New faucets of the kind shown in [figure 1] usually have the top washers shown in [figure 5], B. The rubber washer fills the space beneath the cap nut, and the thin fiber and brass washers are for the purposes described above. If no top washer is available, the space may be packed with candle wicking or soft twine, to which a little mutton or beef tallow should be applied to lubricate the stem, to preserve the packing, and to make it more impervious to water.
When placing the top washer or washers on a compression faucet of the kind shown in [figure 1], it is unnecessary to shut off the water provided the faucet is closed. With the right hand keep the faucet closed and with a monkey wrench in the left hand unscrew the cap nut. Unscrew the handle screw and remove handle and cap nut. Put on new washers as shown in [figure 5], A, or [5], B, and reassemble the parts.
[Figure 5], C, shows the stem packing for the washstand faucet shown in [figure 2]. The packing space is very small and is filled with candle wicking lubricated with tallow. There is a thin brass friction washer in the bottom of the stuffing box, and a hexagonal packing nut screws into the top of the box. To renew the candle wicking, keep the faucet closed. Unscrew the packing nut with a monkey wrench, wrap a little wicking around the stem, and screw the packing nut down against the wicking and into the stuffing box.
Spindle packing for a Fuller faucet (see [fig. 4]) is shown in [figure 5], D, and consists of three collars or rings obtainable from plumbing dealers for a few cents. A lead ring or packing about one-eighth of an inch long goes first (lowest) on the spindle; then a rubber-and-fabric composition packing about one-fourth of an inch long; then a brass packing about one-fourth of an inch long. Screwing down the cap nut compresses the composition packing, and the metal packings take up friction and wear. To put in new packings, shut off the water from the faucet and remove the handle and cap nut, as described in connection with compression faucets.
[STOP AND WASTE COCKS]
[Figure 6], A, shows an adjustable socket-lever handle, ground key, flat way, stop and waste cock to shut off water to part or all of a piping system and to drain the higher situated pipes from which the flow is cut off. A stop and waste should always be placed on the house supply pipe just inside the house or the cellar wall. They are very useful on branch pipes from a cellar or kitchen to upstairs or back rooms subject to freezing temperatures or other temporary discontinuance of the supply. [Figure 6], B, shows the disassembled parts, all of which except the handle are brass. The key or plug is ground to a water-tight fit in the body of the cock, and water is turned on or off by giving the handle a quarter turn. Turning the handle crosswise of the pipe shuts off the supply, and the dead water drains back through the small round hole in the side of the plug and out the waste tube.
Many stop and waste cocks have broken or bent handles or are otherwise rendered useless, because people do not understand them. As received from dealers, the nut on the bottom of the plug is generally screwed up tight, making it difficult or impossible to turn the handle and plug. Long periods of disuse frequently cause the plug to stick fast in the body. The plug is easily loosened by slightly unscrewing the bottom nut and striking the lower end of the plug a few light blows with a hammer. Slight leakage caused by wear of the plug or dirt around it may be prevented by cleaning the plug and tightening the bottom nut. A plug badly worn from long or continual use can be reground, but it is usually better and cheaper to get a new plug or a complete new cock.