Pennsylvania Statutes Title 53 P.S. Municipal and Quasi-Municipal Corporations § 14796. Connection with sewers;  material for soil pipes;  size and material for house drains;  walls for pityard water closets

The main drainage system of every house or building shall be separately and independently connected with the street sewer, where such sewer exists;  but where there is no sewer in the street, and it is necessary to construct a private sewer to connect with sewer on adjacent street, such plans may be used as may be approved by the Department or Board or Bureau of Health,  1 but in no case shall joint drains be laid in cellars, parallel with the street or alley.

House drains or soil-pipes, laid beneath floors, must be of extra heavy cast-iron pipe (as per table in section sixteen),  2 with leaded and caulked joints, and carried five feet outside cellar wall.  All drains or soil-pipes connected with main drain where it is above the cellar floor shall be of extra heavy cast-iron pipe, with leaded and caulked joints, or of heavy wrought-iron pipe, with screw joints properly secured, and carried five feet outside cellar wall;  and all arrangements of soil- or waste-pipes shall be as direct as possible.  Wrought-iron pipes shall be asphalted, galvanized, or otherwise made rustless.  Changes of direction on pipes shall be made with “Y” branches, both above and below the ground, and where such pipes pass through a new foundation wall, a relieving arch shall be built over it, with a two-inch space on either side of main pipe.

The size of the main house drain shall be determined by the total area of the buildings and paved surfaces to be drained, according to the following table, if iron pipe is used.  If the pipe is terra cotta, the diameter shall be one size larger for the same amount of area drainage:

The main house drains may be decreased in diameter beyond a rain-water conductor or surface inlet by permission of the Department or Board or Bureau of Health, when the plans show that conditions are such as to warrant such decrease;  but in no case shall the main house drain be less than four (4) inches in diameter.

The walls for pit where one closet is installed may be four inches in thickness, or salt-glazed sewer-pipe, thirty-six inches in diameter, may be used.  Where pit is for more than one closet, the walls shall be nine inches in thickness.  The soil-pipe and traps used inside pit must be extra heavy cast-iron, and the trap to have a hand-hole for cleanout purposes, with cleanout caulked in.  If the closet is located in the rear of a soil- or vent-pipe, the drain on which it is located shall be vented with a four-inch pipe, carried above roof of closet, away from any opening or window.  All outside closets shall be of the tank pattern.  The water to be supplied to tank through automatic seat-action valve.  The waste from valve may be permitted to discharge on cement floor of pit, which shall be provided with four-inch trap and strainer.  The enclosure of yard water-closets shall be ventilated by slatted openings, and there shall be a trap-door of sufficient size to permit of convenient access to the hopper-pit.