Drain Service Los Angeles: Plumbing Inventions - American Drain Company

YOUR DRAIN SERVICE IN LOS ANGELES AND PLUMBING HISTORY

April 10, 2019

Most of us take plumbing for granted. Not many people have ever considered what life would be like if there were no toilets, running water and water heaters. If you stop and think about it, life without plumbing would be rather different.

We are very lucky to have water on demand and a plumber to fix it when something goes wrong. And imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t have hot water or had to go outside when nature calls. It would be a nightmare for most people.

Plumbing invention over the years started out as complete novelties that soon became a part of our everyday lives. American Drain Company, your drain service in Los Angeles, offers these plumbing inventions that changed the world.

HOT WATER ON DEMAND

If you wanted to take a hot bath in the 19th century, you either had to let the sun do its thing or boil the water. And if you let the sun heat up your water, you had to wait a very long time.

Can you imagine what people thought when water heaters were made available for the very first time?

INDOOR PLUMBING

If you stop for a moment and think about it, indoor plumbing is truly a modern marvel. The network of pipes required to get water to all of your sinks, appliances and other places is both complex and fascinating.

For a long time, indoor plumbing was a novelty that was only used by hotels and the very wealthy. In fact, kitchen sinks didn’t become common in households until the latter part of the 19th century.

SEWER LINES

Don’t even ask what happened in the years before the invention and installation of underground sewer lines. The thought alone is enough to make you shudder and put you off your lunch.

The city of New York installed underground sewer lines only after complaints mounted over the smell of open sewers. Ewwww.

THE TOILET THAT FLUSHES

Thomas Crapper may not have invented the flushable toilet, but he was the one who made them popular. At one point, flushable toilets were around, but nobody really knew about them. Mr. Crapper changes this when he dedicated his career to sanitary engineering and began to market bathroom fittings. Thanks to him, we have flushable toilets in nearly every house and an unfortunate name association.

THE WATER CLOSET

Thanks to the fact that privacy is timeless, versions of the water closet have been around for a very long time. However, water closets didn’t become a household staple until the early 20th century.

The way people used bathrooms before the indoor water closet will definitely send shivers down your first-world spine. If you have ever used a port-a-potty in the winter, you have a good idea just how unpleasant it was.

So, the next time you take a hot shower or enjoy a good book while taking care of business, remember that people didn’t always have it so good. And keep this in mind next time you call American Drain Company for plumbing service. It could be worse, you could be having to use an outhouse.