Health Department, District of Columbia, REGULATIONS GOVERNING Plumbing, House Drainage, AND THE Ventilation of House Sewers, IN THE District of Columbia. WASHINGTON, D. C. Judd & Detweiler, Printers. i 8 8 i.. Health Department, District of Columbia, REGULATIONS GOVERNING Plumbing, House Drainage, AND THE Ventilation of House Sewers, IN THE District of Columbia. WASHINGTON, D. C. Judd & Detweiler, Printers. i 8 8 i . REGULATIONS. [Act authorizing the employment of an Inspector of Plumbing in and for the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be ap- pointed by the Commissioners of the District of Columbia an Inspector of Plumbing for said District, whose duty it shall be to inspect all houses in course of erection, and pass upon the plumbing and sewerage of said houses. And the Health Officer of the District of Columbia is hereby authorized, under direction of the Commis- sioners, to execute and enforce regulations govern- ing plumbing, house drainage, and the ventilation of house sewers; and any person who shall ne- glect or refuse to comply with the requirements of the said regulations when promulgated shall be punishable by a fine of from twenty-five to two hundred dollars for each and every such offence, or in default of payment of fine to im- prisonment for thirty days. Approved January 25, 1881. In accordance with the foregoing act of Con- gress, and in pursuance of authority thereby conferred, the following regulations are made and promulgated for the information and guidance of all concerned : Act authorizing appointment of In- spector and execu- tion and enforce- ment of regulations 4 R e g u 1 ations to take effect. Section 1. These regulations governing plumbing, house drainage, and the ventilation of house sewers, shall take effect and be in force in the District of Columbia from and after August 1st, 1881, and all work of the charac- ter named, thereafter placed in or upon any structure in the said District, shall be done in accordance with the provisions of the same. Sec. 2. 1. It shall be the duty of the Inspector of Plumbing, under direction of the Health Officer, to sign and issue all notices and certifi- cates, to keep a daily record of his work, including all notices and applications received, violations of these regulations, and all other matters which may pertain thereto; to make daily, weekly, and quarterly reports, and an annual report of his operations to the Health Officer. 2. He shall inspect all houses in course of erection, alteration, or repair, as often as may be necessary, and shall see that all plumbing, drainage, and sewerage work is done in accord- ance with the provisions of these regulations. 3. He shall take and subscribe an oath or affirmation that he will faithfully perform the duties of his office, and shall, before entering upon its duties, execute a bond to the District of Columbia in the sum of five thousand dol- lars, with three sureties, to be approved by the Commissioners, conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of his office and for Duties of the In- spector of Plumb- ing. Report to be made. Houses to be in- spected. Oath to be taken and bond entered into. 5 the benefit of all persons aggrieved by his acts or neglect. Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of every person doing business as a plumber, or engaged in con- ducting plumbing or house drainage in the District of Columbia, to register his or her name in a book to be provided for that purpose at the Health Department, giving full name, residence, and place of business, and in case of removal from one place to another in said Dis- trict, to make change in said register accord- ingly; and it shall be the further duty of every such person to give good and sufficient bond in the sum of five hundred dollars, to be approved by the Commissioners, D. C., conditioned upon proper performance of their work. Sec. 4. Before proceeding to lay or construct any portion of the drainage system of any house the owner, or his architect or agent, shall file with the Health Officer, for the Inspector of Plumbing, a plan thereof showing the said drainage system entire from its connection with the main sewer to terminus in house, together with the location of all branches, traps, venti- lating pipes, &c. The name of the plumber who is to perform the work shall be given on said plan, which must be approved by the In- spector of Plumbing before any portion of the work shall be executed. Sec. 5. 1. Every soil, drain, or waste pipe, above ground, shall be of metal. All soil pipes Plumbers to be registered. Plan of plumbing work to be filed at Health Departm’nt. Material of soil, drain, or waste pipe. 6 above ground shall be of iron, with leaded or screwed joints, not less than three inches in diameter, and shall be extended, full size, through roof of house. 2. No soil or drain pipe shall be laid under the house, unless absolutely unavoidable. When necessary to lay a soil or drain pipe under house, said pipe shall be of iron with leaded joints, or vitrified pipe embedded in a hydraulic concrete base of not less than five inches thick- ness, and shall be so located as to be readily accessible for inspection. 3. All soil, drain, waste, and supply pipes shall be concentrated as much as possible, pro- tected from exposure, and shall be so located as to be readily accessible for inspection. 4. All safes and refrigerators shall be drained by special pipes terminating out of doors, and not directly connected with the sewer. 5. No rain-water leader shall be used either as a soil pipe or as a ventilator for sewer. 6. No brick, sheet metal, or earthenware flue shall be used as a sewer ventilator. 7. Rain-water leaders, when used in direct connection with any part of the drainage sys- tem of a house, shall be of iron with leaded joints. Soil and drain pipes not to be laid under house. Pipes to be con- centrated as much as possible. “Safes” to be drained by special pipes. Rain-water lead- ers not to be used as soil pipes or ven- tilators. No brick or metal flue to be used as ventilator. Leaders to be of iron when used in connection with drainage system. 