A bathtub

A bath (IPA: /bɑ:θ/), bathtub (AmE), or tub (informal) is a plumbing fixture used for bathing. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. A plumbing fixture is a device which is part of a system to deliver and drain away water but which is also configured to enable a particular use Bathing is the immersion of the body in a Fluid, usually Water or an aqueous solution Most modern bathtubs are made of acrylic or fiberglass, but alternatives are available in enamel over steel or cast iron, and occasionally wood. Poly(methyl methacrylate ( PMMA) or poly(methyl 2-methylpropenoate is a Thermoplastic and transparent Plastic. Fiberglass (also called fibreglass and glass fibre see Spelling differences) is material made from extremely fine Fibers of Glass. In a discussion of Material science, enamel (or vitreous enamel or porcelain enamel in U Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but identifies a large group of Ferrous Alloys which solidify with a Eutectic. Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs A bathtub is usually placed in a bathroom either as a stand-alone fixture or in conjunction with a shower. A bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context A shower (also called shower bath is a booth for washing usually in a Bathroom, having an overhead nozzle that sprays water down on the body

Modern bathtubs have overflow and waste drains and may have taps mounted on them. They may be built-in or free standing or sometimes sunken. Until recently, most bathtubs were roughly rectangular in shape but with the advent of acrylic thermoformed baths, more shapes are becoming available. Thermoforming is a Manufacturing process for Thermoplastic sheet or film Bathtubs are commonly white in colour although many other colours can be found. The process for enamelling cast iron bathtubs was invented by the Scottish born American David Dunbar Buick. In a discussion of Material science, enamel (or vitreous enamel or porcelain enamel in U Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but identifies a large group of Ferrous Alloys which solidify with a Eutectic. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the for the New Zealand politician see David Buick (New Zealand David Dunbar Buick was a Scottish -born American Inventor

Two main styles of bathtub are common:

• Western-style bathtubs in which the bather lies down. These baths are typically shallow and long.
• Eastern style bathtubs in which the bather sits up. These are known as ofuro in Japan and are typically short and deep. A Furo (風呂 also known as ofuro (お風呂 is a traditional Japanese bath which originated steep-sided wooden Bathtub.

Tub bathing

Soap and bath salts may be used when bathing. A bath is often used as a technique to temporarily relieve body aches and pain.

Clawfoot tub

The clawfoot tub or claw-foot tub is typically made of cast iron, or sometimes acrylic. Once considered a luxury item, modern technology has contributed to a drop in the price of clawfoot tubs. Hence, while true antique clawfoot tubs are still considered collectible items, new reproduction clawfoot tubs are chosen by remodellers and new home builders.

Clawfoot tubs come in 5 major styles:

• Classic Roll Rim, Roll Top, or Flat Rim tubs as seen in the picture above.
• Slipper tubs - where one end is raised and sloped creating a more comfortable lounging position.
• Double Slipper Tubs - where both ends are raised and sloped.
• Double Ended Tubs - where both ends of the tub are rounded. Notice how one end of the classic tub is rounded and one is fairly flat.
• Pedestal Tub - Pedestal tubs, unlike all the styles listed above, do not have claw feet. The tub rests on a pedestal in what most would term an art deco style. Evidence of pedestal tubs dates back to the Isle of Crete in 1000 BC.

Baby bathtub

A baby bathtub is one used for bathing infants, especially those not yet old enough to sit up on their own. These can be either a small, stand-alone bath that is filled with water from another source, or a device for supporting the baby that is placed in a standard bathtub. Both types are designed to allow the baby to recline while keeping its head out of the water; however, the baby must always be supported by an adult as well.

