We are betting you didn’t realise that plumbing is an absolute barrel of laughs. Did you think it was all plungers and sewage?
Well, we are here to debunk that serious myth by providing the ultimate list of fun facts about plumbing – if only to bring a smile to your face when your toilet might be blocked.
Fact 1: The word plumber derives from plumbum. Plumbum is Latin for lead (Pb), so your plumber is a person who used to work with lead. We are not sure calling our engineers a bum would go down so well so we will stick with plumber.
Fact 2: The claim that Mr Crapper invented the toilet is something of an amusing myth. Alexander Cummings invented the first flushing toilet in 1775, but the origin of the idea comes from John Harrington as far back as 1596. Hence, we call the toilet the “John” and also the “Crapper” – Thomas Crapper did help make them popular after all.
Fact 3: You could save up to 3000 gallons of water a year by mending your leaky tap.
Fact 4: Fit a slow flushing toilet, and you could save up to 18000 gallons of water a year. You can save even more if you only flush for a number two.
Fact 5: In the past, the French called the toilet “la chambre sent”, or the room smells. The British call a French toilet a hole in the ground.
Fact 6: Tywin Lannister was killed by his son while sat on the toilet in Game of Thrones. King George II died falling off the toilet. Elvis Presley had a heart attack while doing the business. Keep safe out there, people. You spend three years of your life on this seat.
Fact 7: Albert Einstein claimed he would come back in his next life as a plumber if he had a choice.
Fact 8: The first plumbing work is believed to date back to 4000-3000BC after copper water pipes were discovered in the ruins of an Indian palace.
Fact 9: Flap front or flap back. A survey costing £100,000 found that the correct answer is flap to the front people. Money down the toilet, you might say.
Fact 10: Ozzie Osbourne was an apprentice plumber before he discovered loud music.
Fact 11: The water flows in both directions in either hemisphere. But, let’s not tell the Australians for a while.
Fact 12: Wonder if the plumber thinks of everything? Well, they realised they should design the man covers round so the lid couldn’t fall in if turned on its side. Clever people these plumbers.
Fact 13: Al Moen designed the single-handled tap for the control of hot and cold water.
Fact 14: When trying to invent a fire-protection system, Sir William Congreve perforated a water pipe that ran along the ceiling with a valve that could be turned on outside. This later evolved to become your sprinkler system.
Fact 15: We can thank the Indus River Valley civilisation for our pipes and our drains. They shaped them out of the earth to allow the transportation of water and waste.
Fact 16: There are so many names for the toilet, we can’t keep up. The porcelain throne, the bowl, the hopper, the pot, the can, the loo, the dunny.
Fact 17: People tend to always walk past the first stall in a row of public toilets. Therefore, this is usually the cleanest toilet too!
Fact 18: Apparently Hermann Goring of the Nazi Party refused to use paper. Instead, he wiped his bottom with a soft, white handkerchief each time.
Fact 19: There is often a surge in water use during the half time of major England football internationals. First for the kettle, second for the toilet.
Fact 20: It is possible to buy a completely transparent toilet. We have no idea why you would – but there are all sorts of folk in the world.
Fact 21: There is a toilet-themed park in Seoul, South Korea. It was once the home of Sim Jae-duck, who was the founder and president of the World Toilet Association.
Fact 22: Egyptians would bath twice a day in honour of their goddess.
Fact 23: The wrinkles after staying in the bath for too long are a result of dead keratin cells in your outer layer of skin, which can absorb water. Lower layers of skin do not absorb water, and so causes the puckering effect.
Fact 24: An 8-minute shower uses more water than a bath.
Fact 25: You are 68 times more likely to die in the bath in Japan than in the UK. Maybe this means you should take a 7-minute shower when in the Far East?
We hope you enjoyed this little laugh. Remember, when you need assistance with any of your plumbing services, boiler repairs, heating, electrical or energy needs – no matter how big or small the job – we can help.
Get in touch with a member of our team online, email enquiries@painemanwaring.co.uk or call 01903 237522 (Worthing) | 01243 784711 (Chichester) today.