Fun & Interesting Facts About Plumbing

You’d never know but modern plumbing is an interesting story with a fascinating history. From the beginning, plumbing has always been a feature of our modern lives that are always looking to get improved. From indoor single handle faucet to sprinkler systems, we can’t help but list out some of the more interesting facts about the plumbing industry.

Here is our list of fun and intriguing facts about plumbing, brought to you by all of us here at HP Mechanical in Santa Rosa, CA.

• Standardized plumbing can be traced back to around 3,000 B.C. when the Indus River Valley civilization used earthen plumbing pipes to provide transportable water and drain wastes.
   
• If you have a leaky faucet that drips twice per minute, you’ll waste over a gallon of water in a week.
   
• The flushing toilet was invented by John Harrington in 1596, which is where we get the nickname “the John.” We also call the toilet “the crapper” because of Thomas Crapper, who widely increased the popularity of it.
   
• The word “plumber” comes from the Latin word “plumbum,” which means “lead.”
   
• The first fire sprinkler system was invented by a British man named Sir William Congreve. He perforated pipes along the ceiling and installed a valve outside the building that could be opened to send water through them.
   
• Manhole covers are circular because if they’re turned sideways, they can’t fall through their own opening.
   
• Albert Einstein was made an honorary member of the Plumbers and the Steamfitters Union after he had announced that he would be a plumber if he had to live his life all over again.
   
• There are two different types of plungers – a toilet plunger and a sink/shower plunger. Toilet plungers narrow at the bottom to fit into the toilet while sink/shower plungers are flat.
   
• In 1939, Al Moen invented the single-handle faucet that can control hot and cold water in just one turn.
   
• Insulating your home’s pipes can reduce the amount of heat lost as your water travels from your heater to your faucet. You’ll run less water waiting for it to warm up and save money on your utility bills.
   
• The floating mechanism in your toilet’s water tank is called a ballcock and it controls the flow of water.

About HP Mechanical

For many years, HP Mechanical has proudly provided comfort to thousands of homes and light commercial businesses across the Santa Rosa/Windsor area and throughout Sonoma County. We are an honest, loyal company who takes pride in our work. We take care of our customers as if they were family. Referrals are where 90% of our business comes from, so the relationships we build along the way mean a lot to our small business. The one constant with everything involves working and helping people, by striving to provide the best service available at a reasonable cost. We take personal responsibility to make sure comfort and quality meets accountability & affordability, with exceptional customer service every time!

Sources: Wikipedia and Reuters