Lead pipe

“ It is a stronger pipe than a rainwater pipe. The latter will often be found to have holes. A lead joint cannot be made properly in a weak pipe, therefore the lead joint is to some extent a guarantee of soundness. Lead pipes will be eaten away by water containing free oxygen without carbonic acid, therefore pure rainwater injures lead pipes. An excess of carbonic acid in water will also eat away lead. You will find that in many cases pinholes appear in a soilpipe, and when inside a house that allows sewer gas to pass into the house. Moreover, lead is a soft material ”

“ Lead pipe is either formed by bending thin sheet lead round a cylindrical mould, and soldering the joint; or when the pipe is less than four or five inches in diameter, it is formed by casting a thick cylinder of lead with a small bore, and about five or six feet long. A long smooth iron rod, a little larger than the bore of the cylinder, is forced into this, and then the cylinder is gradually drawn through a succession of circular holes, decreasing in diameter, in a steel plate, by means of a powerful draw-mill, worked by a steam-engine. ”

“ A fire pressure is much greater. Therefore, all direct-pressure pipes of lead should be extra strong. Tank-pressure pipes, those which connect with a tank in the attic or above a water-closet, may be medium strong. The terms “extra strong” and “medium strong,” as here used, are definite in their meaning, and apply to regular grades of pipe. The interior fixtures of an ordinary dwelling-house are supplied with lead pipe five-eighths of an inch in diameter, or iron pipe three-quarters of an inch in diameter. ”

“ Cement and Vitrified Pipes are used for the manufacture of street and house sewers. In some places vitrified pipe is used for house drains, but in most cities this is strongly objected to; and in New York City no earthenware pipes are permitted within the house. The objection to earthenware pipes is that they are not strong enough for the purpose, break easily, and cannot be made gas-tight.
Lead Pipe is used for all branch waste pipes and short lengths of water pipes. The advantage of lead pipes is that they can be easily bent and shaped, hence their use for traps and connections. ”

“ The lead is put on the thread and when the thread is made up the lead will have been forced into any imperfection that may be in the threads and the joint will then be water-tight. White lead and oil should be used on nickel-plated pipe as other pipe compounds are too conspicuous and look badly. A pipe compound should be used with discretion, for if too much is put on a burr of it will collect in the bore of the pipe and reduce it considerably. ”

“ However, the use of lead pipe where exposed to view and where in contact with the earth, and iron pipe galvanized for other places, makes most excellent and beautiful work for dwelling-houses. The connections between iron and lead pipe should be of brass. ”

“ All joints in the iron drain-pipes, soil-pipes, and waste-pipes must be so calked with oakum and lead, or with cement made of iron filings and sal-ammoniac, as to make them impermeable to gas.
27. All connections of lead with iron pipes must be made with a brass sleeve or ferrule, of the same size as the lead pipe, put in the hub of the branch of the iron pipe, and calked in with lead. The lead pipe must be attached to the ferrule by a wiped joint. ”

“ Soft pig lead or old scrap lead is suitable for lead joints on cast-iron pipe. About 3/4 pound per inch of pipe diameter is generally required for each joint. The lead is hot enough to pour when it begins to char the paddle used to skim off the impurities. When it cools it must be calked tightly to take up shrinkage. The calking should be uniform around the entire joint and should stop when the lead is tight. Heavy pounding or continued calking may crack the bell of the pipe. ”

“ To make a good, gas-tight, lead-calked joint, experience and skill are necessary. The ring of lead joining the two lengths of pipe must be from 1 to 2 inches deep, and from 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick; 12 ounces of lead must be used at each joint for each inch in the diameter of the pipe. Iron pipes are sometimes connected by means of so-called rust joints. Instead of lead, the space between the socket and spigot is filled in with an iron cement consisting of 98 parts of cast-iron borings, 1 part of flowers of sulphur, and 1 part of sal ammoniac. ”

“ Supporting.—Set the brass ferrule on a catch pan. The lead pipe is upright. A weight placed on top of the lead pipe will steady the pipe for wiping. When the joint is wiped the free hand can hold the pipe if the weight is not sufficient to support it.
Wiping.—Splash the solder on the joint from the ladle, in the same manner as was employed in the two preceding joints. To get the proper heat on the 4-inch joint a little more speed is necessary, also the constant working of the solder around the pipe. ”

“ If any ordinary piece of light lead pipe 11⁄2 inches in diameter is taken and pulled or bent sharply around it will crimple or crinkle at the throat; the larger and thinner the pipe the more it will become distorted. ”

“ Shallow wells, being very liable to organic pollution, ought never to have the supply-pipe of their pumps made of lead. With hard waters, lead pipes may generally be used safely. When the quality of the water renders lead pipes objectionable, the use of iron, tin, zinc, tinned copper, earthenware, gutta-percha, and other materials, has been suggested. Of these, cast and wrought-iron pipes are the most serviceable, or pipes composed of an inner lining of block-tin and an outer of lead, a layer of asbestos intervening to prevent galvanic action between the metals. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The making of the drum trap will bring out the skill of the beginner. The entire trap is made of lead pipe. The lead will require a great deal of handling. Therefore, care must be exercised in all operations to turn the trap out in a workmanlike manner.
Materials Needed.—The materials needed to complete this job are: 10 inches of 4-inch 8-pound lead pipe; 18 inches of 11⁄2-inch light lead pipe; paste and paper, support, solder, and catch pan. ”

