| The oldest known archeological example of | | | | began to take off as well. |
| plumbing systems for baths dates back to 3300 | | | | The major draw of the shower for consumers is |
| B.C. in India. We also know that in the Bible, | | | | two-fold. First, a shower is often quick and easy |
| bathing was an important component of the | | | | when compared to a bath. The second incentive |
| Hebrew tradition, although the Israelites were | | | | for homeowners to have a shower is the savings |
| instructed to go down to the river for their baths. | | | | that can be gained in water usage. A typical |
| Through history, various cultures gave credibility | | | | five-minute shower will use only half as much |
| to the practice of bathing on a regular basis. The | | | | water as a half-full bathtub. |
| most notable example of government-encouraged | | | | In 1921, only one percent of new homes built in |
| bathing is found in the Roman Empire as early as | | | | the United States and Great Britain had a modern |
| 500 B.C. The Romans built public bathhouses in | | | | bathroom, comprised of a sink, toilet, bath and/or |
| every Roman town and encouraged their citizens | | | | shower. By the 1960's, 100% of new homes in |
| to attend the bathhouses on a daily basis. | | | | both countries had a modern bathroom installed |
| Rome hosted a metropolitan-level, gravity-fed | | | | when the house was built. |
| plumbing system that delivered water over long | | | | Your Personality In The Bathroom |
| distances to major Roman cities. Rome also | | | | The basic components of the bathroom have not |
| provided their citizens a gravity-fed sewage | | | | changed much over the last eight decades. |
| system as part of their sanitation infrastructure. | | | | Improvements have been made of course, but |
| Both Roman steam baths and the waters in the | | | | those improvements have more to do with |
| bathhouses were warmed through a system of | | | | energy and water consumption and styling than |
| furnaces located within the bathhouse plumbing | | | | the basic design. |
| systems. | | | | The soft toilet seat has been a blessing for the |
| The Roman Empire finally met its end, but the | | | | backside of the people who use it. Spongebob |
| end of the empire did not signal the end of public | | | | Squarepants has also found a home in the water |
| bathing. Bathhouses continued to be viewed as an | | | | world of the bathroom. But, there is much more |
| essential component to healthy living for several | | | | that people can do to enhance their bath or |
| more centuries. | | | | showering experience. |
| Bathes were considered a sound investment in | | | | Believe it or not, someone has come up with an |
| one's health, until the rise of the Renaissance of | | | | "electric shower". The electric shower is designed |
| the 14th century. People who lived during this era | | | | to pull water only from the cold-water outlet and |
| mistakenly believed that water-borne disease | | | | to heat the water as it goes through the system. |
| could be transferred through the skin into the | | | | The advantage of an electric shower is more |
| human body. It was this time frame where | | | | consistent water temperatures, more efficient |
| bathing fell out of favor with the general public. | | | | heating of the water, reduced heating costs, and |
| Mass-Production of Bath Tubs For The Average | | | | the elimination of a hot shower turning into a cold |
| Person | | | | shower. |
| Pedestal tubs of the modern-style have been | | | | Shower booster pumps increase the amount of |
| traced back through history to Crete in 1000 A.D. | | | | water pressure coming from the showerhead. |
| The tub found in Crete was about five foot in | | | | With some shower booster systems, the water |
| length, was made of hardened pottery, and it | | | | pressure can be increased by as much as twelve |
| rested on a pedestal. | | | | times over the amount of pressure released in a |
| The Chinese were responsible for developing the | | | | gravity-fed plumbing system. |
| cast iron material, but it was the English who | | | | A shower mixer is the official product description |
| brought cast iron into the modern age. Beginning in | | | | of the unit that mixes the cold water, hot water |
| the early 1700's England began to make dozens | | | | ratio coming from your tap. Shower mixers come |
| of products from cast iron, products which were | | | | in a wide variety of shapes, styles, colors, and |
| shipped around the world. | | | | metal types such as brass, aluminum, steel, and |
| By the early 1800's, American companies got into | | | | stainless steel. |
| cast iron production so that Americans could save | | | | Common shower accessories include |
| on the cost of shipping cast iron products from | | | | showerheads, adjustable and detachable shower |
| the United Kingdom of Great Britain to the United | | | | heads, brackets, bath taps, shower rod brackets, |
| States. One of those early American cast iron | | | | shower rods, shower curtains, shower seats, and |
| products was the cast iron bathtub. | | | | the coolest shower accessory of all, body jets. |
| In the United States during the great western | | | | There are also different encasements one can |
| expansion, many entrepreneurs had purchased | | | | employ in their shower. Older homes have the |
| cast-iron tubs to carry with them on their trips | | | | shower and bath systems in the same |
| west, bringing the sophistication of a clean body | | | | compartment. Many newer homes have |
| to the men of the cowboy frontier. | | | | separated the bath from the shower, with a |
| In the 1880's, American plumbing supply | | | | garden tub and a shower tucked away in some |
| companies began to produce the new "clawfoot" | | | | out of the way location. |
| bathtubs for customers around the world. The | | | | Some showers are spacious allowing a built-in |
| claw foot bathtub is the style that finally helped | | | | shower seat for those who may be uneasy on |
| bring bathtubs into the homes of the average | | | | their feet, such as children, people with disabilities, |
| person. | | | | and older people. When slips and falls are a great |
| Passage of Showers and Bathtubs Into Modern | | | | concern, the shower compartments with the |
| Life | | | | built-in seat are an ideal addition to the home. |
| During the early 1800's, people were devising their | | | | Bring Imagination To Your Shower And Bath |
| own plumbing systems to bring water into their | | | | Configuration |
| bathroom and to take the wastewater back out | | | | Maybe you saw something on television or in a |
| of the room. In those early days at the dawn of | | | | magazine that looked as if it would be a good |
| modern plumbing, people were getting creative in | | | | match for your bathroom. Perhaps you have |
| an effort to bring water into their home. While | | | | always dreamed of a bathroom that looked a |
| water pipes were available in the retail market, | | | | special way. |
| many chose to cut corners in their plumbing in | | | | If you bring imagination and creativity to your |
| strange and unusual ways. Until the mid-1840's, | | | | bathroom, you can create a bathroom that you |
| people were frequently using hollowed out trees | | | | will enjoy for years, and one that your friends |
| to bring water to their bathtubs. | | | | and neighbors may envy. |
| In 1848, the U.S. government passed the National | | | | If utility is your greater concern, there are |
| Public Health Act (NPHA) creating for the first | | | | components that can bring greater utility and |
| time a government-enforced plumbing code. The | | | | lower operation costs to your bathroom |
| NPHA was instrumental in bringing modern | | | | environment. |
| plumbing into the home and allowing the industry | | | | We spend a great deal of time in the bathroom. |
| to set standards for bringing water into the home | | | | We may only go into the laundry room once a |
| and carrying wastewater from the home. | | | | week, but we go to our bathrooms several times |
| As municipalities began to bring gravity-fed water | | | | in a day. So, why not make the best of your |
| pressure into the homes of their citizens and | | | | showering or bathing experience, by updating your |
| manufacturers were able to bring water heaters | | | | shower or bath to a style that you really like. |
| to consumers, other products such as the shower | | | | |