Like many operating systems, the drainage system has ancient precursors. Some, you might never have heard of before, so we thought we’d go further into this fascinating history.
Historical piping
In the medieval era, for the average person, the use of water for drinking or bathing was practically unheard of. To dispose of waste, they had gutters or ditches dug along the streets that channelled into a river. It wasn’t sanitary – and you can understand how the water got so contaminated! Eventually, in 1460, lead pipes were laid in some cities. In 1584 water systems were established that brought water to towns and it was stored in cisterns and gallon tanks for public use.
Piping: constructed from ceramics.
The pre-drain system era
Aqueducts
Aqueducts were a man-made system for conveying water. Some believe the Romans were the most superior aqueduct builders but this system was actually used in Persia, India, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries years before the Romans. Aqueducts made use of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels and support structures to move water, by gravity, from the source to the point of distribution. Its purpose was to supply cities with water as our drains still do now, and to agricultural lands so they can tend to their animals and plants. A major benefit of this system was the fact it kept the drinking water clear of human waste, thus improving public health. It was a considerable step forward from the medieval era.
Piping: forged from wood, leather, lead, bronze and terracotta.
The birth of underground systems
As we all know, during the Victorian era the Thames was nothing more than an open sewer. When London was faced with the odour of this raw sewage, action was taken to develop the underground sewage system in 1858. The extensive design was created by Joseph Bazalgatte and a lot of his work still remains in place to this day. Of course, we don’t just rely on his design; to deal with the growing population, extensions are continually made to the initial framework of the drain system. His work has been crucial in helping us separate drinking and farming water from waste.
The drain system era
Pipes are now created from more durable materials such as copper, brass and plastic. It’s the combination of ancient ideas like aqueducts and underground sewage systems that allow us to use water the way we do. We finally have a system that handles water without it being compromised. The difference being, we channel the water into our homes rather than public facilities to share from. Water treatment facilities now exist and we also don’t rely on gravity to move the water from its source. Instead, we have high-pressure pumps that we can control.
We might take for granted the fact we can turn on the taps for clean water, with everything simply flowing down the drain. We don’t often stop to think about how such a process came into existence. With these centuries of development and design, there are experts who specialise in maintaining these systems, and Happy Drains does precisely that. If you’re in need of some drain assistance, we are here to help.
