Editing Plumbing (section)

{{short description|Systems for conveying fluids}}
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[[File:Pipes various.jpg|thumb|A complex arrangement of rigid steel [[piping]] and stop [[valve]]s regulate flow to various parts of the building, with an evident preference for [[right angle|right-angle]] pipe bends and [[orthogonal]] pipe routes.]]
'''Plumbing''' is any system that conveys [[fluid]]s for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses [[piping|pipes]], [[valve]]s, [[piping and plumbing fitting|plumbing fixtures]], [[Storage tank|tanks]], and other apparatuses to convey fluids.<ref>{{cite book |last=Muscroft |first=Steve |date=March 14, 2016 |title=Plumbing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kGkeh5FZpzIC&q=plumbing |publisher=Elsevier |page=3 |isbn=9781136373152 }}</ref>  [[HVAC|Heating and cooling]] (HVAC), [[Sewerage|waste removal]], and [[Drinking water|potable water]] delivery are among the most common uses for plumbing, but it is not limited to these applications.<ref>{{cite book |last=Blankenbaker |first=Keith |title=Modern Plumbing |url=https://archive.org/details/modernplumbing0000blan |url-access=registration |publisher=Goodheart Willcox |year=1992 }}</ref>  The word derives from the [[Latin]] for [[lead]], ''plumbum'', as the first effective pipes used in the [[Sanitation in ancient Rome|Roman era]] were [[lead pipe]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=What Is The Origin Of The Word "plumbing"?|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19420512&id=w5RRAAAAIBAJ&pg=2414,1122522|access-date=December 27, 2013|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=May 12, 1942}}</ref>

In the developed world, plumbing infrastructure is critical to [[public health]] and [[sanitation]].<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Health Aspects of Plumbing |url=https://www.who.int/topics/water/en/ }}</ref><ref>''Plumbing: the Arteries of Civilization'', Modern Marvels video series, The History Channel, AAE-42223, A&E Television, 1996</ref>

[[Boilermaker]]s and [[pipefitter]]s are not [[plumber]]s although they work with piping as part of their trade and their work can include some plumbing.