Why did plumbing develop?
Plumbing grew out of a basic problem faced by every permanent settlement: people need a dependable supply of usable water, and wastewater has to go somewhere. As populations increased, wells, open drains and carrying water by hand became inadequate for larger communities.
Early civilizations responded with channels, drains, storage systems and pipes. Archaeological discoveries in the Indus Valley, for example, show sophisticated urban drainage and standardized earthenware plumbing dating to roughly the third millennium B.C.
Early water systems were impressive engineering.
Ancient societies in several parts of the world developed water-management systems suited to their geography. The Greeks constructed fountains, drains and water-supply works. Persian engineers developed underground water channels, while other civilizations built wells, reservoirs and drainage systems.
The Romans later expanded water infrastructure on an enormous scale. Their aqueducts used carefully controlled slopes and gravity to deliver water over long distances to cities, baths, fountains and private buildings. Sewers and drains carried wastewater away.
Where does the word "plumbing" come from?
The English word is connected to the Latin word plumbum, meaning lead. Lead was easy for ancient craftspeople to form into pipes and fittings, and the Romans used it extensively in water-distribution systems.
Modern plumbing has moved away from lead for drinking-water systems because of its health risks. Today's plumbing materials and installation practices are governed by safety standards and plumbing codes that early engineers could never have imagined.
From public works to plumbing inside the home
For much of history, even communities with impressive public water systems did not have anything resembling the plumbing found in a modern house. Indoor plumbing became increasingly practical as pressurized municipal water, underground sewer systems, standardized piping and manufactured fixtures became widespread.
By the twentieth century, indoor toilets, sinks, showers and water heaters had become expected features in American homes. Plumbing codes also became more sophisticated, addressing drainage, venting, contamination prevention and safe water distribution.
The basic principles are still recognizable.
A modern plumbing system is far more advanced than an ancient drain or aqueduct, but some fundamentals have not changed: gravity remains essential to drainage, water must be controlled and directed, joints must remain watertight, and clean water has to be protected from contamination.
Those principles show up every day in ordinary household plumbing—from the trap beneath a sink and the venting of a drain line to the supply connections on a dishwasher or the piping serving a water heater.
Thousands of years later, the job continues.
Today's plumber has better materials, specialized tools and modern diagnostic equipment, but the objective is still to keep water flowing where it belongs and prevent it from going where it doesn't. R & N Plumbing provides that work for homes and businesses in Kingman, Golden Valley and surrounding Mohave County communities.