10 Interesting Plumbing Facts

Plumbing problems, we all have them and they are awful. They smell bad, flood our houses and destroy a lot of stuff. So when the worst happens, who do we call to fix it? The heroic plumber! However, the average person does not know much about the noble profession, so we assembled some facts to enlighten us all about where our modern plumber comes from.

First, a brief history of plumbing: “Plumbing” comes from the word for lead, which is plumbum. People who worked with lead were called Plumbarius, which was eventually shortened to the word we use today. Plumbing dates back to roman times when the Romans used lead pipe inscriptions to prevent water theft. After that virtually no advance in the profession was made until the 19th century when actual sewage systems were created to eliminate cesspools. More recently, technology has taken off and resulted in the modern piping and water treatment that we enjoy everyday.

Here are some crazy facts about plumbing and its rich history.

• Albert Einstein was made an honorary member of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union after he had announced that he would be a plumber if he had to live his life all over again.

• In the technology capitol of the world, Japan, some urinals have voice activated flushing mechanisms. The urinals respond to several commands, including “fire”.

• Over 100,000 US dollars were spent on a study to determine whether most people put their toilet paper on the holder with the flap in front or behind. The answer: three out of four people have the flap in the front.

• 90% of pharmaceuticals taken by people are excreted through urination. Therefore our sewer systems contain heavy dose of drugs. A recent study by the EPA has found fish containing trace amounts of estrogen, cholesterol-lowering drugs, pain relievers, antibiotics, caffeine and even anti-depressants.

• President Richard Nixon had set up a White House Special Investigations Unit to plug intelligence leaks in the governmental processes associated with the Vietnam War. The members of this convert group were popularly called “plumbers.”

• The toilet is flushed more times during the super bowl halftime than at any time during the year. We imagine the 8 million pounds of popcorn, 28 million pounds of potato chips, and 1 billion chicken wings really get to you at halftime.

• Who are the most famous plumbers ever? Mario and Luigi of course! They have been in over 200 games since Mario bros was created in 1985.

• King George II of Great Britain died falling off a toilet on the 25th of October 1760.

• The “Bathroom” has been named many different things in many different places. Here are a few of my favorite ones: The Egyptians named it the House of Horror, the Romans named it the Necessarium for obvious reasons. The Tudors who ruled England for a period of time called the bathroom the privy or house of privacy. People of France call it “La Chambre Sent” meaning the smelly house, self-explanatory of course. Israelis call the bathroom the house of honor, this one confuses us the most.

• The average person spends three whole years of their life sitting on the toilet. We hope you brought a good book.

What NOT to Put Down Your Garbage Disposal

The below 5 things should never go down your disposal:

• Grease, Oil Or Fat
• Starchy Or Stringy Vegetables
• Pasta
• Egg Shells
• Rice

Keep your garbage disposal running smoothly by putting these foods/oils in the trash

Clean Your Garbage Disposal Naturally

A clean, fresh garbage disposal will keep your kitchen smelling great and your plumbing running smoothly. Here’s a quick, easy, and cheap idea for keeping your garbage disposal clean and sharp:

Feed your garbage disposal a steady diet of lemon and vinegar ice cubes. All you need to do is slice up some lemons, place them in ice cube molds (muffin tins will also work), and fill each with vinegar.

When the cubes are frozen, you can store them in a plastic bag in the freezer. Throw a handful in the garbage disposal every few days and let it run until the cubes are dissolved. Voila! It’s a natural way to keep your kitchen smelling nice and your garbage disposal sanitized.

Extend the Life of Your Faucets

• Treat faucets gently. When turning water on and off, use normal hand pressure only.
• Clean chrome fittings with a soft cloth moistened with vinegar, rubbing alcohol, or glass cleaner.
• For lacquered brass faucets, use a mild detergent…for un-lacquered brass faucets, brass cream will do the job nicely.
• If the brass lacquer coating on your faucets gets scratched, you can prevent tarnishing by coating the scratch with clear nail polish.
• Lemon rind works wonders with tarnished brass or copper.
• Older steel faucets and fittings can be scrubbed clean with a mild scouring powder.
• Have you ever seen those hanging toilet bowl deodorants? Well, don’t buy them. They’re prone to slipping and lodging deep in your plumbing system, and can block the line outright or give grease and other debris something to cling to. Also, certain chlorine tablet cleaners may corrode toilet tank components, and before you know it, you’ve got a major hard-to-get-at leak.
• A lemon peel put down your garbage disposal periodically can help keep odors to a minimum.