Steam-Cleaned Pipes

In the euphony of current advertisements, water pipe manufacturers have been trumpeting, bugling, tooting and piping the merits of various pipe materials. Brassmen have clarioned that brass pipes last a lifetime, do not rust. Ironmen have said the same for iron-pipes.

Meanwhile steel-pipe makers have been whistling through their fingers. Steel is iron mixed with and hardened by carbon. Because it is easier to produce steel than to rid iron of its impurities, steel is cheaper than pure iron. It is also cheaper than-iron or steel alloys, and than copper alloys. But it oxidizes (rusts) many times faster than do those other materials.

Last week steel-pipe makers rejoiced when Clarence T. Coley, operating manager of Manhattan's old and lofty Equitable Building, and his Chief Engineer Carl W. Poulsen announced that they had discovered a simple way to clear rust from the steel plumbing of their building. They drain the water off and force dry steam into the pipes. The heat makes the pipes expand, the rust shrink loose from the pipes. The steam is released and water flushes the rust away. The pipes become clean, although pitted, and thinner than when bought.