1. Water pipes used to be made from lead. In fact, the word "plumbing" (and plumb, and plumber) actually derive from the Latin word for lead, plumbum.
2. Sir John “the john” Herrington is credited with inventing the flushable toilet in 1596. He called it the “Ajax” a shortened version of “a jakes.” “Jakes” was a common old slang for toilet at that time. Unfortunately, Sir John’s designation for the flushable toilet didn’t stick, but his name did.
3. The most recognized video game character in the world is a plumber: Nintendo’s Mario (of Super Mario Brothers) has appeared in more than 200 games.
4. In Japan, some urinals have voice-activated flush mechanisms. According to wikipedia, these urinals respond to as many as 30 different languages and several terms, including “fire.”
5. In 1929, a series of sewer explosions occurred in Ottawa, Canada. Contrary to initial reactions, it likely wasn’t caused by methane gas, but rather by shop owners pouring flamable oils down drains as the still-unregulated automobile industry took off.
6. Hot water heat recycling is the process of recovering heat from used water (primarily from sinks, showers, dishwashers, and washing machines). Heat exchanger systems can recover as much as 60% of the heat that normally goes down the drain.
7. At 140 degrees, it takes 5 seconds for water to burn skin. At 160 degrees, it takes only half a second. Home hot water systems should be set to no hotter than 125 degrees.
