Each and all of its parts
must be accessible and its exterior visible. Its pipes, both for gas and
sludge, must be of large bore (say 1 inch), and fitted at every dip with
an arrangement for withdrawing into some closed vessel the moisture, &c.,
that may condense. The number of cocks, valves, and moving parts must be
reduced to a minimum; cocks which require to be shut by hand before
recharging must give way to water-seals. It must be simple in all its
parts, and its action intelligible at a glance. It must be easy to
charge--preferably even by the sense of touch in darkness. It must be
easy to clean. The waste lime must be easily removed. It must be so
fitted with vent-pipes that the pressure can never rise above that at
which it is supposed to work. Nevertheless, a generator in which these
vent-pipes are often brought into use is badly constructed and wasteful,
and must be avoided. The water of the holder seal should be distinct from
that used for decomposing the carbide; and those apparatus where the
holder is entirely separated from the generator are preferable to such as
are built all in one, even if water-seals are fitted to prevent return of
gas.
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