All metal ciphon

[azzvon12]

Evening all i was just wondering if anyone had any info on a ciphon i pulled out of someones house as i have never seen this type before.It's construction is entirley of metal and has a canterlever the opposite side to the flush handle and it weighs a lot nearly bust a blood vessel lifting the old cistern off the wall.was just wondering how old it could be,the era it coud be from etc (sad i know) Iwas thinking maybe arond the 70's as the customer said they had been in the house arond 30 years and it was in when they moved in.The only writing i could see on it was "JAPKAP".I have hopefull attached some pics.Probably one for BERNIE 2 Cheers

 

[Plouasne]

I would hazard a guess circa 1950's/60's

 

[Puddle]

Will take a guess and say around March 1958/59.
They said they were made to last and they seem they were right

 

[azzvon12]

Cheers fellas Customer said never had to change a thing on it apart from a rusted split pin or two.Even the washers srewing the cistern to the wall were hand cut Lead.Just glad they didnt want the pan taking out as well because this is also attached to a lead soil pipe that then joins to a cast iron soil stack.Although i have some experiance of lead working.Not too clever at it

 

[Plouasne]

That dates it to the '50's I would say, much later than that it would normally be C I straight to the pan with possibly tap washers to the screws instead of lead, did the outgo of the pan have a brass thimble wiped to the lead?? and did you notice if the joint was a red/white lead putty joint or a sand and cement joint

Was the cistern shell black plastic type material ??, if so I have fitted hundreds of the burggers but forget the name now, the material of the shell was like a pitch fibre

Saying this anybody remember the pitch fibre drains that came out in the '50's ??, I had the "pleasure" of having to fit a 4" pvc saddle to a main drain run in pitch fibre, about 9 feet down and the last couple of feet the trench was cut in the solid rock just wide enough for the pitch fibre pipe

 

[azzvon12]

That dates it to the '50's I would say, much later than that it would normally be C I straight to the pan with possibly tap washers to the screws instead of lead, did the outgo of the pan have a brass thimble wiped to the lead?? and did you notice if the joint was a red/white lead putty joint or a sand and cement joint

Was the cistern shell black plastic type material ??, if so I have fitted hundreds of the burggers but forget the name now, the material of the shell was like a pitch fibre

Saying this anybody remember the pitch fibre drains that came out in the '50's ??, I had the "pleasure" of having to fit a 4" pvc saddle to a main drain run in pitch fibre, about 9 feet down and the last couple of feet the trench was cut in the solid rock just wide enough for the pitch fibre pipe

You got it bang on Plousane the cistern was of black plastic material quite heavy in its own right.There is something wiped into the Lead where it connects to the pan but couldnt make it out (been painted over that many times)As for seeing any putty also had the same problem as above.well it did pretty well for the last fifty or so years then.wonder how long the the diaphram in the nice new plastic ciphon i fitted will last.Not as long me thinks.Thanks for the replies fellas.

 

[Plouasne]

I think that it was a Thomas Dudley who made the cisterns and the name was something like Duralite, and were made in at least two styles, a low level and a high level well bottom type, the fixings that came with a low level type were two zinc **** metal bars with a "D" shaped hole in one end for the semi captive bolt "D" shaped head to the bolt about 6" long with a screw hole at each end, and if my memory serves me right @ 51/2" centres, the problem with these was that the bolts and nuts supplied were only lightly sheridised (sp) and rusted, another problem was if the wall behind the cistern was rough or stone the fixing bars would "cock" up or down and not allow the bolts to line up with the holes, unless the bar was "packed" out, and if the screws were tightened too much with a lump holding the bar off the wall, the dammed bar would snap because it was rubbish metal, (the same type of metal that car door handles and wing mirror holders were made of at the time)

 

[stevetheplumber]

actually some of these cystens contained asbestos and as such must be disposed of in the correct way doble bagged and registered collection
or as most do stick in someone elses skip

 

[azzvon12]

actually some of these cystens contained asbestos and as such must be disposed of in the correct way doble bagged and registered collection
or as most do stick in someone elses skip

Thanks for that info steve would that be why the cistern weighs so much because of the asbestos in it?thought it was a bit heavy for plastic. cistern is in my back yard best go outside and stop the kids from licking it then(only kidding)