When Was Indoor Plumbing Invented?
In America, indoor plumbing systems were not common in most homes until after the mid-19th century, when cities developed efficient water and sewage systems. Nowadays, nearly every home in America has indoor plumbing. However, in the past, indoor water supply was a luxury reserved for royalty and the wealthy. In this article, we will present a brief history of plumbing.
The Flushing Toilet
King Minos of Crete owned the first flushing toilet. The flushing toilet had a wooden seat. Crete had an extensive water supply system at that time, more than 2800 years ago. The idea to create a flushing water closet resurfaced in 1594. Sir John Harrington created a water closet for his godmother, Queen Elizabeth I.
He installed it in Richmond Palace and then created another unit in his house for use by his family. The queen never used the closet because she was afraid of the noises it would make. Sir Harrington was also ridiculed for the toilet and he never built another set.
Two hundred years passed before someone else took up the idea of realizing the toilet. People used the ostrich while the more civilized and wealthy used a chamber pot. In the early 1800s, people had outbuildings with holes. The challenge was to create a sanitary room in the house without the mess and smell that goes with it.
An architect, Thomas Jefferson, designed an indoor toilet. He created a system of pulleys that his servants would use to pull the chamber pots away. The system had a wooden seat with a pot on top. He also designed two outbuildings in different houses. However, the designers of New York City's Central Park found the system unhealthy and ugly.
He installed it in Richmond Palace and then created another unit in his house for use by his family. The queen never used the closet because she was afraid of the noises it would make. Sir Harrington was also ridiculed for the toilet and he never built another set.
Two hundred years passed before someone else took up the idea of realizing the toilet. People used the ostrich while the more civilized and wealthy used a chamber pot. In the early 1800s, people had outbuildings with holes. The challenge was to create a sanitary room in the house without the mess and smell that goes with it.
An architect, Thomas Jefferson, designed an indoor toilet. He created a system of pulleys that his servants would use to pull the chamber pots away. The system had a wooden seat with a pot on top. He also designed two outbuildings in different houses. However, the designers of New York City's Central Park found the system unhealthy and ugly.
The Tremont Hotel Case
In 1826, architect Isaiah Rogers designed the indoor plumbing for his hotel, the Tremont Hotel in Boston. The covered sanitation made the Tremont Hotel one of the best in the US.
The hotel had eight cabinets on the ground floor. The bathrooms, located in the basement, received cold water from the same source that supplied the laundromat and kitchen with water. It also had tin or copper bathtubs with a gas stove on one side to heat the water. The system was not efficient because the water in the bath had to circulate until the water became warm.
Bathhouses were already common in the Northeast by 1800. However, it was much later that hotels and city houses had bathtubs. To make bathtubs, there had to be a water supply and drainage system.
In the Tremont hotel, the water came from a metal storage tank on the roof. The hotel used a steam pump to pump the water to the roof tank. They then had a cart that removed the waste water from the house.
After five years, Rogers wanted to improve his work at the Tremont Hotel, but now in a different hotel. He designed the Astor House, which was six stories tall and had 17 rooms with water closets. These closets could serve up to 300 guests. The Astor House and Tremont were the first hotels with water closets, which were considered modern amenities.
The Statler Hotel in Buffalo competed with these two hotels. They offered a room with a bath, which became a sensation.
The hotel had eight cabinets on the ground floor. The bathrooms, located in the basement, received cold water from the same source that supplied the laundromat and kitchen with water. It also had tin or copper bathtubs with a gas stove on one side to heat the water. The system was not efficient because the water in the bath had to circulate until the water became warm.
Bathhouses were already common in the Northeast by 1800. However, it was much later that hotels and city houses had bathtubs. To make bathtubs, there had to be a water supply and drainage system.
In the Tremont hotel, the water came from a metal storage tank on the roof. The hotel used a steam pump to pump the water to the roof tank. They then had a cart that removed the waste water from the house.
After five years, Rogers wanted to improve his work at the Tremont Hotel, but now in a different hotel. He designed the Astor House, which was six stories tall and had 17 rooms with water closets. These closets could serve up to 300 guests. The Astor House and Tremont were the first hotels with water closets, which were considered modern amenities.
The Statler Hotel in Buffalo competed with these two hotels. They offered a room with a bath, which became a sensation.
