An old engraving showing the workings of a Victorian flushing toilet (flush toilet, water closet, WC). It is from a book of the 1880s. Here ‘Smith’s ventilating water closet’ provides an air pipe carrying foul air to a flu. A venting ‘soilpipe’ on could also be used for this purpose. Water to flush is delivered (left) by a pipe operated by lifting the seat. A flushing toilet disposes of human waste by using water to flush it through a drainpipe for disposal. Flush toilets usually incorporate a bend (trap or U-bend) where water collects in the bowl, to hold the waste and to seal against smells.
An old engraving showing the workings and plumbing of a Victorian flushing toilet (flush toilet, water closet, WC). It is from a mechanical engineering book of the 1880s. Here ‘Smith’s ventilating water closet’ provides an air pipe carrying foul air out and away to a flu. A venting cast-iron ‘soilpipe’ on a building’s exterior could also be used for this purpose. Water to flush the system is delivered (left) by a pipe operated by lifting the toilet seat. A flushing toilet disposes of human waste by using water to flush it through a drainpipe to another location for disposal. They can be designed for sitting (‘Western’ toilets) or for squatting. The opposite of a flush toilet is a dry toilet, which uses no water for flushing. Flush toilets need to be plumbed in and usually incorporate a shaped bend (a trap or U-bend) where water can collect in the toilet bowl, both to hold the waste and act as a seal against gases and smells. Most flush toilets are connected to a sewerage system that conveys waste to a treatment plant – where this is not available, a septic tank or composting system may be used. It was only in the mid-1800s, with growing levels of urbanisation and industrial development, that the flush toilet became a widely used. This period coincided with the dramatic growth in the sewage systems, which made the flush toilet useful for health and sanitation reasons. Englishman George Jennings established a business manufacturing water closets, salt-glaze drainage pipes and sanitaryware in the 1840s and he popularised the flush toilet to the middle classes.
Size: 3543px × 3991px
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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