Plumbing Technological Advancements

                                                                                         

In present times most residents of the United Kingdom take properly working plumbing systems for granted. Most do not take the time to think about the history of plumbing or the way plumbing technology has evolved over time. Plumbing has a long and interesting history: a history that is worth exploring.

It was largely during the centuries when Greeks and the Romans ruled the known world that plumbing systems made their way into urban settings. The Greeks and Romans used plumbing to take clean water to the cities and houses and dirty water away from public bathing houses which was done mostly via a network of aqueducts during the Romans' rule. In fact, the Roman way of aqueducts and lead piping was considered sufficient until the nineteenth century when underground piping systems took the place of the aqueduct system.

During ancient times, aqueducts were mostly built out of stone or clay while the pipes leading to and from them were fashioned from lead. Modern plumbing, on the other hand, uses vastly different materials. Today, plastic, steel, brass and copper are widely used for the construction of plumbing systems and pipes. Lead is no longer used because it is highly toxic.

The bath houses that the Romans enjoyed are considered the predecessors of plumbing as it currently exists. Originally, public bathing only occurred while the sun was up because the bath water was only replaced once each day. Remember, it was not until long after the Roman Empire fell that bacterium was discovered and the western world learned how diseases were spread with the obvious implications on bathing and personal hygiene. In Roman times, one water change each day was all they thought they needed.

The modern toilet is, arguably, more important to many modern UK citizens than the aqueducts of the Roman Empire. The toilet that most western citizens are familiar with in today's society was first built in Mohenjo-Darco in approximately 2800 BC. This toilet consisted of a pile of bricks upon which a wooden seat was fixed. These "modern" toilets were only available to the highest members of society and, in fact, would not be used by the masses until the 1800s when the western world adopted them.

Once the western world had adopted the sit down toilets and aqueduct structures of the Roman Empire, the plumbing technology surrounding them expanded very quickly. Within one hundred years, plumbing technology and toilets have gone from the aqueducts of the Roman Empire to the modern efficiencies that most citizens in the United Kingdom take for granted these days.

Today plumbing technology places pipes underground and the open sewage drains and cesspools associated with the aqueducts are mostly gone. Plumbing technology, along with the other marvels of the modern world, continues to increase in cleanliness and efficiency.

About the author:
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about central heating, boilers, Blackheath plumbers, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com