7 8. All iron, soil, and sewer pipes shall be coated inside and out with coal tar, applied hot, or with some equivalent therefor. 9. The weight of all iron pipe used shall be not less than— For six-inch pipe, 20 pounds per lineal foot. For five-inch pipe, 17 “ “ For four-inch pipe, 13 “ “ For three-inch pipe, 9£ “ “ For two-inch pipe, 5£ “ “ 10. If deemed necessary, iron pipes, before being concealed, shall have openings stopped, and shall be filled with water and allowed to stand twenty-four hours for inspection. Sec. 6. 1. No traps shall be placed on or at the foot of vertical soil pipes so as to impede circulation. 2. All water-closets, sinks, basins, wash- trays, &c., shall have suitable and approved traps placed as near as practicable to said fixtures. 3. A running trap shall be placed on every main drain at an accessible point. Sec. 7. 1. Every main drain shall have an inlet for fresh air entering on the house side of trap and carried to such point on the outside of house as may be approved by the Inspector. Iron pipes to be painted. Weight of pipe to be used. Iron pipes to be tested. No traps on verti- cal soil pipes. When traps shall be used. Trap on main drain. Main drain to be ventilated. 8 Ventilation of traps. 2. Each and every trap shall have a special vent pipe, of iron, extending either above roof of house or into the soil pipe above the highest fixture. 3. The vent pipe for each water-closet trap shall be not less than two inches in diameter, and for traps under other fixtures not less than one and one-half inches. Sec. 8. 1. All underground sewers shall be laid in trenches, cut at a uniform grade, and on either gravel thoroughly rammed or a hy- draulic concrete base of four inches thickness. 2. All sewer pipes shall have a fall of at least one-fourth inch to the foot where practicable. 3. They shall be laid in straight lines. All changes in direction shall be made with curved pipes and all connections with Y-branch pipes and one-eighth bends. 4. All connections of lead with iron pipes shall be made with brass thimbles, full size of iron pipe, caulked into the iron with lead, and plumbers’ wiped joints. Sec. 9. 1. No vault, sink, cesspool, or dry- well shall be in any way connected with the drainage system of any house. 2. All overflow pipes from tanks and cisterns shall be provided with traps as required in sec- tion six. They shall be disconnected from Size of vent pipes. Manner in which sewers shall be laid. Fall described. Changes in direc- tion and branches. C o n n e ctions of lead with iron pipes Vaults, sinks and cesspools not to be connected with the drainage system. Overflow pipes to be trapped. 9 drainage system, and in all cases shall deliver outside the house. 3. All pipes from sinks, wash-trays, &c., shall be provided with strong metallic strainers. Sec. 10. 1. Where water supply is not ample for proper flushing of water-closets, &c., the Inspector of Plumbing may, in his discretion, order the erection of a tank or cistern into which water may flow at night, or into which it may be pumped. 2. Cisterns or tanks erected for purposes de- scribed in the foregoing paragraph shall not have an overflow pipe connected with any drain, and water supply for domestic purposes shall not be drawn therefrom. 3. Means for thorough flushing of all soil pipes, drain pipes, and water-closets shall be provided in every case. Sec. 11. Sub-soil drains should be provided wherever dampness of site of any proposed dwelling is known to exist. Sec. 12. 1. The Health Officer shall be noti- fied promptly, in writing, and upon blank forms to be provided for that purpose, when the plumbing work on any house is completed and ready for inspection. 2. The Health Officer shall direct the Inspec- tor of Plumbing, immediately upon notification Strainers to be used. Tanks or cisterns to be used when necessary. Supply for domes- tic purposes not to be drawn from tank or cistern. Thorough flush- ing to be secured. Sub-soil drains to be provided for damp sites. Notification to be given by plumbers. Inspection to be made at once. 10 by the plumber, to proceed at once to inspect and pass upon the work, and all inspections shall be made within twenty-four hours after such notification. 3. No part of the plumbing work of any house shall be covered, or in any manner hid- den from view, until after such inspection shall have been made and a certificate of approval issued by the Inspector. 4. The Inspector shall promptly condemn and order the removal of any defective ma- terial, or of any work done other than in ac- cordance with the provisions of these regula- tions. Sec. 13. Prosecutions for infringement upon the provisions of these regulations shall be made by information filed in the Police Court of the District of Columbia. Sec. 14. These regulations shall be subject to alteration or amendment at any time. Smith Townshend, M. D., Health. Officer, District of Columbia. Approved July 21, 1881. Work to remain exposed until after approval. Work done not in accorda nee with the regulations to be condemned. How prosecutions shall be instituted. J. Dent, Thomas P. Morgan, W. J. Twining, Major of Engineers, Commissioners of the District of Columbia. Office of the Commissioners, District of Columbia, Washington, December 19, 1881. Ordered: That the regulations governing plumbing, house drainage, and the ventilation of house sewers in the District of Columbia, made on the 21st of July, 1881, in pursuance of an act of Congress, approved January 25, 1881, entitled “ An act authorizing the employment of an Inspector of Plumbing in and for the District of Columbia, and for other purposes,” are here- by amended as follows: That on or before the expiration of the pres- ent year each plumber, in lieu of the present bonds, will be required to give a single bond in the sum of five hundred dollars, which shall be deposited in the office of the Commissioners, which bond shall be a guarantee that the busi- ness conducted by the plumber shall be executed in accordance with the requirements of the reg- ulations governing plumbing and house drain- age in the District of Columbia, and also the rules and regulations of the Engineer Depart- ment relating to the connections with the pub- lic sewers and water mains. By order: William Tindall, Secretary. Order amending regulations relative to the filing of plumbers’ bonds. ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS Relating to Public Sewers and Water Mains. Permit required in all cases. 1st. No house or premises will be allowed to be connected with water, sewer, or gas main, without a permit first obtained from the Engi- neer Commissioner. This regulation applies to all sewers, whether on private property or in public streets or alleys. 2d. Plumbers desiring to obtain permits for making the necessary excavation for making sewer connections must deposit with the Collec- tor of the District of Columbia the cost of branch pipe or other material required for use in connecting with the main sewer. Blank forms of application will be furnished to those plumbers who shall comply with all the require- ments of the Commissioners. All applications must be signed by the owner of the premises, and his address written under his signature; signing by agents will not be accepted if the owner resides in the District of Columbia. Per- mits will be issued in duplicate, one for use of plumber and one for use of owner. 3d. One dollar is required by law to be paid as permit fee for each house connected, the Deposit to be made before permit can be obtained. Blank forms. All applications to be signed by owner of premises. Permits to be is- sued in duplicate. Fee required. 13 receipt of which must be endorsed upon the application ; the fee to be paid to the Collector of the District of Columbia. 4th. All water and sewer connections with the street mains and sewers must be inspected by the Water and Sewer-tappers, respectively, before the trench is filled, whether the pipes are run to the building line or not, and all appoint- ments for said tappers must be made when the permit is issued. Sewer laterals are not to be raised or lowered, or otherwise changed, except under the inspection of the Sewer-tapper and by permit from the Engineer Commissioner. 5th. All connections with pipe sewers must be made with Y branches. In all cases where connections are made with brick sewers a terra-cotta junction block must be used. Branches and junction blocks, and all other material for use in or about the public sewers, must be purchased from the District. fith. Pipe sewers must not be cut, nor any connections be made in any manhole, trap, or trap lateral. Each house must be drained by a separate sewer, not less than six inches in diameter, having a fall of not less than one in forty, laid (inside the building line) entirely within the lot to which it belongs, and connect- ing outside the building line, only with that part of the system of drainage intended for it as shown on the general plans of sewerage on file in the office of the Engineer Commissioner. Inspections to be made before trench is filled, and no changes allowed ex- cept upon permit and under official supervision. How connections must be made and material procured. Pipe sewers not to be cut nor con- nections made with manhole, trap or trap lateral. Each house to be drained separately. Fall required and bounds prescribed. 14 Plumbers to noti- fy Water Registrar. 7th. All plumbers are required to notify the Water Registrar of auy and all extensions or alterations of water fixtures and pipes made inside of buildings, so that the same may be examined. 8th. All concrete pavements must be repaired by the contractor doing such work for the District Government, and all granite block pavements by the Superintendent of Repairs, at rates to be fixed by the Commissioners. Per- sons desiring to remove said concrete or granite block pavement, must first deposit with the chief clerk of the Engineer Department the sum of ten ($10) dollars, the receipt for which must be exhibited to the Permit Clerk before the permit is issued. After the completion of the work the surplus, if any, will be returned. 9tb. All excavations must be filled and pavement relaid in as good order as before said excavation was made, within thirty days from commencement of work, and the work must be commenced within thirty days from date of permit. The permit must be kept upon the ground while the work is being done, and shown whenever called for. The police are instructed to arrest, as required by law, auy one they may find making an excavation without a permit. 10th. The connections with the public sewers will be made only in the presence of the Sewer- tapper, and the excavation will be left open until his arrival. All permits for tapping sew- Concrete pave- ments to be re- paired by contrac- tor and block pave- ments by Sup’t of Repairs. Deposit to be made for removal of pavements. How excavations must be filled. Permit to be kept on ground while work is being per- formed. Connections to be made only in the presence of the Sewer-tapper and owners to take all risk. 15 ers are given on condition that owners take all risk of damages that may result from water setting back into the cellars from the main sewers. 11th. In order to prevent as much as possi- ble the setting back of water from sewers, the owner shall be required, at his own cost, to put in a self-acting or other valve in all cases when back-flow from a sewer is to be appre- hended ; and it shall be the duty of the owner to keep the valve in order, and he must be responsible for its action in all cases. When the sewer connection is of iron, and carried up within the premises as a close pipe, without opening or connection of any kind, above the level of all back-flow, the flood-valve may be dispensed with, being unnecessary. 12th. The treuch must be filled up and rammed within 48 hours after making the con- nection, and the pavement relaid, not less than twenty days after the filling, all in a workman- like manner, so that no settling will occur. All rubbish must be removed from street ou the completion of the work. Approved December 19, 1881. Valve to prevent back-flow to be used wherever necessary. Time allowed for and relaying pavement.