plumbers London encyclopedically about plumbing - Wikipedia
Quick definition of "plumbing", provided to us by Wikipedia
Plumbing is the system of pipes, drains, fittings, valves, and fixtures installed for the distribution of potable water for drinking, heating and washing, and waterborne waste removal. "Plumbing" also refers to a skilled trade which deals with installation and maintenance.
The plumbing industry is a basic and substantial part of every developed economy. The word derives from the Latin plumbum for lead, as the first effective pipes used in Roman era were lead pipes.
"Plumbing" often denotes the supply and waste system of an individual building, distinguishing it from water supply and sewage systems that serve a group of buildings.
Źródło: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbing
History of plumbing
Plumbing originated during ancient civilizations such as the Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian, and Chinese cities as they developed public baths and needed to provide potable water and wastewater removal, for larger numbers of people.6 Standardized earthen plumbing pipes with broad flanges making use of asphalt for preventing leakages appeared in the urban settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization by 2700 B.C.7 The Romans used lead pipe inscriptions to prevent water theft.
Plumbing reached its early apex in ancient Rome, which saw the introduction of expansive systems of aqueducts, tile wastewater removal, and widespread use of lead pipes. With the Fall of Rome both water supply and sanitation stagnated?or regressed?for well over 1,000 years. Improvement was very slow, with little effective progress made until the growth of modern densely populated cities in the 1800s. During this period, public health authorities began pressing for better waste disposal systems to be installed, to prevent or control epidemics of disease. Earlier, the waste disposal system had merely consisted of collecting waste and dumping it on the ground or into a river. Eventually the development of separate, underground water and sewage systems eliminated open sewage ditches and cesspools.
Źródło: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbing
Plumbers and their "toys" - reason we call them
When it comes to professional repairs done by specialists, you often wonder - "ha, I could do that myself, but now I need to pay anyway...". It is common enough way of thinking, but is it really true?
Experts in their fields make it look like it is easy, but only because they have years of experience. Because of it, they were able to deduce what the problem is quickly, and if it is easy to fix, they make it look like it's nothing. It may escape your attention, but they more often than not, use special tools when doing so.
Simple wrench and hammer are common household items, but what about thread seal tape? Or do you really want to buy whole package od putty, just to seal one small hole? These are the things that seperate experts in their fields from weekend handyman. Other than that, they are also the reasons why you call in a real plumber, once in a while.