A Brief History of Pipes

February 1, 2022

Plumbing systems are certainly an important part of home inspections. Have you ever considered how plumbing and water supply systems were developed? Knowing about these changes through the years sheds light on some terms and practices still used today.

Pipes in Ancient History

Lead was one of the earliest successful pipe materials because it could be shaped into various forms. The word plumbing is derived from the Latin word for lead, plumbum, as lead pipes were developed in the Roman era.

Early Plumbing in the US

About 1850, the first piping systems in the US were developed in large East Coast cities to provide water for firefighting. Hollowed-out logs were connected with tapered joints. Some wood pipes were made with staves like those in a wooden barrel.

Photo 1. Hollowed-out Log Pipes

Photo 1 shows typical bored logs once used as water mains. Photo 2 shows a water main made of elm logs. The larger-diameter main tree trunk became known as the water main, and smaller limbs were known as branches—just like their current names in plumbing applications.

Photo 2. Main and Branch Wood Pipes

Firefighters Fighting Each Other

Firefighters would race to the scene, expose the wooden water main, and connect their hand pumper to a hole bored in the main. Once the firefighters stopped pumping, they plugged the hole with wood—thus the term fireplug. Remnants of wooden water mains are still being discovered today, more than 170 years later.

In cities like Boston and New York, rival groups of amateur fire companies would race to be the first on the scene. Some were so competitive they brawled with each other while the fire was burning.

Plumbing in the 20th Century

Initially, indoor plumbing was available only to the wealthy. Piping was made of lead, cast iron, brass, or steel. In 1920, only 1% of homes in the US had electricity and indoor plumbing. After codes and standards were developed in the 1930s to ’40s, most homes were built with plumbing systems. Similar codes are still in use.

Photo 3 shows bathtub plumbing in a mansion built about 1900 in Newport, Rhode Island. The tub was carved from a piece of solid marble. The pipes are either steel or cast iron. Notice the four control valves: This tub was supplied with hot and cold fresh water as well as hot and cold saltwater from the ocean.

Photo 3. Tub in 1900 Mansion

Photo 4 shows a sink vanity that served a home built in 1900 in Bath, Maine. Note the beautiful lead drain line and drum trap. The lead supply line to the fixture has now been fitted to “new” steel piping. This sink was not in use when I visited in 2010.

Photo 4. Sink 1900 (Modified)

Materials in Today’s plumbing

Water piping has evolved from wood, lead, cast iron, and steel to ductile iron, fiber conduit (Orangeburg), concrete, copper, galvanized steel, and even asbestos piping.

Today we also see galvanized iron, PVC, CPVC, ABS, PEX, and a whole alphabet of other synthetic materials. SOMe of these materials have had major issues over time.

Illustration P084C, Water Distribution to Home with Crawl Space

The Takeaway

Residential piping/plumbing varies according to available material, cost, and labor. As home inspectors, we need to be aware of both old and new materials and their various traits/failures. These factors will affect our findings and reporting during an inspection.


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