Plumbing might seem like a mundane factor of modern life, but it’s actually packed with many interesting things that you might be surprised by. The plumbing industry is an essential industry around the globe, meaning that it’s massive.
In that world, there’s a lot of room for information that the average non-plumber isn’t exposed to. We’re going to look at some of the interesting facts about the plumbing industry, giving you a little insight into a world that you might have never thought about. CURAGE CANALISATION
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
1. You Use More Water Than You Think
The average family of four goes through around 400 gallons of water every single day. It’s estimated that every person uses 127,000 gallons of water throughout the course of one year.
That number factors the water used in the products that we consume each day as well. Beef, for example, requires a massive amount of water per ounce to produce.
2. Flushing is a Recent Thing
You might be surprised to know that flushable toilets only came about in recent years. Specifically, the early 1900s brought the advent of the flush.
Wealthy families in the early 20th century started to install the ancestors of the modern toilet. Before then, outhouses were the primary bathroom option.
3. Yearly Water Waste is Astounding
Did you know that a small leak or drip in the faucet wastes a significant amount of water? Add all of the drips and drops throughout the plumbing in your home, and you might find that you’re wasting around 90 gallons of water each day.
That sounds like a lot, but around one-tenth of homeowners experience that level of leakage. 90 multiplied by 365 days of the year adds up to 32,850 gallons of water wasted each year.
Not only is that a waste, but it’s expensive. Your water bill can jump ten percent each month in those cases.
4. The 20th Century Brought Indoor Plumbing
Indoor plumbing was rare at the beginning of the 20th century. Few people could say that they had running water, let alone flushable toilets.
Over the next 100 years, though, around 99 percent of homes gained running water. It’s only in rare exceptions that a home doesn’t have running water, and most of those homes have the equipment necessary for it.
5. Globally, Plumbing is Still Lacking
In The United States, the 20th century introduced the skyrocketing of indoor plumbing statistics. That has benefited the vast majority of the population.
Across the world, though, indoor plumbing is still lacking for a lot of countries. In a lot of cases, massive populations of particular countries don’t have access to plumbing. For example, almost one billion people in India don’t have indoor plumbing options.
6. Plumbing is Recession-Safe
Time has shown that plumbing is one of the professions that offers some of the best job security around. It’s easy to see why this is the case, but we don’t hear many people talking about that when they’re discussing their career options.
People will always need plumbers because plumbing issues will always keep coming up. People will never not have to use water and go to the bathroom. It’s as simple as that.
7. Plumbing Requires a Lot of Experience
Most plumbers undergo a year or two of education, followed by four or five years of apprenticeship.
There’s a lot of information that plumbers have to keep in mind as they go about their jobs. Further, different houses pose different challenges, so it’s important that plumbers can think on the fly and work through different issues as they arise.
The ability to do that only comes through years of experience.
8. Insulating Pipes Might Be a Wise Choice
Water loses a lot of heat as it moves through the pipes, especially in winter. Insulating your pipes can help save you a lot of money on water heating bills and improve the quality of your showers, baths, and hot water usage.
Look to a plumbing supply company to see if there are options for you to invest in different kinds of insulation.
9. Flushes and Events
You might be interested to know that the rate of flushing increases at certain times of the year. Particular moments throughout the year tend to be the instances where the most flushes occur.
For example, half-time at the Superbowl marks the instance in the United States that most people simultaneously flush their toilets. That flush rate changes each year, but it always stands out as the time that most people use the bathroom at one time.
10. Bathroom Time Per Capita
The amount of time sleeping through a lifetime is typically what people refer to, but the amount of time you spend sitting on the toilet is significant as well. The average amount of time that a person spends sitting on the toilet throughout their lifetime is around 2 years.
Naturally, everyone goes at their own rate, so it’s impossible to say just how much time you will spend there. With that in mind, though, it’s not a bad idea to incorporate some meaningful things into your toilet time.
Try getting through a book per year while you’re sitting on the toilet.
11. There are a Lot of Licensed Plumbers
Plumbing is a popular profession, as there are nearly 500,000 licensed plumbers in the United States.
The bulk of those statistics come from certain states, though. Texas, for example, is home to almost 50,000 licensed plumbers. Take a trip up to Vermont, though, and there are fewer than 1,000 plumbers to choose from.
So, if you’re looking to become a plumber, look to the areas where there is the most need.
Want to Learn More About The Plumbing Industry?
The plumbing industry is fascinating, and there’s a lot more to learn. Understanding important facts about plumbing might even help you keep your home plumbing in order. Residential plumbing issues are often preventable and very costly.
We’re here to help. Explore our site to learn more facts about plumbing, get more plumbing statistics, and learn the basics about this important trade.
