Never Take for Granted the Convenience of Indoor Plumbing

By Bill Primavera

Sometimes I’m asked where I get the ideas for my articles, and it’s easy to answer: I just write about what I live.

Just today, when I flushed the toilet, then turned on the sink in my bathroom and the clean water magically rushed in without any effort on my part, I thought, ah, there we have it for this week: indoor plumbing.

When I first moved to Westchester, it was to a very old home, built in 1734. In the backyard was an unsightly, crumbling outhouse, which I soon had removed. As I did so, I considered how rough it must have been to visit that facility during the winter.

In researching the history of indoor plumbing online, I was reminded of how much I admire the talents and work of home service professionals, especially those who know a lot about the background of their work. I found a plumber in Virginia named John C. Flood who had added to his website the history of plumbing, which he had personally researched, and I give full credit for his work in the following timeline.

Flood teases the reader with the following introduction: “The history of plumbing is extremely long and didn’t always involve indoor plumbing. While we often take modern indoor plumbing for granted, it hasn’t always been so convenient.”

Then he goes on to trace the many decades it took to develop, starting between 4000 and 3000 B.C. Archaeologists discovered the first water pipes in the Indus River in India, dating back to this time when Egyptian ruler Menes supported a thriving civilization by constructing canals, irrigation ditches and basins.

By 2500 B.C., Egyptians developed copper pipes in order to build sophisticated bathrooms with irrigation and sewage systems inside pyramids. Believing the dead required food, clothing and other such essentials in the afterlife, Egyptians installed bathrooms in tombs as well. Around this time, sitting toilets appear in the Harappa civilization (now India), although it is not known exactly who invented the toilet.

Between 1500 and 1000 B.C., under the reign of King Minos, the people of Crete created elaborate sewage disposal and drainage systems with underground channels. During the same period, the first flushing toilet was invented, complete with a wooden seat. Archeologists have also discovered a bathtub resembling cast-iron ones from the late 19^th century in America.

Around 710 B.C., Assyrian King Sargon the Great invented the first shower by having slaves on ladders pour water over him while he bathed.

Between 500 B.C. and 455 A.D., the Roman Empire developed complex ancient plumbing systems along with aqueducts, underground sewers, public baths, bronze and lead piping systems, and even marble fixtures. Around 52 A.D., Rome boasted an estimated 220 miles of aqueducts, pipes and water channels used to supply baths, homes and public wells. The water channels were powered by gravity and carried 300 gallons of fresh water for Rome’s citizens.

In 1596, Sir John Harrington, godson of Queen Elizabeth I, designed the first flushing toilet for his godmother – first used in the Richmond Palace. He also created a flushing water closet for himself at his home. The contraption included a seat, a bowl and a water cistern behind the seat.

In 1640, King Louis XIV of France ordered the construction of a cast-iron main plumbing line, which carried water about 15 miles from a plumbing station to the palace fountains as well as surrounding areas.

The prototype for the modern toilet was first developed in 1775 by Scottish inventor Alexander Cummings. Harrington’s water closet was able to flush, but it did not have a water trap. Cummings’ prototype included an S trap (a sliding valve between the bowl and the trap) that allowed some water to stay in the bowl. As a result, the water no longer smelled like sewage, and the bowl could be easily cleaned after every use.

In 1804, Philadelphia was the first city that switched entirely to cast iron pipes to create a new system of water delivery.

In 1829, the Tremont Hotel of Boston was the first hotel to feature indoor plumbing for guests. Eight water closets were built by Isaiah Rogers. Until 1840, indoor water closets were commonly found in the homes of the rich and luxury hotels. Soon, soap was introduced during bathing and catches on for hygiene purposes.

The White House first received running water in 1833 on the main floor. Upstairs plumbing was later introduced when President Franklin Pierce was in office.

Chicago was the first U.S. city to have a comprehensive sewer system, finished in 1885, and in 1891, Thomas Crapper (no jokes about the name) patented his valve-and-siphon design, updating the modern toilet in the process. His work revolutionized the modern concept of plumbing.

In 1910, the elevated water tank became the most contemporary closed toilet water tank and bowl that most people have in their bathrooms today.

In 1996, non-metallic and plastic piping systems were first introduced for toilets.

In 2003, the International Code Council (ICC) was formed through the union of three model building code agencies. The council helps to ensure that all future developments follow a strictly enforced code and standard in all projects.

And thus, we have the modern conveniences afforded by plumbing that most of us take for granted. But just think for a moment what we’d do without them!

Bill Primavera is a realtor associated with William Raveis Real Estate and founder of Primavera Public Relations, Inc. (www.PrimaveraPR.com). To engage the services of The Home Guru to market your home for sale, call 914-522