Many people deem that plumbing is serious work and indeed it is. However, it doesn’t mean that there are no interesting facts worth knowing in this area. This article lists down some interesting plumbing facts that you should know.
- You tend to waste over a gallon of water a week with a leaky faucet that drips twice per minute. For this reason, make sure to get in touch with an emergency plumber to handle the leak promptly. In this way, the chances of being surprised with a hefty water bill are minimal, if not totally eliminated.
- For the longest time, children’s toys are the most common items that cause a clog in your toilet. However, in a recent couple of years, smartphones are slowly overtaking them, with many people having their phones fall out of their pockets while in the bathroom.
- It may come as a surprise but Mario and Luigi, the main characters of the Super Mario Brothers, have been the most popular plumbers since 1985. Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that they have appeared in over 200 video games.
- Albert Einstein was an honorary member of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union. This was after the union had heard him claim that in case he was given the chance to live his life over again, he would choose to be a plumber. From there, the union granted him a symbolic membership. Thus, there is more to Mr. Einstein than just being a famous theoretical physicist.
- Archaeologists uncovered evidence that indoor plumbing may have been prevalent even back in 2500 BC because they found indoor plumbing solutions in Egyptian palaces. They also found a part of a water plumbing system at the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. Thus, it may not be the case that indoor plumbing only emerged in 1829, when it was implemented in the Tremont Hotel in Boston.
- Standardised plumbing even came earlier than indoor plumbing. In fact, it dates back to 3000 BC. During this time, the Indus River Valley civilisation leveraged earthen plumbing pipes in providing transportable water and drain wastes.
- $100,000 was spent on a study that aimed to find out the preferences of people when it comes to hanging toilet paper. According to the study, 3 out of 4 people prefer to have the flap of the toilet paper in front. Thus, keep an eye on how you put the toilet paper roll on the holder next time to find out whether you are part of the majority or whether you are part of the 25%.
- There are now more than 28 billion feet of copper piping installed in buildings all over the United States since 1963. This is comparable to a single long copper tube that goes around the earth almost 200 times.
- Have you ever wondered why the toilet is sometimes referred to as “The John” in the United States? Perhaps it can be because Queen Elizabeth I enjoyed the benefit of a flushing toilet so much that her godson, Sir John Harrington, built one for her in 1596. However, the toilet is also known as “The Crapper” mainly because of Thomas Crapper, who, according to urban legends, invented the toilet. Nevertheless, the first-ever patent for a flushing toilet was awarded to Alexander Cummings in 1775.
Final Word
The plumbing facts listed above are only some of the ones that you should know. There are several others such as a low-flush toilet that can save you 18,000 gallons of water annually. You just have to consider that while plumbing may be a serious business, there is a lot more to it that can be quite pretty interesting.
