Did You Know These 5 Fun Facts About Plumbing?

Plumbing is something we use every day, but it’s not often something we think about. It’s just there, in the background, until something goes wrong. But the history of plumbing is fascinating. At least to plumbing nerds like us! For over four decades, we’ve seen and learned a lot. There are all sorts of interesting tidbits and trivial facts about plumbing that you probably never knew.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Fun fact #1:

In the United States, there are over 800,000 miles of public sewers and 500,000 miles of private lateral sewers connecting private property to public sewer lines. That’s a lot of pipes! In fact, if you laid all the sewer pipes in the U.S. end-to-end, they would stretch around the world four times.

Fun fact #2:

Ever wonder why people refer to the bathroom as “the john”? It’s because of John Harrington. He invented the flushing toilet for his godmother – Queen Elizabeth I, in 1596. But the first U.S. patent for a flushing toilet was issued to Alexander Cummings in 1775.

Fun fact #3:

Integrating indoor plumbing in the 1800s was a game-changer for society. Before then, people didn’t understand the relationship between poor sanitary practices and illness. Then in 1829, Isaiah Rogers built eight water closets in the Tremont Hotel of Boston, making it the first hotel in the U.S. to have indoor plumbing.

Fun Fact #4:

While iterations of showers can be traced back to Ancient Greece, William Feetham invented the first mechanical shower in 1767. His system worked by using a pump to push water into a bucket above a person’s head and then pulling a chain to release it. While the idea was innovative, the gadget wasn’t popular since there was no way to pipe hot water into the system. And who wants to take a cold shower?!

Having trouble with your plumbing?

Raider Rooter has been helping South Florida maintain and manage its plumbing and sewer since 1978. So, let us put our expertise to work for you. And if you’re after tips and tricks for frequent plumbing problems, consult our blog for thorough and helpful information.