History of Plumbing
Plumbing existed as early as the ancient civilizations. Plumbing systems were used by the Romans, Persians, Indians, and the Chinese for public baths and to provide potable water and to dispose used water and waste. Until the 19th century from the time of the Roman system of aqueducts and lead pipes, minimal improvements were made in the plumbing systems. One of the major dangers of plumbing system is contamination of potable water. Open sewage ditches and cesspools were eliminated as development led to separate underground water that controlled the incidence of contamination through cross-connections or back-siphoning.
Indoor plumbing existed in fancy homes and buildings but with poor ventilation and drainage systems during the middle of the 19th century. Early plumbers were mostly metal workers capable of making their own pipes by hand. They were not knowledgeable of the science of hydraulics or sanitation. As a result, toilets reeked and were difficult to maintain due to its poorly planned structure. Toilets were connected to non-vented and poorly sloped drainage systems as old plumbing systems relied on the force of gravity to drain.
From the crude water systems of ancient times that relied on gravity to distribute the supply of water in a community, we now enjoy the advantages of networks of high-pressured pumps. Ancient systems of pipes and channels were made from clay, lead or stones but now pipes are available in various materials such as copper, [2] brass, plastic, steel, or other nontoxic materials to convey water of extreme temperatures. At present, drain and vent lines are made of plastic, steel, cast-iron, and lead. Consequently, due to its toxicity, lead is no longer used in modern water-supply piping.[3],[4]It was found that lead cause lead poisoning and the use of lead in present-day plumbing systems is minimal.
Additional development in the history of plumbing systems can be found in the manufacture of pipes. Typical today is the method of casting or welding, forming a tube through extrusion. Thick-walled pipes are thinner-walled and connected now through threading or welding. Special joining techniques were also developed such as soldering, compression fitting, crimping, or for plastics, solvent welding. These are but a few of the advancements in technology and methods of workmanship.