Santa Claus is Coming to Town

We hope Santa is good to all you plumbers out there!



Merry Christmas from all of us at The Plumbing Museum.

Friday Bathroom Humor

A look inside some Christmas bathrooms:





HGTV's "Ultimate Christmas Bathroom"




Perfect for a holiday gingerbread man or woman.




After all the presents he brings us, Santa deserves a better place to go...

Looking for that Perfect Christmas Gift?

Every Christmas it's the same: what do you get for the person who truly has EVERYTHING???

This year, how about the "Three-in-One" Bathroom!?! Demand for this item came about in 1928 and was developed by Arthur K. White of Zarephath, NJ.

To the plumbers in our readership: Have any of you come across these combination fixtures throughout your careers?

Friday Bathroom Humor

"A Plumbing We Will Go!"

In 1940, The Three Stooges released a short film entitled "A Plumbing We Will Go" that featured a classic scene in which Larry, Moe and Curly end up in a plumber's van that makes a house call. Curly gets tangled in piping and of course hilarity ensues!

According to the Internet Movie Database(IMDB), this episode was said to be Curly's favorite.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

BLACK FRIDAY - A Plumber's favorite day of the year.

As many people associate the day after Thanksgiving with the busiest shopping day of the year, otherwise known as "Black Friday," your plumber sees it as his/her favorite work day of the year. According to Roto-Rooter, the nation's largest plumbing and drain service, house calls increase by 50% on "Black Friday" over any other Friday during the year. Throughout the Thanksgiving weekend, there is an increase of 21% above any other Thursday-Sunday period of the year.



Watch out when you're stuffing that garbage disposal, it's not a turkey. The extravagant holiday feast can be the cause of the many sink and sewer clogs. The increase in grease, cooking oils, food scraps, and not to mention the additional number of holiday guests putting strain on your home's plumbing system, keeps your plumber busy all weekend.

Tips for a plumber-free holiday:

Don't pour fats or cooking oils down the drain.

Avoid putting poultry skins, potato or carrot peels, stuffing, rice or fibrous vegetables like celery or rhubarb in your garbage disposal.

Run your garbage disposal when you put food debris into it; don't wait until it's full to turn it on.

Run cold water for 15 seconds before and after using the garbage disposal to flush waste to the main sewer.

Don't use your garbage disposal at all; put a trash can right next to the kitchen sink.

Museum Membership Now Available!

The Plumbing Museum is proud to now offer an official membership group to visitors and followers all across the U.S. As a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, the museum relies on its friends and visitors for support.

The "Tradesmen" gives museum fans the opportunity to support a great cause and receives exclusive member benefits. Membership includes:

-Official certificate and membership card
-Unlimited admission to museum exhibits
-Souvenir museum t-shirt
-10% off all museum gift shop merchandise
-Member's-only email newsletter
-An exclusive invitation to the annual "Tradesmen" gala

Annual membership fees are only $50 and all proceeds benefit museum programs.

Call 617-926-2111 to become a member today!



And remember..."The Plumber Protects the Health of the Nation."

The Plumbing Industry in Boston

The PHCC of Greater Boston put together a video that examines different generations of Plumbers in the Boston area. The video features retired plumber Hank Fandel, J. C. Cannistraro, LLC founder John Cannistraro, Sr., Local 12 Business Manager Kevin Cotter, and recent apprentice program graduate Gregg Petersen.

If you look carefully, you may recognize a familiar setting in the background of the some of the scenes...

Plans for 2010

Yesterday the Plumbing Museum held its first bi-annual Board of Directors Meeting.
The event began with a brief tour of the museum and continued with a casual luncheon for those in attendance. The group declared the museum's official non-profit, 501(c)(3) designation and discussed future plans for museum activities for 2010.

In the year to come, museum staff will begin implementing a new museum store featuring a variety of novelty plumbing and industry-related merchandise. By January 1st, a museum membership program will be offered to visitors as well. The museum hopes to begin seeking grant funding for educational programs and events in the months to come.



Caption: A gathering of the board of directors of the American Sanitary Plumbing Museum. (Left to right) Michael Kohler, Jr., Hugh Kelleher, John Cannistraro, Jr., and Russell Manoog.

Friday Bathroom Humor

Introducing the Veteran's Day Open House!

With Veteran's Day just around the corner, the Plumbing Museum would like to thank our local veterans any way that we can. On November 11th, 2009, Veteran's Day, the museum will host its first-ever Veteran Open House.

We invite local men and women who have served in the armed forces, and their families, to come by the museum and take a unique look back at history, invention and industry. Admission charges will be waived for this special event and the museum will hold special hours:

Wednesday, November 11, 2009
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM

To RSVP for this event call 617-926-2111.

Have you ever seen a woman's urinal?

With more than 700 visitors this year, no one has been familiar with the "Standard" woman's urinal. Kohler also sold a similar version up through the 1970s.

Have you ever seen or used one of these unique items?

Friday Bathroom Humor

This week we add a new, weekly section to The Water Closet, titled "Friday Bathroom Humor." Check back each week for amusing photos, jokes and commentary.





What will you be for Halloween?

The Plumbing Museum suggests these classic costumes!

Welcome!

Thanks for visiting "The Water Closet," the official blog of The American Sanitary Plumbing Museum. This is your online portal into the past, present, and future of all things plumbing.

Check back regularly to find:

• News and alerts pertaining to museum exhibits
• Tales from the toilet (a weekly anecdote/bathroom humor)
• Visitor photos and experiences
• Interesting facts and articles from the plumbing world

"The plumber protects the health of the nation."