Plumbing may not be the most exciting topic, but it’s pretty crucial to everyday life for most people living in the United States. And plumbing technology is still progressing, too. Here are four amazing plumbing inventions that you probably haven’t heard about but may be able to use to make your life a little easier:

1. Toilet-Unclogging Plastic Film

   Drain cleaning is always problematic, but it’s particularly nasty when the clogged drain in question is a toilet. Last year, a South Korean inventor came up with an ingenious alternative to the traditional plunger: a plastic film that’s stretched across the top of the toilet bowl. When the toilet is flushed, the film creates pressure, just as a plunger does, and the clog is cleared. The film isn’t on sale in the U.S. yet, but it’s definitely something that’s worth looking out for.

2. Pipe Bursting Replacement

   When you need to replace a pipe, that means excavating the entire length of the pipe, right? Wrong. With trenchless pipe repair, one pipe can be put into the place of the old one simultaneously without digging an entire trench, basically breaking the old pipe apart as the new one is put in.

3. CIPP Sewer Lining and Pipe Lining

   When it comes to fixing a sewer line, nothing is better than the fairly new innovation of cured in place pipe technology. Essentially, these drain liners allow a sewer to be rehabilitated without digging up the yard and basement (CIPP liners are cheaper than putting in new pipe, too). The liner is fed into the pipe, coated with a special resin. Then the line is pressurized so the liner expands. The CIPP sewer lining resin “cures,” or hardens, so that the pipe is much stronger than before.

4. Watercop Enforcement Systems

   No, they aren’t actual cops. Watercops are automatic shut-off systems that can prevent major flooding in your home. Some of these systems are even smart enough to identify where leaks are occurring and cut off water supply to just that area. These can bring down your home insurance premiums, and some insurers are even requiring that homeowners install them in new construction.

Had you head of any of these? Discuss in the comments.