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40 something cutaways
If plumbing is a mystery to you, you’re
not alone. “Many people have no idea
how water gets to their building, how
wastewater leaves, or how their house is
heated or cooled,” says This Old House
plumbing and heating expert Richard
Trethewey. “So my role in the past forty
years has been to demystify that technical
world. And it is almost impossible without
a cutaway. I am the great bisector.”
Wielding band saws, rotary tools,
hacksaws, and more, Richard has cut
up at least 60 items—from garbage
disposers and water heaters to dozens of
valves and pipes. Here, he explains some
of his favorite teaching tools.
It’s what’s inside
that counts
For decades now, Richard Trethewey
has been cleaving plumbing parts in two
in order to reveal their inner workings
BY JILL CONNORS
1 > Garbage Disposer
“This was my very fi rst cutaway for Ask This Old House,
so it is my fi rst love. It made me realize how valuable a
cutaway is in showing how things work—we could
show the blades, the motor, and all the way down to
the reset button on the bottom. It’s been great for
explaining how to repair a garbage disposer.”
2 > Thermostatic Shower Valve
“There is perhaps no one thing more amazing in
residential plumbing than the pressure-balanced valve
for safety and comfort, because it takes hot and cold
water and constantly delivers the right temperature.”
3 > Siphon Jet Toilet
“ Billions of toilets function fl awlessly every day based
on a simple principle, the siphon jet. The design has a
short leg and a long leg; water is pushed through a
small hole at the base of the bowl to start a siphon—the
combined effect is to fl ush everything away. This
cutaway has been on The Tonight Show, and on
AskTOH at least ten times.”
20 THISOLDHOUSE.COM SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 40 YEARS
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