Toilet Huffing. Very Big In Germany.

This one is Bryce's fault.

When I first saw it, I immediately assumed the worst - that our German friends are inhaling teutonic sewer gas to get off.

A quick trip to babelfish's translation page was little help. But it did turn up such linguistic nuggets as this:

In the offer inventions are like the Klo Atmer, the wiedergeburt, or the fish head roof impact device.

Finally, a translated paragraph shed light on the mystery: in the event that you cant escape from a smoke filled building, you stick a tube into the toilet and inhale the rancid (but smoke free) sewer gas. Or as babelfish put it:

The fresh air equipment of the Kaliforniers William of cross-beam is to save with fire in smoked dwellings the life to humans. According to cross-beam must they in addition only a hose into a toilet insert and the "fresh air" deeply existing in the tubing system inhale.

Great idea, now that I understand it. Sewer air is better than no air at all. I will add a rubber tube to my stale cache of duct tape and plastic sheeting.

Comments

[fatty_jubbo]

fish head roof impact device

sounds like a new Caroliner Rainbow record

[Chris T.]

I think the "fish head roof impact device" may somehow be referring to the cover on a vent pipe, which all plumbing systems have. From toiletology.com: "Unseen and hidden in the walls of your home is a most important part of the flushing cycle of a toilet. It is the complex network of pipes called the Drain-Waste-Vent system (DWV). The DWV drains the water that carries the waste away, and it vents the system to the atmosphere above a building. You have probably seen the short vent pipe(s) sticking up on your roof; one is usually found directly above where a toilet(s) is located in the house below. Odors and sewer gases are allowed to escape through this pipe, but equally important, atmospheric pressure enters the system and prevents a vacuum from forming when water fills the pipes and drains through the system."

[Frank]

Hate to disappoint Ken's Teutomania, but this article was actually about strange patent applications by Americans to the U.S. Patent Office. The toilet huffer device sounds uniquely German, but it was submitted by some guy in California.