Where would we be without plumbing? That’s an easy one to answer we would be digging a very large pit for a toilet in the garden, washing our plates, clothes and getting drinking water by hand from the nearest river or well and possible walking miles to do that or collecting rain water like there was no tomorrow. We need plumbing more than any other utility that comes in to the home or can survive without electricity and if you get cold put on a jumper but water that is essential. To that end if you need to get some plumbing done then a Boiler Installation Forest of Dean based company can be a life line and get you back up and running again.
Plumbing is derived from the word Plumbum which is the Latin word for the metal Lead. So, as is the way with many things in our modern life we can thank the Romans for coming up with the idea. As their influence spread the towns and cities that the local populace flocked to begin to see a rise in health issues and disease. There are many water borne diseases such as typhoid and diphtheria that spread like wildfire in a condensed community of humans. Where it was a village this was not such a problem as the proximity of people was less but when they all get crammed together there are issues. The Roman engineers created a gravity fed system of lead pipes directly to springs and communal fountains so that everyone could have access to water. For inland areas they used aqueducts to channel water into built reservoirs for storage and distribution.
All this knowledge was lost when the Empire collapsed and as with many other institutions and engineering systems the system fell into disrepair. The Dark Ages and Medieval period saw a shrink in populace and knowledge until the Renaissance when Greek and Roman ideas were rediscovered and renewed. The first knew pipes in London where wooden and sealed with animal fat. Lead was eschewed as there was chances that lead poisoning could occur. So corrugated iron and concrete were used to provide a more permanent source of piping as this was cheaper than copper which was used more for the piping in housing and not on a large transference scale.
The main issue with these pipes is that the water can become tainted by the pipes and the development of plastic tubing has become the universal way that type of piping now used. Plastic does not degrade and is not subject to rotting as it can last for hundreds of years without being replaced. It can be moulded to transfer large capacity and is smooth so as not to affect the waters quality.