Have you ever sat around wondering about fun plumbing facts? Either you have (and that’s how you found us!) or you haven’t. If you are a seeker of plumbing knowledge you may or may not have come to the right place. Here’s a few fun facts that we thought you might be interested in.
1) Have you ever noticed that in the US manholes are round instead of square? A round manhole cover cannot fall through it’s circular opening – but a square manhole cover could be turned diagonally and fall. It’s also easier to put a circular cover into place since it does not need to be rotated.
2) Around 300 B.C. Ancient Greek athletes would freshen up using a piped water supply that would spray down through shower heads shaped like the faces of boars and lions. Modern shower heads suddenly seem much less dramatic!
3) Have you ever heard that the toilet swirls differently across the hemisphere? It has nothing to do with that! It all depends on what direction the bowl’s rim jets are pointed. The water can be made to flush in either direction in either hemisphere.
4) Water moats (around castle’s) also served as sewers. Castles had small rooms made for getting changed and relieving oneself. The rooms were suspended over the moat (or built within the wall). Now we all understand why a moat was considered an effective defense!
5) If you ever see a bee on a urinal, prepare to aim! That’s what it’s there for anyway. A bee was chosen as the target for a gentleman not to splash his shoes because “bee” in Latin is “apis”. Puns and pee…not so sure they should go together!
6) Who’s the only plumber that’s more recognizable than a Mr. Rooter plumber? Mario! We like to think more people know about us than Luigi though.
So there you go! A little more knowledge about plumbing and fun facts to fill your brain!
