Just thinking about life in previous centuries is enough to make you want to give your water heater or toilet bowl a big hug. You don’t have to go back too far in history to find a time when indoor plumbing was hard to find. In fact, only about 14% of Americans owned a bathtub in the 1910s. Take a look at some of the highlights of plumbing history:
1596 – The flush toilet is invented by John Harrington. Although the concept had been introduced, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that the indoor flush toilet started to gain steam. You can thank a sanitary engineer named Thomas Crapper for that. Yep, now you know where we get the slang term “crap.”
1728 – The first underground sewer line is installed. If you’ve ever had to deal with an outhouse or porta-potty, you know that this is an event that we should celebrate every day.
1870 – Water heaters are introduced to society. The only way to get hot water before then was to either boil it or let it slowly warm in the sun. Three cheers for hot water heaters.
So, as you give thanks for your modern plumbing, remember to keep it in tip-top shape. Whether it’s repair or installation, the experts at Zurn Plumbing are ready to help.
