INTRODUCTION TO PLUMBING
Specific objective
a. Narrate the history of plumbing trade
b. State the role of the plumber
c. State relationship existing between plumbing and other building trades
What is plumbing: this is the systems of pipes, tanks, fittings, and other apparatus required for the water
supply, heating and sanitation in a building.
Who is a plumber? Is a person who specialize in installing and maintaining systems used for potable
water.
HISTORY OF PLUMBING
The history of plumbing dates back several thousand years.
The use of two of the oldest traditional plumbing materials, lead and copper, can be traced back to the
ancient Egyptians.
They used lead oxide as a decorative glaze on pottery, but more importantly, the earliest example of part
of a plumbing system using copper pipe, found in the Nile Delta in Egypt, dates from around 2750 BC.
The ancient Greeks are known to have mined lead, as did the Romans.
The Romans mined and smelted lead on a commercial scale, initially using it for weight and coins before
seeing its potential for use in sanitary installations.
Both the Greeks and the Romans developed quite sophisticated plumbing systems for their day.
Figure 1 ancient Egyptian copper water pipe from the Nile delta c 2730 BC
Specific objective
a. Narrate the history of plumbing trade
b. State the role of the plumber
c. State relationship existing between plumbing and other building trades
What is plumbing: this is the systems of pipes, tanks, fittings, and other apparatus required for the water
supply, heating and sanitation in a building.
Who is a plumber? Is a person who specialize in installing and maintaining systems used for potable
water.
HISTORY OF PLUMBING
The history of plumbing dates back several thousand years.
The use of two of the oldest traditional plumbing materials, lead and copper, can be traced back to the
ancient Egyptians.
They used lead oxide as a decorative glaze on pottery, but more importantly, the earliest example of part
of a plumbing system using copper pipe, found in the Nile Delta in Egypt, dates from around 2750 BC.
The ancient Greeks are known to have mined lead, as did the Romans.
The Romans mined and smelted lead on a commercial scale, initially using it for weight and coins before
seeing its potential for use in sanitary installations.
Both the Greeks and the Romans developed quite sophisticated plumbing systems for their day.
Figure 1 ancient Egyptian copper water pipe from the Nile delta c 2730 BC
