The History of Plumbing

"Throughout the years, plumbing has been a household term for everything in relation to sewerage and piping. Plumbing in Alberta is crucial to a handyman’s job for it deals with complicated fixtures and repairs. We can say that we owe our knowledge in plumbing to home improvement programs that tackle modern plumbing techniques, do-it-yourself furnace repair in Calgary and furnace replacement in Calgary, but did you know that plumbing has been a practice since the ancient Babylon?

Plumbing is derived from the Latin word “plumbum” which means “lead.” Technically, plumbing refers to the facility used in small and big buildings, which consists of pipes and fixtures for the distribution of water or gas, and sewage disposal. Meanwhile, the word sewer comes from the French word essouier which means ""to drain"".

The fluvial terrain, massive walled city and network of canals in the ancient Babylon (now Iraq) inspired the budding plumbers to develop bathroom and irrigation systems for homes and palatial structures. The rivers were adjacent to the streets and were mainly used as depositories for human waste and rubbish materials.

The bathroom of the rich was a 15 feet squared cubicle built at the south-end of the house. However, ordinary folks used the banks of canals or the cisterns in the courtyards. According to archeologists, the first toilets were found in the palace of Sargon the Great. These had high seats that brought the latrine off the floor in the western style. The sewer was 3.28 feet high and 16 feet long mounted over the baked bricks.

Across the Mediterranean Sea from Mesopotamia, the ancient people of Crete and their Minoan kings left their mark on the early annals of history. Between 3000-1500 B.C., early plumbers had laid elaborate systems of sewage disposal and drainage that resemble what is applied today. The terra cotta tub of King Minos in Knossos was the first formal tub design to be adapted by modern times.

The first sewers were built in Rome between 800 B.C. and 735 B.C., preceding the first aqueduct by about 500 years. The Cloaca Maxima is one of the largest of the ancient sewers still in use. It was designed to carry off the surface water, and otherwise provide drainage for the entire city.

The coming of the 15th century paved the way for the invention of “Ajax water closet” designed by Sir John Harrington. He built the toilet in 1596 exclusively for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth I. In 1775, Alexander Cumming improved the Ajax water closet and built the “S” trap. The S trap had a sliding valve underneath to hold the water. Three years later, Joseph Bramah, a locksmith and engineer, patented an improved version with two hinged valves.

In 18th century, England passed a law on Public Health Act, which mandated the use of sanitary toilets in every house. The government also released 5 million British pounds for sanitary research and engineering, and began to build a sound sewer system.

Through this law, people discovered ways to improve the plumbing system. Names associated to successful inventions are Josiah Wedgwood, George Jennings, Thomas Twyford, and John Shanks.

Modern age scientists should also be credited for great contributions to plumbing. Today, we have better plumbing services in Calgary and heating in Alberta.

Engineers at the Emerson Motor Company in St. Louis have developed a 3.3-inch motor and a .2 horsepower pump that fits in a toilet tank to add speed and power to each flush. These motorized toilets incorporated a steeper bowl than other gravity style toilets to allow wastewater to flow out easier. A slanted bowl and pressurized flush also allow the system to employ less water than a traditional gravity-flow toilet. To operate, the unit is plugged into a standard outlet in the bathroom. To date, Kohler Co. is the first plumbing manufacturer to market this technology. Emerson partnered with pump manufacturers, Zoeller Company and Hydromatic Pump Company, to develop a plumbing system that liquefies waste.