In our previous blog, “In space no one can hear you”, Bosman Plumbing took us to space and back and dived headfirst into the fascinating modern marvel of reclamation of water on the International Space Station. The history of water and sanitation is fascinating, and the sky is genuinely not the limit.

Water management and sanitation have come a long way from using aqueducts and underground pipes, washing away and diluting wastewater into bodies of water. We have built marvels of engineering to store water from the Basilica Cistern to every day Jojo tank for our gardens.

Though all the advances made in the reclamation of water in our daily lives and even in space, the fact remains that large portions of our population have no running water in their homes, no fitted internal sanitation, nor access to drinking water.

It is claimed that by 2050, there will be over 10 billion people living. Of that, 2/3 will be living in urban settings, all needing adequate water and sanitation. Urbanization is on the rise, and in some cities like Mumbai, already present. Urbanization in Africa will soon outpace other regions of the world, and currently, 60% of its urban population lives in slums. Globally, about 5 billion people will be living in cities by 2030; most of these cities already under stress with reduced water and extreme scarcity of drinking water.

Climate change is likely to make the situation worse. Every drop of water must be saved, recycled, and reused. All water is potentially good water if treated “fit for purpose.”

A concerted global effort in urban planning, infrastructure, and innovation could be the only hope to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Bosman Plumbing urges our community to come together, reduce, reuse, and recycle to ensure a sustainable future for the next generation to come.

As industry experts with over 25 years of experience Bosman Plumbing has a dedicated team, teaming with a wealth of experience. Their mission to provide you with the absolute best this century has to offer.

In our previous blog, “Queen Elizabeth and her “John”, Bosman Plumbing took us on a whirlwind journey through the history of sanitation and into the modern era we live in today what an exciting journey plumbing and sanitation has taken. Our civilizations have grown with leaps and bounds, and the basics of sanitation and water transportation have taken us from 6500BC into space. Water reclamation in space would seem Greek to the Greek’s. But the fact that we can travel to space and build a liveable habitat in the form of the International Space Station, and have all our water and sanitation needs met, is a modern marvel in itself.

On the ISS, astronauts do not shower but rather use liquid soap, water, and rinse-less shampoo. They squeeze liquid soap and water from pouches onto their skin. Then they use rinse-less soap with a bit of water to clean their hair. They use towels to wipe off the excess water. Humidity and excess water droplets are collected through reclamation processes. Waste management and ablutions are very similar in construction though engineeringly different.

These ablutions include a hose with a funnel at the end for peeing and a small, raised toilet seat for more solid needs. With a little bit of hydro suction, astronauts can handle their business — like here on Earth. Technology allows for the reclamation of any usable water from these ablutions. Extraordinarily, little goes to waste.

Ongoing missions unmanned and satellite with deep space telemetry search our cosmos for life on alien planets. The search for water on the top of their list. Where water exists, life could exist. The unmanned rover Perseverance landed on Mars on 18 February 2021. One of its objectives is to search for water or the evidence of water that remains in the rocks and thin layers of sand.

As industry experts with over 25 years of experience Bosman Plumbing has a dedicated team, teaming with a wealth of experience. Their mission to provide you with the absolute best this century has to offer.

In our previous blog, Copper pipes and pyramids, Bosman Plumbing shared some interesting facts about the history and workings of sanitation and water relocation from the past. We have followed the journey through the Bronze and early Iron Ages, ancient Greece, the Roman empires as far back as the Jezreel Valley located in what is today known as Israel with hand-dug wells dated 6500BC.

Modern sanitation we have today has roots dating back as far as 6500BC. We overlook the amenities in the bathroom and kitchen we use 5 or 6 times a day. But the luxury of today advanced in leaps and bounds over the past 200 years.

Noteworthy advances can be dated chronologically, with the first as far back as 1596 – First flushing toilet (aka ‘The John’) created by Sir John Harington, godson of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the Mid-1600s – America’s first citywide water system was built in Boston. The waterworks on “Conduit” was mainly for domestic use but also purposed for fighting fires. Later in 1795, New York used the same hollow log system, but in addition, these pipes would be drilled into and then plugged up after use, creating the term “fireplug” used today.

In 1664 King Louis XIV of France constructed the first cast-iron water main and extended 15 miles from Marly-on-Seine to the palace at Versailles. This system was used for more than 330 years.

Jump another 100 years, and we saw the first “English Regency shower” manufacturer William Feetham in 1767.

Nearly 200 years after our first “John”, a Scottish inventor designed the prototype for the modern toilet.