“ The container is then forced by the pump against an elongated die of the size of the pipe required. A pressure from one to two tons per square inch is exerted, the lead is forced up through the die, and the pipe comes out completed. Wrought iron and cold steel can be forced like wax into different forms, and a rod of steel may be drawn through a die to form a piano wire.
By another modification of the hydraulic press pipes and cables are covered with a coating of lead to prevent deterioration from rust and other causes. ”

“ The cold supply is usually of lead pipe 3⁄4 in. internal diameter, but lead pipe is quite unsuited for soft or pure water (distilled) . The same applies to lead cisterns, as this water attacks (oxidises) lead vigorously, and lead pipe is not looked upon with favour for many reasons. Iron is now often used for the whole apparatus, including cistern, tank, &c. (excepting where copper is used for boiler or cylinder) . There is a marked advantage if the cold-supply pipe is 1 in. ”

“ The bib is laid on an angle of 45° pointing away from the wiper. Some bricks can be piled up to the right height to hold the bib in place and a solder strap can be made to hold it steady. The lead pipe can be held steady by weighting each end. The catch pan is now placed under the joint and everything is ready for wiping.
Wiping.—When the solder is hot, getting the heat on the pipe is started. Solder should be dropped oftener on the brass bib than on the lead pipe. It takes more heat to heat the brass thoroughly than it does the lead. ”

“ After the oakum is well packed into place and the pipe is lined up and made straight, molten lead is poured in and the hub filled. When the lead has cooled, set the lead with the caulking tool and hammer, making one blow on each side of the joint. This sets the lead evenly on every side. If there is any surplus lead, it can now be cut off, using the hammer and cold chisel. The caulking iron is again taken and the lead next to the pipe is tamped, striking the iron with the hammer at an angle to drive the lead against the pipe. ”

“ Ventilation in chimney-flues. (See “Bad Odors,” 1, c.)
17. Vertical pipes of iron. Iron resists corrosion and the assaults of rats better than lead, and lead pipes are sometimes occluded by pressure and settling. Branch wastes are generally of lead because it is easily cut and bent, so as to be used in difficult situations.
Return-bend or cowl. To prevent senseless [Pg 44] persons from throwing things down the pipe, and thus obstructing it. ”

“ Water-pipes are made by lead being cast in moulds with a steel rod passing through their middles, according to the size required. The lead is poured into the space between the rod and the mould. After it is cool the rod is drawn out by machinery, and the mould which is made in halves is opened and the pipe taken out. The pipe is then much thicker and shorter than is required for use, but it is afterwards drawn between powerful iron rollers with grooves cut in their surfaces, an iron rod being again placed inside it. ”

“ The edges are wiped very thin so that when the paper is removed the outline of the joint stands out very distinctly. A thick edge on a joint gives an unworkmanlike appearance to the work. The joint is finished with a cross wipe.
The other joints are prepared and wiped the same as the one just completed. The 11⁄2-inch branch connection taken out of the bottom of the trap is bent. As this is the first time it has been necessary to bend lead pipe in these jobs, I will cover this operation in detail. The pipe is first straightened and the drift plug driven through it. ”

“ 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. ”

“ To avoid these conditions, the piping should be of brass or lead and the storage tank should be of copper. The installation cost of brass and copper is greater than steel, but they will not have to be replaced in two or three years, as is the case with other material. A valve should be placed on the cold-water supply to control the entire hot-water piping system. A pipe with a stop cock should be placed underneath the boiler and should extend [129] into a sink in the basement so that the boiler can be drained at any time for cleaning or repairs. ”

“ Cast-iron pipe with lead joints is used for sewers flowing under pressure, or where movements of the soil are to be expected. If the sewage is not flowing under pressure, cement joints are sometimes used in the cast-iron pipe. Movements of the soil are to be expected on side hills, under railroad tracks, etc. Steel pipe is used on long outfalls or under other conditions where external loads are light and the cost is less than for other materials. Because of the thin plates used and the liability to corrosion steel is not frequently used. ”

“ Since that time plain, untarred pipe has been specified, and subjected to the so-called kerosene test, which consists of swabbing out each pipe with kerosene or oil and then allowing it to stand for a few hours. A moment's thought will convince any one that when a pipe is asphalted or tar coated it is very difficult to detect either sand holes or small cracks, and the difficulty of proper calking is increased, as lead does not cling so well to the tar as to plain iron. ”

“ Cast-iron pipes rarely exceed 48 in. in diameter, and even this diameter is only practicable where the pressure of the water is low. In the Thirlmere aqueduct the greatest pressure is nearly 180 ℔ on the square inch, the pipes where this occurs being 40 in. in diameter and 13/4 in. thick. These large pipes, which are usually made in lengths of 12 ft., are generally cast with a socket at one end for receiving the spigot end of the next pipe, the annular space being run with lead, which is prevented from flowing into the interior of the pipe by a spring ring subsequently removed ”