A time line of running water
The art of providing intricate and stable systems for clean water to run gushing through facilities is an essential and noble skill. It’s developed immensely over the course of time ever since the first Greek eureka moment.
At RWL, were proud of the long running reputation we’ve built up as one of the most reliable and highest quality plumbing services in the country. Established in 1991, RWL has developed and adapted from its infantry stage into the thriving, expert plumbing business it is today. We’ve come along way!
The world of plumbing is ever changing in the modern world in order to make the processes of your plumbing more efficient and cost effective. So, we thought we’d walk you through the history of plumbing so you can understand just how impressive our trade can be! Unclogging pipes and running water has never sounded so exciting!
In the beginning
Around 10, 200 BCE the first initial signs of plumbing were believed to have begun. The use of wells began and this would allow water to be carried in vessels for indoor facilities. Eureka!
In 2000 BCE the first water closet was found in India to be a water woild. Progression of some sort.
Then came the major development in the world of plumbing; the first aqueduct. Greeks created the first known aqueduct in Assyria at around 691 BCE. Soon after then the magical Greeks made another big advancement with the invention of the first water filter by that clever fella Hippocrates, with a simple device that consisted of just a cloth bag.
Although the Greeks did a great job, the romans went above and beyond to create a marvel of architecture that was the first roman aqueduct in 312 BCE built as open troughs and covered soil. The origin of the very name, plumbing also occurred at this time. The term “plumbing” comes from the Latin term “plumbus” meaning “lead” or “one who works in lead. The public toilets which were eventually built were a big improvement, however, instead of toilet paper everyone had to use the same piece of sponge attached onto a wooden handle to do the washing up. Still some way to go…
But after the fall of the Roman Empire many conquered countries lost interest in sanitisation and cleanliness. Roman standards were viewed negatively as the empire and time moved on, and Roman bath houses were looked at as vain and depraved. This view proved dangerous, and the sanitation conditions that followed helped lead to the Black Plague. Very grim.
The medieval times saw the staple of chamber pots being used which were kept in their houses and were collected by open drain channels that ran through the streets.
Approaching the 13th century, washing bats became popular as tools to wash laundry by beating clothing on rocks with running bodies of water.
Flush forward
Then came the Holy Grail; the first flush toilet. In 1596 the genius that was Sir John Harrington invented the first water closet with a flush. A magical moment in the world of plumbing and human civilisation.
When it came to washing clothes, the invention of the washboard came around in the 1700’s – finally some regularly clean clothes!
The sorcery of proper pipe systems wasn’t developed until another 100 years later. After word got around about the efficiency and effectiveness of pipe systems in the 1800’s, most large cities in Europe and the US began to implement them for personal home use. The first large municipal water treatment plant was made in 1804 that provided treated water for residence, in jolly old Scotland!
Although the phenomenon of pipe systems was a massive progression for the plumbing world, the sewer systems that were widely used opened into local rivers which lead to a cholera epidemic resulting in over 10, 000 deaths. A little something to work on at this point in the 1830’s…
Further progression in the toilet world was seen between 1880 and 1880 as the one piece toilet known as the Brahman was invented by Thomas Twyford and the first chain pull toilet was invented in England.
Properly functioning flush toilets were introduced another 10 years later but did not become properly implemented until 1920 for the middle and working class. Poor buggers. At the same time, most water borne diseases relied upon the creation of softer less mineralised water to treat them.
Modern advancements
The Japanese went on to invent the first ever sensor flushing toilet approximately another 100 years later. Very clever!
Ever since then plumbers have been perfecting and advancing their craft to create some of the vast technological advancements they use today. And with the need for more portable water, that’s essential!
RWL undertake design and installation and work across the UK on projects from domestic bespoke bathrooms and heating designs to larger commercial and industrial developments which include air conditioning, ventilation systems, under-floor heating, solar PV and heat pump installations. As a company, RWL continue to look forward and embrace the inevitable technological changes within the Plumbing and Heating Industry.