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Engineering Utilities 2
Module 1 – History of Plumbing

Prepared by:

Engr. Kurt Harvey D. Banayo

BSCE Instructor
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HISTORY OF PLUMBING SYSTEM

Nearly 4000 years ago, the ancient Greeks had hot and cold water systems in buildings. The
Minoan Palace of Knossos on the isle of Crete had terra cotta (baked clay) piping laid
beneath the palace floor. These pipes provided water for fountains and faucets of marble,
gold, and silver that offered hot and cold running water.

Drainage systems emptied into large sewers

constructed of stone. Surprisingly, although hot
and cold water systems were in place, for the
Spartan warrior it was unmanly to use hot water. 2
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The first storm sewers of Rome were built about 2800 years ago. Over 2000 years ago, the
Romans had in place highly developed community plumbing system in which water was
conveyed over many miles by large aqueducts.

Water was then distributed to residences in lead pipes. By the 4th century C.E., Rome had 11
public baths, over 1300 public fountains and cisterns, and over 850 private baths.

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VIDEO 1: Aqueducts: Technology and Uses - Ancient Rome Live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5AT0XY2Hi0

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The Roman “plumber” was an artisan who worked with lead. Both male and female plumbers
soldered, installed, and repaired roofs, gutters, sewers, drains, and every part of the plumbing
supply, waste, and storm drainage systems.

The term “plumbing” is derived from the Latin word “plumbum” for
lead (Pb). Historians theorize that lead leaching into drinking water
from water supply pipes and lead from other sources poisoned the
Roman aristocracy, contributing to the decline of the Roman Empire.

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King Minos of Crete owned the world’s first

flushing water closet with a wooden seat and a
small reservoir of water, over 2800 years ago.

In the Far East, archaeologists in China

recently uncovered an antique water closet
in the tomb of a king of the Western Han
Dynasty (206 B.C.E. to 24 C.E.). It was
complete with running water, a stone seat,
and a comfortable armrest.

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The decline of the Roman Empire and an

outbreak of deadly bubonic plague that killed an
estimated one-third of the European population
during the Middle Ages resulted in the decline of
public baths and fountains. The period from 500 to
1500 C.E. was a dark age in terms of human
hygiene; community plumbing became almost
nonexistent.

At the end of the Middle Ages, London’s first water 4

system was rebuilt around 1500. It consisted partly
of the rehabilitated Roman system with the
remainder patterned off of the Roman’s design.

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Pumping devices have been an important way of moving fluids for thousands of years. The
ancient Egyptians invented water wheels with buckets mounted on them to move water for
irrigation.

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Over 2000 years ago, Archimedes, a Greek mathematician, invented a screw pump made of
a screw rotating in a cylinder (now known as an Archimedes screw). This type of pump was
used to drain and irrigate the Nile Valley.

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VIDEO 2: Archimedes Screw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-xPRbj88V4

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The beginnings of modern plumbing began in the early 1800s, when steam engines became
capable of supplying water under pressure and inexpensive cast iron pipes could be
produced to carry it. Still it was considered unhealthy to bathe. In 1835, the Common Council
of Philadelphia nearly banned wintertime bathing (the ordinance failed by two votes). Ten
years later, Boston prohibited bathing except on specific medical advice.

Finally, it was through observation of

several cholera epidemics in the mid-1800s
that epidemiologists finally recognized the
link between sanitation and public health.
This discovery provided the thrust for
modern water and sewage systems. In
1848, England passed the national Public
Health Act, which later became a model
plumbing code for the world to follow. It
mandated some type of sanitary disposal
in every residence such as a flushing toilet
or an ashpit privy.

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In America, like Europe, colonial hygiene and sanitation were poor. Colonial bathing
consisted of infrequent baths in ponds or streams. New World settlers emulated the Native
Americans’ discharge of waste and refuse in running water, open fields, shrubs, or forests. As
in Europe, colonials living in town would empty their chamber pots by tossing excrement out
the front door or window onto the street. As early as 1700, local ordinances were passed to
prevent people from throwing waste in a public street. Eventually, use of the privy slowly
became accepted.
Drinking water in colonial America came from streams,
rivers, and wells. It was commonly believed at the time that
foul-tasting mineral water had medicinal value. Around the
time of the American Revolution, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a
signer of the Declaration of Independence and surgeon
general under George Washington, had the bad fortune of
having a well with horribly tasting water at the site of his
Pennsylvania home. Townspeople rushed to his well to get
drinking water in hopes that its medicinal value would cure
ailments. Unfortunately, when Dr. Rush’s well dried out from
overuse, it was discovered too late that the well was
geologically connected underground to the doctor’s privy. 15
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Boston and later New York built the country’s first waterworks to provide water for firefighting
and domestic use about 1700. The wooden pipe system, laid under roads, provided water at
street pumps or hydrants. Water pipes were made of bored-out logs. Wooden pipes were
common until the early 1800s, when the increased pressure required to pump water into
rapidly expanding streets began to split the pipes. In 1804, Philadelphia earned the distinction
as the first city in the world to adopt cast iron pipe for its water mains. Chicago is credited
with having the first comprehensive sewerage project in the United States, designed in 1885.

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Inside running water and toilets were not common in the U.S. home until well into the mid-
1900s. The Census of 1910 indicated that only about 10% of American homes had inside
running water. Farms during that time relied on well water, with many powered by hand
pumps and windmills.

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MODERN PLUMBING SYSTEM

Modern cities have sophisticated water delivery and wastewater treatment systems. In
buildings, the plumbing system performs two primary functions: water supply and waste
disposal. A complete plumbing arrangement consists of a water supply system, a sanitary
drainage system, and a wastewater treatment system.

The water supply system consists of the

piping and fittings that supply hot and
cold water from the building water
supply to the fixtures, such as
lavatories, bathtubs, water closets, 9
dishwashers, clothes washers, and
sinks.

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The waste disposal system consists of

the piping and fittings required to take
that water supplied to the fixtures out of
the building and into the sewer line or
disposal field. This system is typically
referred to as a sanitary drainage
system or drain, waste and vent (DWV)
system.

Because of environmental concerns,

wastewater treatment is also an important
component of waste disposal from building
plumbing systems. Although most buildings
rely upon district or community water
treatment plants to dispose of their sewage,
some buildings and facilities operate their
own operations.
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Essentially, a plumbing system is a network of pipes, fittings, and valves that carry and control
flow of supply water and wastewater to and from points of use known as fixtures.
Fixtures are components, receptacles, or pieces of equipment that use water and dispose of
wastewater at the point of water use.

Piping is a series of hollow channels that carry water to

and wastewater from plumbing fixtures.

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Fittings are used to connect lengths of pipe in the piping network.

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Valves are used to regulate or control flow of water.

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Types of plumbing pipes, fittings, valves, and fixtures are to be discussed later on because
they relate to the water supply and sanitary drainage systems.

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VIDEO 3: Modern Marvels: The Invention of Indoor Plumbing | History

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK8wLWpP6bk

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Thank you! :)

-El Professor

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