How Much Do You Know About Plumbing?
There are facts about any industry out there, but plumbing probably isn’t one you look up and read about very often—or ever. But when you have trouble with your plumbing, whether it’s a small leak or a burst pipe, you are thinking about your plumbing quite often. You’re also wishing that your plumbing was working as it should. While you let the professionals take care of the issues so your repairs are reliable, that leaves you a little time to learn more about the history of plumbing and the facts that go into the industry. Here are a few you might find interesting.
The Plumbing Origin
The word ‘plumbing’ comes from Latin, like many other English words. The Latin word that spurred the plumbing word in English was Plumbum, which actually means lead. Lead was the material they used on early plumbing systems in the Roman Empire. That’s not necessarily a good thing since there would have been a lot of lead in their drinking water. In fact, if you have any lead pipes, have your plumbing company replace them right away.
Not All Plungers Are Alike
Plungers are plungers, right? That’s actually not the case. There are different types of plungers and they serve different purposes. Sink and toilet plungers, for example, have different shapes. Toilet plungers are long and narrow to fit the toilet drain better and sink plungers are flat to give you easier access to those clogs. It’s good to have both in the house for fast fixes and no one really wants to put their toilet plunger in the sink anyway, right?
Small Drips Waste Big Water
If you have a leaky faucet that drips after you turn it off, the noise might annoy you, but that one drip isn’t going to waste much water, right? Wrong. Faucets that drip even one time per second can waste a full gallon of water every four or so hours. That adds up to give gallons per day and 2000 gallons in a year. That can make a big difference on water bills and it’s really wasteful to utilize clean water in that manner. It’s literally going down the drain. So even one small drip can add up quickly and should make it on to your priority list to get it repaired soon.
More About Your Plumbing
While looking at the background behind plumbing can be interesting, you’re probably more interested in the state of your current plumbing. If you’re having any kind of plumbing issue, call Stephens Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. We can come in emergency situations or set up a time that is convenient for you to take care of non-pressing issues, like that leaky faucet. We’ll also sign you up for a plumbing inspection so we can investigate possible leaks, efficiency issues, and everything else. Your plumbing should operate like a dream and it can if you have the right experts on the job, helping with anything from large to small.