Plumbing's Serious Side

Think plumbing is serious work? Sure, it is. But here are five facts about plumbing that are just plumb silly.

1. The first person to buy a patent for the toilet was, you guessed it, Thomas Crapper. The inventor of the flushing model you enjoy today? John Harrington, which is why it's affectionately dubbed "the John".

2. You will spend just over a year of your life on the toilet.

3. Plumbing is old business. A Chinese king of the Western Han Dynasty had a toilet installed in his 2000 year old tomb.

4. Copper piping was first used 3000 years ago in Egypt. These days there has been so much copper piping installed, just in the USA, that it could circle the Earth 200 times.

5. The chance of being injured by a toilet during your lifetime? One in 10,000.

Crazy, right? What's not so silly is taking good care of your plumbing. In fact, professionally maintaining your plumbing will save you plenty of money in the long run, simply by stopping all that wasted water leaking down the drain. Here's how:

1. Got a leaking tap? A tap that drips just once a second will waste 180 showers worth of water in one year. How about your shower? You could waste up to 60 dishwasher loads of water with a dripping shower head this year. Stopping a leak by tightening your taps will just cause further damage to your fixtures, costing you more in the long run. Instead, call your plumber for a quick washer change and put an end to your worries.

2. One flush or two? If you install a dual flush toilet today, you'll spend around $250 in water for flushes over the next ten years. A single flush loo? $760.

3. What about phantom leaks? Sometimes leaks aren't visible, but they can still be expensive. If you suspect a leak but you aren't sure where it is, the first thing to do is take a look at your water metre, then don't touch your taps, washing machine or dishwasher for a couple of hours. If the numbers have shifted on your metre's gauge when you check back, there's a leak in the system somewhere. Leaks can occur within pipes anywhere, from inside your walls to under your floor. Your plumber can pinoint and treat leaks before they do serious damage to your home.

Without regular maintenance small plumbing issues can quickly turn into significant problems, costing you serious money. So take good care of your plumbing. It's no laughing matter.