Plumbing is not a modern invention. It originated during ancient civilizations. The ancient Greek, Persian, Indian, Roman and Chinese cities developed public baths, which only meant providing water and evacuating it. Providing potable water for larger numbers of people became a priority, as wastewater removal too. The word itself, plumbing, has a Latin origin, and the practice itself is dated as far as 2700 B. Chr.

The artistry of plumbing (yes, you probably never imagined it this way, in these terms), reached a milestone in ancient Rome. Expansive systems of aqueducts were introduced, tile wastewater was removed and lead pipes, which prevented theft, became of widespread use. A proper plumbing system is connected culturally to sanitary communities and expanding economies. The Fall of Rome sadly certified that, hence both water supply stagnated and sanitation regressed. From that moment, it is known that modern societies have never returned to better hygiene until the 19th century, and cities like Paris have had difficulties especially with wastewater management until later on. Epidemics and diseases are linked to health and hygiene standards, which are guaranteed in a city through the invisible connections of plumbing. If you can imagine a community making a living without electricity or authority, that wouldn’t be so shocking and perhaps it would actually be quite manageable. But a community of people living together, with or without a political organization, cannot exist without water – and the times of buckets carried on people’s shoulders from the public fountain to their homes are long gone.

Plumbing integrates the whole cycle of water in nature, not only in your apartment. Your use of water is provided by natural phenomenons, waste-water returns to its natural setting, and any plumbing system is a sort of intermediate. If you look at it this way and understand how come it’s so critical to have efficient plumbing solutions for your environment, you get the bigger picture.

Some people did, in earlier times. Little did they know that collecting waste and dumping it elsewhere, like on the ground or into a river, wouldn’t be enough. Authorities later developed separate, underground water and sewage systems, which eliminated cesspools and sewage ditches.

Today, the majority of large cities pipe solid waste to sewage treatment plants. That way, water can be separated and partially purified. Galvanized iron piping, followed by copper piping (adjusted through soft copper with flared fittings firstly, after which came to use the rigid copper tubing, utilizing soldered fittings) are essential to the history of plumbing. After World War II, lead pipes were changed and declined, as they posed a health risk through lead poisoning. Even if ancient water systems relied on pipes or channels made of clay, bamboo, wood or stone and also on gravity, today it’s pretty hard to imagine a system involving any of those in any modern city. In our times, most plumbing supply pipe consists of steel, copper and plastic.