What is Plumbing?
[[Image:JerusalemPlumbing.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Water and sewage pipes of a [[Jerusalem]] building built around 1930]] '''Plumbing''' (which comes from the [[Latin]] word ''plumbum'', which means [[lead]], as pipes were once made from lead) is the job of working with [[pipe (material)|pipes]], tubing and plumbing fixtures for [[drinking water]] systems and getting rid of waste. A '''plumber''' is someone who fixes or puts in piping systems, plumbing fixtures and equipment such as water heaters. Many plumbers are [[construction worker]]s. The plumbing industry is an important part of every developed [[economy]] because people need clean water and safe ways to move and store waste.<ref>''Plumbing: the Arteries of Civilization'', Modern Marvels video series, The History Channel, AAE-42223, A&E Television, 1996</ref> Plumbing also refers to a system of pipes and fixtures put in a building to move water and the get rid of waste that is in water. Plumbing is different from water and [[sewage|sewage systems]] because plumbing system serves one building, while water and sewage systems serve a group of buildings or a city. == History == [[File:Lead pipe - Bath Roman Baths.jpg|thumb|upright|Roman lead pipe with a folded seam, at the [[Roman Baths (Bath)|Roman Baths]] in [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[England]]]] Plumbing was very rare until modern cities grew in the 19th century. At about the same time, [[public health]] leaders began wanting better systems to get rid of waste. Before this, people got rid of waste by collecting it and dumping it onto the ground or into [[river]]s. However, there were some plumbing pipes in the city settlements of the [[Indus Valley Civilization]] by 2700 B.C.<ref>Teresi et al. 2002</ref> Plumbing was also used during the ancient civilizations such as the Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian, and [[ancient China|Chinese]] civilizations as they built public baths and needed drinking water, and somewhere to drain waste. The Romans used pipe inscriptions to stop people from stealing water. These sys