DIY Lagging Hot Water Cylinder With Asbestos

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Found an interesting old book at my parent's house the other day. It's a 1940s DIY book covering all aspects of home and garden improvement, repair and maintenance called 'The Complete Hosehold Adviser'.

Much of the advice is now completely obsolete and from another era. One section that would raise plenty of eyebrows these days, but with limited knowledge 70 years ago was perfectly acceptable, advised getting yourself some asbestos, mixing it with water and troweling it onto the outside of your hw cylinder. Hot water pipes would get the same treatment. How times change!


Some other interesting things from the book's plumbing section

Early manual 3 port valve??


Early twin boiler setup, with the same basic layout as today's vented systems


About as basic as it gets. This is the non-condensing model!


Solid Fuel Boiler


Wiping a joint


Cost of heat from various fuels in the 1940s - electricity still the most expensive.

 
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Only many years later the dangers of asbestos were discovered, by which time sadly, it was too late for the people who'd been exposed to it.
 
Believe it or not when asbestos was supposed to be the bees Knees the asbestos miners actually had asbestos tooth brushes
 
My ole man used to install/insulate the plant rooms back in the 50's/60's.....he died in 2005 from mesothelioma..:)
 
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Makes you wonder if products that we use with relish today will be found to be harmful in the future.........My mother in-law was advised by her doctor about 50 years ago to have a cigarette before going to bed to help her sleep! Fortunately she didn't like it and so didn't continue with the 'treatment'.
 
The doctor should have told her to have one after sex.(y)
 
A mates Dad I knew told us how as apprentices they used to throw balls of it at each other at the Loco works.
He died from an Asbestos related disease aged 88.
 
An old medical book I had suggested radiation therapy for dandruff.

The idea was that all your hair fell out and regrew "clean"
 
Makes you wonder if products that we use with relish today will be found to be harmful in the future.........My mother in-law was advised by her doctor about 50 years ago to have a cigarette before going to bed to help her sleep! Fortunately she didn't like it and so didn't continue with the 'treatment'.

Apparently, they would have helped her throat too.

Craven-A.jpg
doctor-tobacco-ad.jpg
 
In an old copy of "Practical Mechanics" I have there is suggestion to make a sleeping bag from old sheets filled with asbestos...
 

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