The Bathroom Indoors
Bathing was not always as easy as it is now. Most people before 1800 not only considered bathing a danger to health, but also a difficult task. There were no complicated systems to heat water, so many people only bathed on specific occasions or on the advice of their health.
To bathe, people had to fill and empty the bathtub using a hand pump. But in 1845, the development of sanitary sewers made it possible to create indoor bathrooms. However, there was still the problem of poor sanitation and the smell of open sewers. In the early 1900s, there was a ventilation problem because no one knew how to dimension the pipe. This problem was later solved in 1874.
To bathe, people had to fill and empty the bathtub using a hand pump. But in 1845, the development of sanitary sewers made it possible to create indoor bathrooms. However, there was still the problem of poor sanitation and the smell of open sewers. In the early 1900s, there was a ventilation problem because no one knew how to dimension the pipe. This problem was later solved in 1874.
Early Piping
Although the systems were functional in hotels and wealthy homes, the pipes were not effective. Because iron and lead pipes had not yet been invented, wooden pipes were used. Holes were drilled in wood, preferably in white oak and hemlock trees.
The wooden pipes gave the water a wooden taste. It would also be plagued by insects, and they would often break, especially in underground use.
In 1804, cast iron pipes became increasingly popular. Philadelphia was the first city to use these pipes. The city was also the first to use extensive waterworks, as it relied on the supply from the Schuykill River.
Chicago followed in Philadelphia's footsteps when it built an extensive sewage system. The Chicago Waterpower was able to supply the entire city with water through a double tunnel system. The system stretched two miles to Lake Michigan. The city used coal-powered steam engines to draw water from the lake and bring it back to the city.
Chicago was the first city with an extensive sewage system, designed by E.S. Chesbrough in 1885. However, it is claimed that New York served as a model for the sewage system used in Chicago.
The quality of water closets used in the US was inferior to those in Europe. Therefore, most closets in the US were imported from Europe in the early 19th century. At that time, cast iron pipes were also common and widely used.
The wooden pipes gave the water a wooden taste. It would also be plagued by insects, and they would often break, especially in underground use.
In 1804, cast iron pipes became increasingly popular. Philadelphia was the first city to use these pipes. The city was also the first to use extensive waterworks, as it relied on the supply from the Schuykill River.
Chicago followed in Philadelphia's footsteps when it built an extensive sewage system. The Chicago Waterpower was able to supply the entire city with water through a double tunnel system. The system stretched two miles to Lake Michigan. The city used coal-powered steam engines to draw water from the lake and bring it back to the city.
Chicago was the first city with an extensive sewage system, designed by E.S. Chesbrough in 1885. However, it is claimed that New York served as a model for the sewage system used in Chicago.
The quality of water closets used in the US was inferior to those in Europe. Therefore, most closets in the US were imported from Europe in the early 19th century. At that time, cast iron pipes were also common and widely used.
Sanitary Needs
The modern toilet was invented in 1910. Before that, there were other types of water closets, but it was this toilet that changed the game permanently. This toilet used an elevated water tank and the bowl and lid that we have today. This was the first attempt at creating a modern toilet.
The outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhus led to the invention of better sewage systems to remove household waste water. With better sewage systems, more houses could have indoor sanitation.
The plastic pipes now in use were developed in 1966. At that time, there was a shortage of copper. Manufacturers had to adapt, and thus plastic pipes were created. By this time, most houses in the US had installed indoor sanitation during construction.
Nowadays, indoor plumbing is focused on efficiency. Engineers follow modern and traditional codes established by governments worldwide. Before modern sanitation systems, the English Public Health Code of 1848 was the standard guideline for indoor sanitation. Nowadays, plumbers understand all codes that regulate plumbing work in different states.
The outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhus led to the invention of better sewage systems to remove household waste water. With better sewage systems, more houses could have indoor sanitation.
The plastic pipes now in use were developed in 1966. At that time, there was a shortage of copper. Manufacturers had to adapt, and thus plastic pipes were created. By this time, most houses in the US had installed indoor sanitation during construction.
Nowadays, indoor plumbing is focused on efficiency. Engineers follow modern and traditional codes established by governments worldwide. Before modern sanitation systems, the English Public Health Code of 1848 was the standard guideline for indoor sanitation. Nowadays, plumbers understand all codes that regulate plumbing work in different states.
The invention of indoor heating systems, better plumbing materials, and sewage treatment plants has made indoor sanitation a reality.