Hot tubs and whirlpool tubs

Hot tubs, spa pools are common heated pools used for relaxation and sometimes for therapy. A hot tub is a large home-made or manufactured tub or small pool full of heated water and used for soaking relaxation, Massage, or The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as Balneotherapy, Spa towns or Spa resorts offering such treatment or the medication The "hippie" era (1950 - 1970) popularized them in America in songs and movies. A spa is also called a "jacuzzi" in USA since the word became a generic after plumbing component manufacturer Jacuzzi introduced the "Spa Whirlpool" in 1968. Jacuzzi is a company that produces whirlpool Bathtubs History Around 1900 seven brothers named Jacuzzi (pronounced yah-KUH-tzih immigrated

Air bubbles may be introduced into the nozzles via an air-bleed venturi pump that combines cooler air with the incoming heated water to cool the pool if temperature rises uncomfortably high. A nozzle is a mechanical device or Orifice designed to control the characteristics of a Fluid flow as it exits (or enters an enclosed chamber or Pipe. An aspirator, also called an Eductor-jet pump or filter pump is a device that produces Vacuum by means of the Venturi effect. Some spas have a constant stream of bubbles fed via the seating area of the pool, or a footwell area. This is more common as a temperature control device where the heated water comes from a natural (uncontrolled heat) geothermal source, rather than artificially heated. Water temperature is usually very warm to hot — 38°C to 42°C (100 to 104 °F). So bathers usually spend a short time inside, 20 to 30 minutes at 39°C. Bromine or mineral sanitizers are often recommended as sanitizers for spas because chlorine dissipates at a high temperature thereby heightening its strong chemical smell. Mineral sanitizers for the Swimming pool and Spa use Minerals Metals or elements derived from the natural environment to produce Chlorine (ˈklɔriːn from the Greek word 'χλωρóς' ( khlôros, meaning 'pale green' is the Chemical element with Atomic number 17 and Ozone is an effective bactericide and is commonly included in the circulation system with cartridge filtration, but not with sand media filtration due to clogging problems with turbid body fats. OZONE is an object oriented Operating system written in the C programming language.

A Short History of Bathing

Main article: Bathing

Documented early plumbing systems go back as far as around 3300 BC with the discovery of copper water pipes beneath a palace in the Indus River Valley in India. Bathing is the immersion of the body in a Fluid, usually Water or an aqueous solution The Indus River { Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: urd {{Nastaliq سندھ}} Sindh; Sindhi: snd India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Evidence of the first personal sized bath tub was found on the Isle of Crete where a 5 foot long pedestal tub was found built from hardened pottery. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the This tub is the most likely forefather of the classic 19th century clawfoot tub.

The Roman Empire is most widely known as the early champions of bathing. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Around 500 BC Roman citizens were encouraged to bathe daily in one of the many public baths. Private bathing rooms were far more ornate and typically would resemble shallow swimming pools that encompassed the entire room. The Romans used marble for the tubs, lead and bronze for pipes, and created a complex sewage system for sanitation purposes. Urban areas require some methods for collection and disposal of Sewage. The Roman empire set the early bar for modern personal hygiene.

Contrary to popular belief, bathing and sanitation were not a lost practice with the collapse of the Roman Empire. Soapmaking first became an established trade during the Early Middle Ages. SOAP (see below for name and origins is a protocol for exchanging XML -based messages over Computer networks normally using The Early Middle Ages is a period in the History of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 Also, contrary to myth, chamberpots were not disposed of out the window and into streets in the Middle Ages -- this was instead a Roman practice. Bathing in fact did not fall out of fashion until shortly after the Renaissance, replaced with the heavy use of sweat-bathing and perfume, as it was thought that water could carry disease into the body through the skin. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Perfume is a mixture of fragrant Essential oils and Aroma compounds Fixatives and Solvents used to give the human body animals objects and living Modern sanitation was not widely adopted until the 19th and 20th centuries.

The bathtub's modern spouse, the toilet, had problems gaining acceptance. A toilet is a Plumbing fixture and disposal system primarily intended for the disposal of the bodily wastes: Urine and fecal matter. Sir John Harington invented the first flushing toilet for himself and for his godmother, Queen Elizabeth I, in 1596. When Harington published a book describing his invention, he was roundly chided by peers, embarrassing him to the point of retirement from plumbing. His two toilets were the only ones he ever produced. The next water closet would not be seen for 200 years when it was introduced by Alexander Cummings in 1775. A flush toilet or Water Closet (WC is a Toilet that disposes of human waste by using water to flush it through a drainpipe to another location Alexander Cummings was a British watchmaker who invented the flush toilet This event would mark the very beginnings of the modern bathroom.

