The History of Plumbing

Plumbing is one of the most important technological discoveries in the history of mankind. We rely on plumbing for hydration, waste management, cleaning and much more. Without it, the world as we know it would not exist. It took thousands of years and hundreds of innovations to get plumbing to where it is today. From the primitive plumbing systems of the Indus River to the complexity we see today, let's take a deeper look into the wonderful history of plumbing:

1700 B.C
The Indus River civilizations created the first sewage system on record. They used underground tunnels, wooden spouts and a grid system that was far ahead of their time.

312 B.C 
The Romans invented the aqueduct system to carry fresh water into the capital city. At their peak, the aqueducts were carrying over 1 billion liters of water a day!

1596 
John Harrington, the godson of Queen Elizabeth, invents the first flushing toilet in England. The original toilet was called “The John,” and that nickname still stands today.

1854 
A cholera outbreak in England forces governments around the world to take sewage seriously. A year later, Chicago became the first American city to build a comprehensive sewer system.

1890
The world's first drinking water treatment systems are built in Massachusetts to reduce microbial contamination. The techniques they invented there are still in existence today!

1920
Tank toilets emerged on the market and reduced previous water consumption by 40%. The tank was made possible when William E. Sloan invented the flush-o-meter 10 years prior. The flush-o-meter used the pressure from the water supply system to help flush waste down the drain. Both of these inventions helped conserve as much as 200 million gallons of water a day.

1966
Due to a copper shortage, plastic piping was invented as an alternative. Today, we refer to this plastic piping as PVC pipe.

Present
The plumbing industry employs close to 500,000 people per year and grossed over $100 billion dollars in 2015.

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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.