10 Crazy Plumbing Facts You Didn’t Know!

Plumbing is serious work, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t fun or interesting facts that are part of the industry. At Rooter Hero Plumbing, we like to show our lighter side every once in a while. Today’s blog post is all about fun and interesting facts. Here are some things you may not have known about plumbing. #1 – Albert Einstein may have been a famous theoretical physicist, but he was also an honorary member of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union. After the union had heard him say if he could live his life over he’d be a plumber, they granted him symbolic membership. #2 – How do you put the toilet roll on the holder? Did you know that 3 out of 4 people opt to have the flap in the front? Believe it or not, $100,000 was once spent on a study to find out people’s toilet paper hanging preferences. #3 – Do you need a plumber the day after your Super Bowl party? It’s not surprising considering that the toilet is flushed more times during the halftime celebrations than any other time during the year. #4 – Can you guess who the most famous plumbers are? The answer might surprise. Appearing in over 200 video games, Mario and Luigi have been the most well-known plumbers since 1985. #5 – What are the most common items flushed down the toilet? Children’s toys are still popular items that can clog a toilet, but smartphones are slowly taking the lead. From phones falling out of pockets while in the bathroom to phones being used while in the bathroom, it may be a good idea to get that protection plan the next time you upgrade. #6 – During the Vietnam War, intelligence leaks were common. President Richard Nixon created a White House Special Investigations Unit to plug these leaks. The group, which was covert in nature, were nicknamed the “plumbers.” #7 – Why is the toilet nicknamed “The John?” John Harrington invented the first flushing toilet in 1596. As far the toilet’s other nickname? That came from Thomas Crapper who was responsible for helping the flushing toilet to gain popularity. #8 – You may not be wasting away your whole life in the bathroom, but, according to studies, at least 3 years of your life is spent in this room. #9 – If you were to test the water in sewer systems, you would most likely discover a large amount of drugs in the system. This is because 90% of all medicines including pain relievers are excreted through urine. #10 – Plumbing can be traced back to the time of the Romans when lead pipe inscriptions were used to stop water theft. However, after this period in history, no other advances were made in plumbing technology until the 19^th century. This is when sewage systems were created to abolish cesspools in populated areas.