up an attic or a back room as a workshop, it is seldom that a gas connection is available on about the same level as the workbench so that a Bunsen burner and soldering apparatus may be operated. To install the standard gas pipe, it would be necessary either to alter the chandelier connection or to tear up some of the plaster, the former plan resulting in a rather conspicuous display of pipe and the latter in considerable expense. ”

“ Across a small iron table-furnace is placed about eighteen inches of 1-inch gas-pipe containing iron borings, the whole being red-hot; and attached to one end is a pipe conveying steam from a boiler, or flask, or retort, whilst another pipe is fitted to the opposite end, and passes to the pneumatic trough. Directly the steam passes over the red hot iron borings it is deprived of oxygen, which remains with the iron, forming the rust or oxide of iron, whilst the hydrogen, called in this case water gas, escapes with great rapidity. ”

“ The small curved pipe T, plate I., serves to let the common air escape out of the angular extremity of the machine, whilst filling with gas, when the margin of this part of the machine becomes immersed in the water, and to let the common air enter again, when the gas holder is discharging its contents. ”

“ Because the gas in the mains, and the gas in the gas holders, are not in equilibrium. But by means of the small pipe c, c, the equilibrium is obtained when the stop-cock of the pipe c, c, is opened, and this should always be done before the main or gas holder valves are opened. For by neglecting this condition, the water or tar is liable to be blown out of all the hydraulic valves, that may happen to be interposed in the system of the pipes for conveying the gas, and communications are thus opened, which were intended to be shut. ”

“ The fuel to run these drills is conveyed by small pipes from adjoining wells. An 8-inch hole having been bored to a depth of about 500 feet, a 5-5/8 inch wrought-iron pipe is put down to shut off the water. The hole is then continued 6 inches in diameter until gas is struck, when a 4-inch pipe is put down. From forty to sixty days are consumed in sinking the well and striking gas. The largest well known is estimated to yield about 30,000,000 cubic feet of gas in twenty-four hours, but half of this may be considered as the product of a good well. ”

“ A, fig. 2, is the inlet pipe which conveys the gas into the machine, it rises up perpendicularly through the water in the tank, high enough to prevent the water entering it. B, is the exit pipe for discharging the gas into the mains from the gas holder. It rises up nearly to the top of the machine. C, C, are the guide rods, they are firmly fixed at their lower extremities into a cast-iron framing D, D, beneath the bottom of the tank. ”

“ The pipe leading from the meter is fitted with a strong tap, by turning which, all the gas may be shut off from the tubes that convey it to the different burners in the house, and from this pipe the smaller pipes (made of a sort of solder or of lead) are taken to the various rooms. In order to carry the tubes through a wall, it is necessary to use the brick bit and the brick auger for boring a hole to receive it, while to support it against a wall or along the top of a [67] ceiling the Gasfitter uses wall hooks, the hammer and the tongs for holding and bending the pipe to its proper direction. ”

“ Lead is frequently used for making the joints of gas pipes instead of iron cement, though cheaper and more easy of repair. The galvanic action which takes place between the lead and iron, soon renders the joints leaky, and the danger is increased by the unequal expansion of the two metals.
Fig. 12. Section of the saddle-joint.
Before the gas is suffered to enter into the pipe, they should be proved to be sound, by the usual process of forcing water into them: The pipes serving as mains, are placed perfectly solid, so that they cannot give way ”

“ Now let us suppose that a main pipe, in any part of the street marked in the sketch, Pall Mall, should break, it is evident, on mere inspection, that the gas which is [159] passing through the main in the Strand, and which is also connected with the main in the Haymarket, Piccadilly, and Coventry Street, would continue to supply the broken pipe, and the valve nearest to the fracture being shut, would prevent the loss of any considerable quantity of gas, and the few lamps situated between the two valves and the fracture would therefore only become extinguished. ”

“ When the pipes are all laid and brought to their proper positions the fittings are fixed. Those which descend from the centres of ceilings are generally called chandeliers, and consist of a tube of metal fastened to the gas pipe, the end of which coming through the ceiling is furnished with an iron screw to fit the end of the tube. This tube is placed within a larger tube, from the bottom of which a still smaller one passes within the first. The gas therefore descends the tube from the ceiling, and enters the smallest tube, which communicates with the burners that spring from the largest. ”

“ In most apparatus the ash-pit is hermetically sealed, and the air for supporting combustion enters below the [220] grate through a pipe leading from the heater or the vaporizer. This arrangement seems best adapted to prevent the leakage of gas which tends to take place by reaction after each suction stroke of the engine.
Ash-pits formed as water-cups, such as the Deutz (Fig. 106) , the Wiedenfeld (Fig. 95) , and the Bollinckx (Fig. 98) , are fed by the overflow from the vaporizer. These ash-pits are themselves provided with an overflow consisting of a siphon-tube forming a water-seal. ”

“ Wrought-iron pipes, with screw joints, are used by the Durham House Drainage Company, the joints being gas-tight. They have the advantage of being very durable and impervious to gases, but the disadvantage of being too permanent. If it is desired to change the position of a fixture, or to connect a new one, it is easy to break a hole in a cast-iron pipe, or to remove a portion of it, but where wrought-iron pipe is used this is almost impossible. ”

“ In these places it is used freely for heating fuel. The actual making of gas is something that every plumber should understand. If space permitted I would describe a gas plant with all of its by-products. However, we shall deal only with the actual installation of gas piping in buildings. Gas mains are run through the streets the same as water mains are run. Branches are taken off these mains and extended into the buildings requiring gas. The gas company generally installs the gas service pipe inside of the basement wall and places a stop cock on it free of charge. ”