From 1804 onward, we see our basic system grow, from the first cast iron pipes to the first commercially available toilet paper. In 1870 the first ceramic flushing toilet and water heater were invented by British pottery manufacturer Thomas William Twyford. Around the same time, water heaters appeared, improving cooking, cleaning, and bathing in the home.

Later in the 1950s, the first non-metallic pipes for plumbing were introduced. These first polyvinyl chlorides (PVC) water pipes were laid due to their relative stability and low cost, and metal shortages during World War II.

What an interesting journey plumbing and sanitation has taken.

As industry experts with over 25 years of experience Bosman Plumbing has a dedicated team, teaming with a wealth of experience. Their mission to provide you with the absolute best this century has to offer.

In our previous blog, Burst pipes and much more, Bosman Plumbing introduced us to some interesting facts about plumbing’s history. Though some structures remain today. Very few are as complete and as breathtakingly beautiful as the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul was used to store water during hot summer months and supplied water to settlements during sieges and ongoing land occupation. The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill. It continued to provide water to the Topkapı Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and modern times. Historians claim the first cisterns were constructed in the 3rd and 4th centuries.

The human and animal need for food, shelter and water is a universal built-in desire and necessity. With that in mind, water supply and sanitation are one of the first challenges we face when looking through history. And the need to provide clean water and sanitation systems has been part of civilization for a long time. It is well known that where water resources, infrastructure or sanitation systems were insufficient, diseases spread, and people fell sick or died prematurely.

Throughout history, human settlements could only develop where fresh surface water was plentiful. The population grew and flourished where people devised systems to get water into their communities and households and dispose of wastewater simpler or efficiently. A prime example of this would be Ancient Egypt and the settlements sprouting from the river Nile. Did you know that the Pyramid of Sahure, built in 2400 BC, and the adjoining temple complex at Abusir, was discovered to have a network of copper drainage pipes?

Historically sewage treatment was as basic as diverting wastewater to a natural body of water, e.g. a river or ocean. It would then be diluted and dissipated. Early humans often built next to water sources. An example of this can be seen as early as the Neolithic era, where humans dug permanent water wells. Wells dug around 6500 BC have been found in the Jezreel Valley. The size of human settlements was largely dependent on nearby available water.

Did you know that primitive indoor latrines can be seen in Skara Brae, a Neolithic village in Orkney, Scotland, dating back as far as 3180 BC–2500 BC?

Over the millennia, technology has increased the distances across which water can be relocated. Examples of these can be seen in the Bronze and early Iron Ages, ancient Greece, the Roman empires as well as China, Nepal and the Islamic world with their Taharah (ritual purity) involving performing wudu (ablution) for the five daily salah (prayers), as well as regularly performing ghusl (bathing).

Beautiful examples can be seen today in uncovered ancient Greek and Roman bathhouses, in the elaborately built Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct in France and Roman aqueduct Pont del Diable, Tarragona in Spain.

As industry experts with over 25 years of experience Bosman Plumbing will be able to assist with all your clogs and sanitation needs.

In our previous blog, Do not feed the monster in the kitchen sink. Bosman Plumbing shared another no-no list of what we should never dispose of in our sewer system.

Education is key. As an industry expert with over 25 years of experience Bosman Plumbing has a dedicated team, team with a wealth of experience from greywater management, kitchen and bathroom renovation, installations of dishwashers and washing machines to that must needed geyser upgrade.

Bosman Plumbing strives to educate its staff on future systems and provide them with the tools to provide clients with the best possible advice and service.

For July, we will be looking at the plumbing of the future and introducing a little bit of history. Did you know that we can still view some of the building basics of the plumbing today? The Basilica Cistern in Istanbul was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Today it is kept with only a little water still flowing on its foundations for public access inside the space. In the past, it has hosted movie shoots and even musical performances and is eerily beautiful to behold.

In our previous blog, Do not feed the monster in the kitchen sink. Bosman Plumbing shared another no-no list of what we should never dispose of in our sewer system.

Education is key. As industry experts with over 25 years of experience Bosman Plumbing has a dedicated team, a team with a wealth of experience from greywater management, kitchen and bathroom renovation, installations of dishwashers and washing machines to that must needed geyser upgrade.

Bosman Plumbing strives to educate its staff on future systems and provide them with the tools to provide clients with the best possible advice and service.

For the month of July, we will be looking at the plumbing of the future and introducing a little bit of history. Did you know that we can still view some of the building basics of the plumbing today? The Basilica Cistern in Istanbul was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Today it is kept with only a little water still flowing on its foundations for public access inside the space. In the past, it has hosted movie shoots and even musical performances and is eerily beautiful to behold.

As industry experts with over 25 years of experience Bosman Plumbing will be able to assist with all your clogs and sanitation needs.

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