Ruminations on Plumbing

Posted by Kelly Smith Aug 29, 2008

Not too long ago I read an article on plumbing. More to the point, how plumbing has been instrumental in advancing civilization. And most of us barely give it a thought, It's just there.

But it is aptly named. Some of the oldest materials used employed lead. Big mistake we now know, but hey, you use what you've got. The symbol for lead from the table of elements is Pb. No connection you say? Maybe not in English, but the word for it in Spanish is Plomo. I guess speaking Panamanian pays off!

Plumbing as Technology

Plumbing is a basic but very strong technology. It's one of the things that the Romans used to expand their (almost) world dominance.

When plumbing wasn't readily available, domestic upkeep was much more intense. All that walking to the stream with buckets takes its toll. And what about bumbling out to that outhouse in the middle of the night? Un huh!

Plumbing Pains

But one thing about this great technology - it requires maintenance from time to time. Like when you need to clear a clogged drain. Fun, eh? But life goes on.

When I worked as an Engineering Supervisor for a large Marriott hotel, we used to to a maintenance blitz periodically. Part of this involved drain cleaning. Home Depot once shipped us a bunch of gadgets called Zip-Its.

A simple device, it's a long plastic strip with plastic "teeth" along the sides. Just slide it into the drain opening all the way, and slowly draw it out. All that hair gets caught and drawn out and the act of pushing it in clears any building obstructions.

No chemicals, no disassembly. Yay.

The downside? I don't think Home Depot sells these in the store; at least not in my local store.