“ The light-weight pipe, though extensively used by plumbers, is generally prohibited by most municipalities, as it is not strong enough for the purpose, and it is difficult to make a gas-tight joint with these pipes without breaking them. ”

“ To use the device, open the cock and let a small amount of oil flow; apply fire to the pipe under the wheel, and the oil in the upper pipe is converted into gas, which flows out of the small holes in the lower pipe, takes fire, and heats not only the tire, but the upper pipe, thus converting more oil into gas. ”

“ The loss of gas by such leakage is much greater than is generally imagined. Instances might be mentioned where, in order to keep the common air out of a system of faulty pipes, a constant influx of gas which a pipe two inches in diameter can supply has been found necessary, and this of course is just so much gas lost to the economy of the establishment. ”

“ In the Consolidated Virginia and California mines are to be seen at work a number of small engines that are run by compressed air, furnished by two powerful compressors that are constantly in operation on the surface. The air is carried down the main shaft in a large iron pipe, and from this smaller pipes branch off in all directions, and are carried along the roofs of the drifts and cross-cuts, as we see gas-pipes running through buildings in the upper-world. ”

“ That form has descended to all modern piping for water, steam, and gas, because the best that a pipe can take. No other shape has, proportionately to capacity, so little surface for friction inside or rust outside. A locking-bar water pipe, devised by Mephan Ferguson, of Perth, Australia, is made of two plates of equal width, curved into semi-circles which are pressed at their ends into channel bars of [46] soft steel. As the locking-bars and joints are opposite each other, their joints can be tightly closed by a simple machine which exerts pressure in a straight line. ”

“ Of course one length of pipe is not sufficient to go to any great distance, and a joint has frequently to be made, the solder used for this purpose being so easily melted and so readily combining with the pipe itself, which is of almost the same material, that the flame from prepared tow blown to an intense heat by the blow pipe is sufficient for the purpose. The rasp is used for filing the surface at the ends of the pipes where they are to be joined, and the waxed rushes to try the joints in order to see that there is no escape of gas through some small hole. ”

“ This reverses the direction of the current of gas, which then escapes through the pin-holes downward into a chamber, then turns upward along its sides to the tip, on entering which it again turns. Each burner is able to consume economically a flow of gas peculiar to itself, which can be ascertained by a minute's experiment, and then regulated by the tap in the pipe. ”

“ Each retort has an iron exit pipe affixed to it, through which the gases generated by the furnace are carried off. The exit pipes all empty themselves into what is known as the hydraulic main, a long horizontal cylinder, and in this the gas begins to deposit a portion of its impurities. The immediate products of distillation are, after steam and air, gas, tar, ammoniacal liquor, sulphur in various forms, and coke, the last being left behind in the retort. In the hydraulic main some of the tar and ammoniacal liquor already begin to be deposited. ”

“ To the flange of the pan is fitted a flanged cover having on one side a discharge pipe through which the vapour is passed to the worm of the condenser. In the centre of the cover is a manhole. The oil condensed in the worm is discharged through a pipe into a receiver, and the uncondensable gas escapes through an ascending pipe. ”

“ It would be infinitely better to run the pipes at once through the wall to the outside. Few persons have any idea of the carelessness of plumbers’ work—of the bad junctions, and of the rapidity with which pipes get out of order and decay. When a leaden pipe carrying water is led into a water-closet discharge pipe, it is frequently simply puttied in, and very soon the dried putty breaks away, and there is a complete leakage of gas into the house. Even if well joined the lead pipe will, it is said, contract and expand, and thus openings are at last formed. ”

“ Fig. 2. Represents a longitudinal section of a Spigot and Faucet Pipe. These kinds of pipes are applicable in most cases as mains for conveying gas. A, is called the spigot, and B, the faucet. They are joined together, and made air tight, by iron cement, the composition of which is as follows:
Take two ounces of sal ammoniac, one ounce of flowers of sulphur, and sixteen ounces of cast iron filings or borings. Mix all well together, by rubbing them in a mortar, and keep the powder dry. ”

“ As soon as the indicator, which is attached to a cork which floats on top of the gasoline, shows that the oil is low, turn out the fire and refill the tank. Do not fill the tank to overflowing. Gases from the stove can only get into the tank when it is empty and while there is gasoline in the pipe to feed the stove. Gasoline gas is very inflammable and will cause an explosion if it becomes ignited. The tanks from gasoline stoves cannot be removed, as all the joints must be tight to prevent the escape of gasoline fumes as well as the oil itself. ”

“ The tap through which city distribution plants receive gas from the pipe line is known as the city gateway. At each tap through which distribution systems and rural and pipe line customers receive gas, there is installed a pressure regulator which reduces the pressure of the gas from that in the pipe line to 8 or 10 pounds for city distribution and some pipe line customers, and as low as 8 or 10 ounces for other pipe line and rural customers. ”

“ An engine should be supplied with gas as cool as possible, which condition is seldom realized if long pipe lines be employed, extending through workshops, the temperature of which is usually higher than that of underground piping. ”

“ If the suction pipe is of gas-tube, the sockets must all be taken off, and a paint of boiled oil and red-lead be put on the screwed end, then a string of raw hemp bound round and well screwed up with the gas tongs, making a sure joint for cold water, steam, or gas.
Many plumbers prefer lead pipe, so that they can make the usual plumbers’ joint. The tail m of the pump is for fixing the suction pipe on a plank level with the ground. Stages n are fixed at every 12 ft. ”

“ Among several annoyances in the manufacture of gas is the choking or stoppage [Pg 19] of ascension pipes; the person whose employment it is to look after, and if possible prevent this, is called by his fellow-workmen "the pipe jumper." ”