Plumbing, from the Latin for lead (plumbum), is the skilled trade of working with pipes and tubing for potable water systems and for drainage of waste. Plumbing originated during the ancient civilizations such as Roman, Persian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations as they developed public baths and needed to provide potable water, and drainage of wastes. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping systems, plumbing fixtures and equipment such as water heaters. The plumbing industry is a basic and substantial part of every developed economy due to the need for clean water, and proper collection and transport of wastes.
Plumbing is a system of pipes and fixtures installed in a building for the distribution of potable water and the removal of waterborne wastes. Plumbing is usually distinguished from water and sewage systems, in that a plumbing system serves one building, while water and sewage systems serve a group of buildings or a city. Improvement in plumbing systems was very slow, with virtually no progress made from the time of the Roman system of aqueducts and lead pipes until the 19th century.
Plumbing is a system of pipes and fixtures installed in a building for the distribution of potable water and the removal of waterborne wastes. Plumbing is usually distinguished from water and sewage systems, in that a plumbing system serves one building, while water and sewage systems serve a group of buildings or a city. Improvement in plumbing systems was very slow, with virtually no progress made from the time of the Roman system of aqueducts and lead pipes until the 19th century.
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Last Updated: Sep 2009
Last Updated: Sep 2009
What is Plumbing?
Eventually the development of separate, underground water and sewage systems eliminated open sewage ditches and cesspools.
A building's waste-disposal system has two parts: the drainage system and the venting system. The drainage portion comprises pipes leading from various fixtures to the building drain and then sewer. It is then connected to a private or municipal sewage disposal system. Every fixture is required to have an internal or external trap; traps prevent sewer gases from entering buildings so long as the water seals are maintained.
The venting system consists of pipes leading from the outdoors, usually via the roof, to various points within the drainage system; by providing the circulation of air within the system, it protects the trap seals of fixtures from siphonage and back pressure. The venting system also serves as an outlet for gases created by bacterial consumption of wastes in the system, and admits oxygen to the sewer which speeds digestion.
A building's waste-disposal system has two parts: the drainage system and the venting system. The drainage portion comprises pipes leading from various fixtures to the building drain and then sewer. It is then connected to a private or municipal sewage disposal system. Every fixture is required to have an internal or external trap; traps prevent sewer gases from entering buildings so long as the water seals are maintained.
The venting system consists of pipes leading from the outdoors, usually via the roof, to various points within the drainage system; by providing the circulation of air within the system, it protects the trap seals of fixtures from siphonage and back pressure. The venting system also serves as an outlet for gases created by bacterial consumption of wastes in the system, and admits oxygen to the sewer which speeds digestion.
