10 Surprising Facts You Didn’t Know About Plumbing

Did you know that the word plumbing comes from the word ‘plumbum’, which is Latin for the element of lead? On the periodic table, the abbreviation is Pb. The first place to employ a plumber was The Tremont Hotel in Boston back in 1829. But commercial plumbing was only utilised at a much later date. In today’s article, we are going to look at some more interesting facts about plumbing that you may not know. 

Invention and Patents 

The first patent for a flushing toilet was issued in 1775 to a man named Alexander Cummings. Even though he was the first to patent it, he wasn’t the person who invented it. The inventor was John Harrington and he did it in 1596. For this reason, a bathroom is often referred to as “the John”.

Water Waste 

You may think that a leaky faucet isn’t a big deal, but you would be wrong. One faucet that drips just once per second, wastes up to 3,000 gallons of water per year! It’s estimated that a household that has leaky taps can waste almost 1 trillion gallons of water annually. So, it’s important to look for leaky taps and have them fixed as soon as possible. 

How to Detect a Leak 

You may not realise that you have a leaky faucet that is wasting water. The best way to determine if your taps are leaking is to track your water usage. If your family of four uses more than 12,000 gallons per month, you know that you have a leak on your hands.

Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period where no one uses water. If the meter changes, this could be the indication of a leak. To identify a leak in the toilet, place a drop of food colouring in the toilet tank. Leave it for 10 minutes, if any colour appears in the bowl, you have a leak. 

Note: flush the colour away after your experiment, to avoid staining the toilet.  

If you suspect a leak but are unsure about these methods, you should call for help. There are always 24/7 emergency plumbing services ready to assist you. A professional plumber can help detect and fix any leaks in your plumbing system.

The Great Toilet Paper Debate 

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to replacing the toilet roll. How do you put the toilet roll on the holder? It’s estimated that 3 out of 4 people prefer to have the flap in the front. But some people do prefer the flap at the back. The debate has been going on in many households over the years.

Did you know? A study costing $100,000 was once done to find out people’s toilet paper hanging preferences?

Found in Pop Culture 

Do you know who the most famous plumber in the world is? Appearing in over 200 video games. Mario and Luigi from The Super Mario Brothers are the most recognised plumbers in the world. They first appeared in 1985. 

Albert Einstein was made an honorary plumber for his contributions to the field.   

Full of Illegal Drugs

Many people use the toilet to dispose of illegal drugs. If you test the water in sewer systems, you would discover a very large number of drugs in the system. There are so many drugs present because 90% of medicines are excreted through urine. 

What is the Most Common Item Flushed?

Other than bodily waste, the most common items flushed down the toilet are children’s toys. This is probably due to kids flushing their toys without their parents noticing.

Coming in at a close second is Smartphones! This could be because phones fall out of people’s pockets when they use the facilities. Many people would rather buy a new phone than stick their hand in the toilet to retrieve their phone. Have you ever dropped your phone down the loo? Would you reach in and get it if you did?

Famous Toilet Deaths 

• Tywin Lannister was murdered by his son while sitting on the toilet, in the popular series ‘Game of Thrones’. 
• King George II died while using the facilities.
• Elvis Presley had a heart attack while using the loo.

The average person spends about three years of their life in the bathroom, so stay safe when using the facilities. 

The Shape of the Manhole Covers 

Did you ever wonder why the shape of a manhole cover is a circle? It was designed this way, so that it can’t fall through the opening to the sewerage system when it’s open. A square lid could fall through when turned on its side. 

The Cleanest Public Toilet 

If you need to use a public toilet, you should use the first stall. Most people will walk past the first one because they think it would be the most used toilet. As a result, it stays cleaner since most people avoid it.

Toilet Theme Park 

Did you know that there is a toilet theme park in South Korea? It was once the home to Sim Jae-duck, who was the founder of the president of the World Toilet Association. Would you visit this unique themed park?

Final Thoughts 

Wow! Who knew that plumbing is so fascinating? Did these facts surprise you? Do you know any other surprising facts that we may have missed? Let us know in the comments.