From showers to toilet lines, sewers, plumbing parts and more, Bradbury Brothers Services has you covered. We know that plumbing problems are never really fun – but we think you’ll find these plumbing facts pretty entertaining!
Weird But True Plumbing Facts
- The word plumbing comes from the Latin word for lead, plumbum. It’s also the reason lead’s abbreviation on the periodic table is Pb.
- The world’s most famous plumbers? Mario and Luigi, of course! They’ve appeared in over 200 video games.
- The flushing toilet was invented in 1596 by John Harrington. Rumor has it that’s where the nickname “John” comes from. “Crapper” stems from Thomas Crapper, who’s responsible for increasing the flushing toilet’s popularity.
- Plumbing parts have unusual names. A ballcock is the tank’s floating mechanism and controls the flow of water.
- Plumbing can even get political! During his presidency, Richard Nixon established a special covert investigations unit which he called the White House Plumbers.
- We think of them as modern fixtures, but the single-handed faucet was invented by Al Moen in 1939.
- Leaky plumbing parts can cost you a fortune. Just two drops per minute from a leaky faucet adds up to a gallon of wasted water a week!
- Plumbing as a service can be traced back to 3,000 B.C. when earthen pipes were used by the Indus River Valley (today Pakistan and northwest India) civilization to transport water and waste.
- Plumbers find strange things in pipes, including fish, mobile phones, false teeth, and snakes!
- Since 1963, the amount of copper piping installed in American homes would circle the Earth 200 times. That’s over 5 million miles!
Give Us a Call
Our plumbing service experts can handle any plumbing parts issue you may have. Do you own a home, condo or investment property in The Woodlands, TX or surrounding areas? To learn more about the services we provide, or to schedule a routine home inspection with Bradbury Brothers Services, contact us today.
