Technological Innovations That Make Plumbing Work Better Maui Hawaii

The Internet as we know it has been around for less than thirty years and is in a constant state of innovation; as a result we tend to overrate its importance. The plumbing system in our houses has several thousand years of history behind it, and innovation in building materials and fixtures has come very slowly. But guess which system would be easier to live without?

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When talking about plumbing materials, the subject of pipes is always foremost. A means of transporting the water from its source to the faucet was one of the first advancements of civilization. There is evidence of such a system in the Middle-East 5000 years ago. Stone was probably the first piping material. Metal piping came along considerably later. The Romans were among the first to use it. But metals like iron and steel are difficult to work with and can rust and corrode, causing health problems. Therefore, when plastic piping was first invented in Germany in the mid-19th Century it seemed providential. But plastic piping had its problems also; for one thing it was a technological leap that not every nation could follow; for another, the makers of metal piping could see it lessening the demand for their product and fought its use. It was not until the 1920's and 30's that it was used in any great amount in Germany. Even after the war that piping is still in use.

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Plastic piping got off to a slow start in the US. It wasn't until the late 1940's that it made its way into US homes and businesses. It was in the Fifties and Sixties that Plastic piping caught on; it is quieter (no knocking), easier to work with and a good deal more flexible (expands more in the cold).

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Today's innovative plastic piping called PEX (crosslinked polyethylene) is a further improvement over the original plastic piping, PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride). Like the original it is much more resistant to chlorine, scaling and corrosion than metal pipe or anything that came before it. In addition, PEX can actually be twisted into shapes allowing for fewer trips to the hardware store for additional joints.

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Another innovation in plumbing materials is a great improvement in the substances that hold the individual lengths of pipe together. This process has long been difficult, as water seemingly can find its way through or around almost anything. The Romans, the original master-plumbers, solved this by covering joints with lead. The word "plumbing," in fact, derives from the Latin word "plumbus," which means lead. Another method was welding or soldering. Fortunately there are better ways to connect pipes today than slopping liquefied lead on the joints: quick drying epoxy. This wonder substance does not require tape to hold it, is essentially waterproof, and dries in seconds.

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Those master-plumbers the Romans did not have digital computers, of course, but they did support an astonishing variety of baths, fountains, water-heaters and flush toilets. Yes, that's right, flush toilets! Something that disappeared from Europe at the end of the Roman Empire and was not seen again in the West until the 16th Century. The idea certainly is not new, but the flushing methods have improved. Where once the flush depended on water falling from a vessel located far above the toilet, now toilets have highly engineered flushing processes that depend on the shape of the watercourse or the pressure in the mains rather than the height of the toilet mounting. Fixture innovations like these are driven by a need for conserving water. Once where the toilet in the American home used at least seven gallons per flush (GPF), today the government mandates a level of no more than 1.6 GPF. Some do it with as little as.125 GPF.

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Another fixture innovation, the tank-less water heater, may not save water but it certainly saves energy by producing the hot water on demand rather than keeping it simmering in a bowl as has been the method since Roman Times and before. Solar hot water heating is another innovation that saves energy.

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The plumbing system in the modern home has a very ancient lineage and its importance can not be overstated. The Internet may show more day-to-day innovation, but plumbing can also show a number of relatively recent advances.

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The plumbing system in the modern home has a very ancient lineage and its importance can not be overstated. Commercial plumbing has shown a number of relatively recent advances. From 1978 until 1995 polybutylene was installed in millions of commercial buildings. Polybutylene is no longer used in plumbing today.

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