The plumbing industry has come a long way to become what it is today. There have been very many plumbing inventions over the centuries and millennia. Although it doesn’t come across as the funniest of industries, the plumbing industry has had its fair share of fun happenings over the years. Today we will look at some very funny and even weird facts about plumbing, starting with the history of plumbing. We will also look at the history of one of the most commonly used consumer products, which is tissue paper. We will move on to some fun facts about the toilet. We will also look as some weird plumbing terms and their meanings. We will also tell you the busiest day in plumbing every year before concluding with news about the world plumbing day.
Very Early Beginnings
The word plumbing is borrowed from the Latin word for lead, which is plumbum. And as you already know, the chemical symbol for lead is Pb. The first plumbing systems can be traced back to ancient Egypt as far back as 2,500 B.C. Some history scholars have also indicated that the Indus River Valley civilization installed plumbing system far earlier in 3,000 B.C. They used earthen pipes for water supply and waste disposal or drainage. 1760 B.C. is the year when standard plumbing seems to have started in Babylonia with the construction of water supply canals and drainage channels. By 800 B.C., Rome has built the first sewers in the city for water disposal.
Toilet Paper History
The first toilet paper was used in 6th century A.D. in medieval China. The inventor of the modern commercial toilet paper was Joseph Gayetty, who marketed single sheet toilet paper in 1857. He was quite unsuccessful in his venture. The first successfully marketed toilet paper was a small roll of perforated paper introduced in 1867. The first patent for toilet paper and dispensers was issued in 1883 in New York. The first 2-ply toilet paper was introduced in 1942 in England. Around 4 billion people, or over 70% of the earth’s population, do not use toilet paper today. But we still produce over 83 million rolls of toilet paper daily.
Fun Toilet Facts
The oldest toilet in the world was constructed over 2,000 years ago in China. John Harrington invented the flushing toilet in 1596, hence the nickname “the John” for the toilet. Thomas Crapper popularized the flushing toilet hence the nickname the “crapper” for the toilet. Alexander Cummings is known for obtaining the first patent for the flushing toilet in 1775. You will spend three years of your life sitting on a toilet if you add up each and every bathroom visit. Interestingly enough, the cleanest toilet stall in a public bathroom is usually the first one, because it’s very rarely used.
Weird Plumbing Terms And Their Meanings
You might have come across some of these plumbing terms when requesting DC commercial plumbing services or residential plumbing services and wondered what they mean. Sample the following. The ballcock is the float ball, a controlled fill valve that regulates the flow of water from into the toilet tank. Snaking refers to the plumbing process of unclogging drainage and sewer lines using a long flexible metal wire. An O-ring is a round rubber seal or washer that is used to implement watertight seals. When you thread two opposite sections off a pipe or pipe end, then you are fitting/mating/coupling.
Busiest Day In Plumbing
Di you know that the busiest day in plumbing is Super Bowl Sunday? The toilet is flushed more times at halftime of the super bowl than at any other time during the year. Sewer service providers are kept very busy that night and the next day.
World Plumbing Day
The world plumbing day is on March 11 every year. People celebrate by enhancing water access and proper sanitation to curb water-related preventable diseases.