It was now time for the piping to catch up with the fixtures. Until the 19th century, most water pipes in the US were made from hollow trees. In the early 1800s, cast-iron production began reducing American reliance on England for this material. Finally, in 1848, The National Public Health Act was passed in the US, creating a plumbing code for the first time.

In 1883, Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company and Kohler Company began producing cast-iron bathtubs. The Kohler Company is a manufacturing company in Kohler Wisconsin Far from the ornate feet and luxury most associated with clawfoot tubs, an early Kohler example was advertised as a "horse trough/hog scalder, when furnished with four legs will serve as a bathtub. " The item's use as hog scalder was considered a more important marketing point than its ability to function as a bathtub. Everyone knew what a hog scalder or horse trough was, but many people at that time had never bathed in a tub. The tubs eventually caught on because of the sanitary and easy-to-clean surfaces that prevent the spread of disease.

A few years later, Thomas Twyford created the first valveless toilet constructed from china. Thomas William Twyford (1849-1921 was a Pottery manufacturer in England. Before this time, toilets were normally made from metal and wood. Thomas Crapper would gain infamy as the inventor of the modern toilet when he bought the rights to a patent for a "Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer", but he did not invent the toilet. Thomas P Crapper (baptised 28 September 1836 - 27 January 1910) was a Plumber who founded Thomas Crapper & Co

The bathing world was rocked by controversy when a completely inaccurate account of bathing and bathtub history was published by H.L. Mencken in 1917. The bathtub hoax was a famous Hoax or Practical joke perpetrated by the American journalist H What began as a light attempt at humor ended up being adopted by the public and even reputable publications. While perhaps good reading, Mencken's account of laws prohibiting bathing, and much more, is not true.

The end of World War I resulted in a housing construction boom in the United States and a new conception of the purpose-built modern bathroom. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Bathrooms prior to World War I were typically converted bedrooms or spare rooms, not rooms built originally to contain bathroom fixtures. Complete with toilet, sink, and tub, the modern bathroom was a feature of 100% of new homes by the end of the 20th century, whereas only 1% of homes had had bathrooms in 1921.

In the latter half of the 20th century, the once popular clawfoot tub morphed into a built-in tub with a small apron front. This enclosed style afforded easier maintenance and, with the emergence of colored sanitary ware, more design options for the homeowner. The Crane Company introduced colored bathroom fixtures to the US market in 1928, and slowly this influx of design options and easier cleaning and care led to the near demise of clawfoot-style tubs.

Firestopping a Bathtub Drain

Bathtub copper Drain Firestop, top and bottom, firestop mortar on top and rockwool packing on the bottom. A firestop is a Passive fire protection System of various components used to seal openings and joints in fire-resistance rated wall Firestop mortars are most typically used to Firestop large openings in walls and floors required to have a Fire-resistance rating.

If the bathtub is located in a building with multiple stories, where the floors are required to have a fire-resistance rating, the drain from the bathtub causes a service penetration firestop to be required, which must be built in accordance with the provisions of the local building code. In Architecture, Construction, Engineering and real estate development the word building may refer to one of the following Any man-made A fire-resistance rating typically means the duration for which a Passive fire protection System can withstand a standard fire resistance test. A firestop is a Passive fire protection System of various components used to seal openings and joints in fire-resistance rated wall A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as Buildings and Nonbuilding In the case of the picture to the right, the drain pipe is made of copper, which is non-combustible. Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Since the pipe itself will not give way in the event of a fire, the firestop can be made of conventional means, such as firestop mortar or silicone sealant, each topping off a packing material. Fire is the heat and light energy released during a Chemical reaction, in particular a combustion reaction. Firestop mortars are most typically used to Firestop large openings in walls and floors required to have a Fire-resistance rating. Silicones are largely inert compounds with a wide variety of forms and uses If the pipe were made of plastic, however, the firestop would likely involve intumescent materials, which would expand in the event of a fire, in order to choke off and seal the melting and disappearing plastic pipe. Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products An intumescent is a substance which swells as a result of Heat exposure thus increasing in Volume, and decreasing in Density.

See also

• Bathtub hoax
• Jacuzzi
• Sauna
• Steam shower
• Walk-in bathtub
• Bathing
• Turkish baths
• Bathroom
• Hot tub