Historical Events that Shaped Modern Plumbing

We love to talk about modern plumbing. Yet, we rarely think about how it came to exist. Thanks to Ivey Engineering, we can share a few fun facts about the history of plumbing:

• Archaeologists discovered copper water pipes in the palace ruins of the Indus River Valley in India. (4,000 to 3,000 B.C.) 
• Egyptians developed copper pipes that were used to build elaborate bathrooms inside the pyramids and intricate irrigation and sewages systems. (2500 B.C.) 
• Rainwater cisterns were developed on the island of Crete which allowed for storage of rainwater until it was needed for drinking, washing, bathing and cooking uses. (1500 B.C.) 
• The Romans were some of the most advanced in ancient plumbing systems. Out of the Roman Empire aqueducts were developed as well as underground sewer systems, public and private baths, lead and bronze water piping systems, and marble fixtures with gold and silver fittings. The Romans utilized lead pipes, which at the time made vast improvements in sanitary conditions. (500 B.C. to A.D. 455)
• Sir John Harington, godson to Queen Elizabeth, invented the first flushing water closet. (1596)
• The first underground sewer was installed in 1728. This came about after health officials in New York responded to complaints about the smell of open sewers. 
• The first public water main was installed under New York streets in 1830. Numerous fires had demonstrated the need for an adequate and available supply of water for fire fighting. 
• The first water heaters were developed in private homes and small buildings in the 1870s. Circulation pipes were installed between water-heating units and hot water storage tanks so as to make pressurized hot water available in volume. 
• The water closet was invented from 1900 to 1932. The U.S. Patent Office received applications for 350 new water closet designs, including the designs of Charles Neff and Robert Frame. These men were the first to produce a siphoning water closet that would become standard in the United States. 

NY Plumbing and Sewer Rooter is thankful for modern day plumbing systems. Are you? Call us at 718-514-7145 for plumbing services. 

Get more facts at iveyengineering.com.