Plumbing

History of Plumbing

When was plumbing invented? As mentioned above, plumbing has been around for over 3,700 years. However, it was the Romans who took plumbing took plumbing to the next level. This makes sense, as Romans were obsessed with water. This obsession is still evident today in Rome's large public fountains and extensive bath complexes.

To ensure water flowed into cities at all times, ancient Romans became masters of capturing, diverting, and supplying water to their towns and cities. They developed systems of aqueducts and used lead pipes to help move the water. In fact, "plumbing" derives its name from the Latin word plumbum used to describe lead.

Plumbing 101

Plumbing utilizes a specific tlaw of nature: water flows downhill.

In 1842, engineers in New York City revolutionized the indoor plumbing system with this principle, and it is this very law of nature that allows our modern plumbing system to work. Once water is pumped to the top of water towers, nature does the rest. As shown above, water runs down into pipelines that run through the city streets and into homes and businesses. Gravity pushes the water down into the pipes, and the pressure sends fresh water through the pipe systems into buildings.

After the water has entered a building, gravity once again comes into the picture to help remove the wastewater. Gravity pushes the used water into sewer pipes that are located on a lower grade below the building. From there, the water is off to the sewage waste facility.

With the water principle at work, the need for plumbers becomes evident. Someone has to make sure the plumbing lines keep the water flowing.

Types of Plumbing Pipes

Pipes come in all types of material and sizes. Some lines are designed to transport wastewater, while others are designed to bring in fresh water. Here is a breakdown of the primary plumbing pipes used today:

One common question asked with regard to plumbing is what size pipe is best to use for house plumbing? You will want to review the actual water piping system codes to determine the answer to that. The last thing any plumber wants to do is have to redo any work performed because it doesn't meet specific local regulations.

Plumbing Diagram

There are numerous objects connected to the inner pipes of a building. The water heater, toilets, sinks, tubs, showers, and vents are connected to the internal plumbing system. A diagram can help plumbers visualize how water lines are supposed to look inside the walls and when someone has to repair older pipes, visual tools and diagrams become a necessity. Here are three of the most common types of visual plumbing diagrams:

Employment Numbers

The word plumber comes from the Latin word "plumbum", meaning "lead". The first effective pipes used in the Roman era were made from lead pipes.

Plumbers work in factories, homes, businesses, and other places where there are boilers, heaters, and piping systems. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) reports that plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters held about 480,600 jobs in 2016. The largest employers of these workers are as follows:

Occupations

Who is a plumber? For married women, a plumber is a person who repairs what the husband has tried fixing. Simply put, when you cannot fix your drainage problem, you call the plumber. They install and repair water, drainage, gas, and other piping systems.

According to the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors National Association (new window), he transition from the outhouse to indoor plumbing spurred gasfitters and metalworkers to specialize in plumbing. Today's modern plumbing industry involves workers that maintain plumbing fixtures, fittings, and equipment.

The following workers make up this industry today:

Work Activities

Coming from Einstein, we might all want to consider the plumbing career path and trade. This tradesman performs a wide variety of activities during a workweek, most times working on their own and independent.

Plumbers can be found installing fixtures such as appliances, dishwashers, bathtubs, toilets, dishwashers, and water heaters. They also maintain septic systems that collect waste from houses and that are not connected to a sewer system.

A plumber's work ranges from feeding cable, lifting heavy materials and thawing pipes. Here are many of the activities you will find a plumber doing:

Important Terms

A Plumber’s Tool Bag

In order for a plumber to complete the above activities, they need tools... A plumber's tool bag has an array of different equipment. From drain-cleaning tools, specialty wrenches, and tools for working with a pipe, here are some of these workers use.

Plumbing Materials

The plumbing system inside any residential or commercial building is filled with all types of material. Here are some of the most common materials plumbers use:

We highlight all of the above materials and tools for a straightforward reason: working with all of these materials in a variety of plumbing applications can potentially cause injury. As you'll soon discover, plumbing is not the industry for those concerned about rough working environments.

Safety

When you examine the injury statistics by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Plumbing/HVAC is by far the most dangerous construction sub-industry. In 2019, there were over 13,000 injuries reported in the plumbing and HVAC sector, with electrical contractors coming in with the second-highest number of injuries at 7,740 injuries. Plumbing ranks #7 out of 18 total construction sub-industries for incidents. For every 100 people, there is an injury experienced by 3.5 workers. This number is lower than other industries, in part because of the sheer volume of contractors, over 1 million, operating in the U.S. as plumbers and HVAC workers.

At MCR Safety, we believe the numbers never lie. Here are some other numbers and stats the BLS provides that plumbing and HVAC contractors should consider:

Plumbing PPE

Due to the number of cut and laceration injuries experienced by those in the plumbing trade, cut-resistant products are a must-wear type of PPE. Don't worry, plumbers, we make multiple styles that are waterproof! Here is a broad list of personal protective equipment (PPE) MCR Safety supplies to help plumbing contractors stay protected:

Interesting Plumbing Facts

Before we highlight the additional safety hazards plumbers face, let's leave you with some fascinating plumbing facts.

When you are on the job plumbing, snaking a line, installing a water heater, or soldering a pipe, let MCR Safety keep you safe!