A Little History About The Plumber Trade
Ever wonder how the plumber trade came to be? The ancient Romans relied on lead pipes to carry water from aqueducts into their homes. This led to contamination of the water with lead and other heavy metals, which resulted in social decay, neurological damage, and death.
In medieval times, cities installed public toilets and running water systems for drinking and washing purposes. But by this time most people had lost any knowledge of how to build or maintain these setups so they fell into disrepair. Cholera broke out due to unsafe drinking water in 1854 in London's Soho district. It killed 10% of its population - hundreds perished per day - and spread across the country before it was over.
The Industrial Revolution was developing, and in the early 1800s, steam-powered water pumps, waterwheels and cast iron pipes were being constructed all over the country to provide clean drinking water. The idea of locating a local public works project into a particular community was born.
In the 1830s, New York City constructed Clark's Park Reservoir to provide clean and safe drinking water for its people. However, it proved to be inadequate for the growing population and in 1857 there were two thousand people living on the park's grounds. Local businesses could not afford to loan or donate money to construct additional latrines or cisterns so they had no other choice but to use their open sewers instead.
By 1867, the population of New York City was well over one million. A report from this time said that one could stand on the shores of Manhattan and "look at the houses, look into the windows; there is no more privacy."
It was against this backdrop that a water works system for NYC had to be created. This is how it happened:
Pipes were made from wood and cast-iron. Wood pipes rotted quickly and cast iron was brittle and cracked under pressure. Wooden pipes were still being used in houses as late as 1890.
Drinking water was delivered to a house by means of a hand-operated "siphon". The siphon was connected to the spout of the cistern. A small quantity of water would be sucked out of the cistern, through the siphon, and into an indoor wooden pipe. This pipe fed the kitchen sink and other containers for drinking and cooking.
The toilet was located in a shed outside the house so as not to interfere with indoor plumbing. At night, waste water from sinks and toilets ran freely onto city streets.
It was discovered that when sewage flowed into New York's rivers, it contaminated local oyster beds, which then contributed to outbreaks of typhoid fever in 1832 and 1835. Also, it was found that the unrestricted flow of sewage into the harbor bent metal rings on fishing lines, causing them to break.
The water works system was working satisfactorily in 1871. However, it was fifty years before a comprehensive system of pipes, pumping stations and reservoirs would be in place to protect the city from future health threats.
While plumbing on a large scale began around 1867, there had been some plumbers' trade organizations earlier than this (in New York City as early as 1791). The American Society of Civil Engineers established a branch in Birmingham, UK around 1830 and their journal 'The Builder' first published in 1840. Other Society's were formed soon afterwards.
Although the plumbing trade existed in some form or another over the centuries, it was not until the creation of these early organizations that plumbers were required to obtain certification and efficient training through apprenticeship programs.
By 1877, the City of New York required all new buildings to be connected to a public water supply, and only buildings with this feature could be occupied in that year. In another ten years, only properties with private installations would be allowed to let their units. By 1885 all connections would have to be inspected by a Plumbing Inspector. Inspectors ensured proper drainage and charged fines against violators who had pipes that drained into the street or directly onto surface water supplies (rivers and lakes).
In 1884 the US Congress passed the National Plumbing Act which stated that "All plumbers who are employed in connection with any public works or municipal undertakings, under contract for an estimated period of three years… shall be required to pass a written examination, demonstrating their knowledge of the latest practices in plumbing."
In 1894, the city required new boilers and all boilers after 1900 had to have a professional plumber come out to inspect the boiler installation. At this time, small plumbing companies began a practice of "boiler inspection" where they would make up their own inspection forms. A similar practice was being used by large plumbing firms located in Brooklyn and Queens.
The National Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials was established to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas among individuals involved in establishing uniform codes of practice.
By 1907, plumbing inspections were required on new buildings. Large cities like New York City, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia had passed plumbing laws requiring licensing in the late 1800s and early 1900s. By this time, plumbing's reputation was beginning to improve due to protests against "black vomit" reports published by The Times where it was discovered that even after 100 years of trying to control sewage drainage by pumping out the sewers, they were still problematic due to leakage through pipes that ran under buildings and streets.
In 1912 one million plumbers recognized plumbers' organizations.
As late as 1913, manholes were still being cleaned by hand and the decision was made to try to eliminate them from the streets of New York. The Association of Sewer Pipe Contractors was formed in 1914. By 1915, over 2,500 plumbers were members of the National Association of Master Plumbers which met in San Francisco.
In 1920, a bill was introduced in Congress that would have provided for a uniform plumbing code for the entire country. However, this bill did not pass until 1992 when the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) was approved.
The NAPWA (National Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors) was formed in 1922. In 1933 the NSPC was established and today is the largest distributor of plumbing codes. The NSPC is a private company owned and operated by the plumbing industry with day-to-day operations managed by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
In 1936, The American Plumbing Code (ACP) was established. It is a model code that can be adopted locally to suit local needs.
In 1939, minimum standards for venting stoves were finally set at 20 cfm per 1000 BTUs of heat output.
In 1948, the US Congress passed the Flood Control Act which created programs that would create water treatment facilities in order to protect "public health". The EPA was established in 1970 and this became the agency of responsibility for enforcing these regulations.
The first use of plastic pipe and fittings was discovered during WWI. Local plumbing contractors involved in this project used most of their own supplies, purchasing a few feet of plastic pipe at a time as they needed it. During WWII, working with a forced economy, many vendors had to use metal pipe as there were not enough plastic materials available to make all the fittings needed by such an intense industry.