taps in UK/US

[MrsPear]

I was just reading that in the US the hot water normally comes out of the same tap and they think it's odd that in UK we usually have two separate taps. Is that true??! I know it's only a tiny thing but I find it so strange that anyone would never have seen such a normal thing for us! Sometimes the tiny differences between US and UK (or what I hear of, I've never been) really interest me.

PS And anyway, do you even say 'tap' in the US? Such a different world!!

 

[Incubus]

Both are normal in the uk aren't they? Regular taps and mixer taps? We have regular taps in this house but our previous house had amixer in the kitchen and bathroom, the bath was like a mini waterfall. I think in the us they call taps a faucet?

 

[MrsPear]

I think mixer ones are normal in the kitchen? But not as popular in bathroom. I'm not sure really. I wouldn't bat an eyelid at either sort. But I was surprised they don't have separate in the US. My little mind is boggled x

 

[emyandpotato]

They don't have separate in the US because our taps are insane! You can choose between half frozen water and hell. Possibly the one thing I'd actually like about living in the US.

 

[supertabby]

I think they call it a faucet.

Mixer taps are pretty commonplace in UK now in kitchens and bathrooms, and I'm pretty sure I've seen separate hot and cold on US tv?

 

[lindseymw]

Yep mixer taps are normal in the UK.

I want one of the waterfall ones for the bath...they look gorgeous

 

[KatieB]

We're thinking of getting a waterfall tap for bath when we get our new bathroom done. Have a mixer tap in kitchen, separate taps in shower room and bathroom sinks etc.

 

[Rachel_C]

We have all mixer taps. I think it'd be pretty unusual to have separate taps at the kitchen sink - normally it's a mixer tap that you can swivel out of the way. In the bathroom it can go either way. We used to have separate taps at the bathroom sink but we had them changed as it's a small sink and two taps got in the way too much. I think in the bath I'd prefer separate taps actually, as it'd be easier to see what mix of hot/cold you're getting. I spend at least a minute trying to get the temp right for the kids' bath with the mixer tap as it seems very sensitive - move the cold tap a millimetre and it goes from boiling to freezing!

 

[dgirllamius]

Here it's just one tap. Took me some getting used to when I moved

 

[sophxx]

We only have one tap in all our rooms with sinks were uk

 

[Moomette]

Ha, that was one of the things that really made my mind boggle when I moved from Finland to the UK back in 1998. I had never seen separate taps for hot and cold before (as I don't think they even exist there) and nobody I asked could explain what advantage there could be to having separate taps? To this date I still don't get it and am happy I no longer have to choose between washing my face with icy cold or burning hot water

 

[alicecooper]

we have a mixer tap in the kitchen, but separate taps in the bathroom

 

[hayz_baby]

Sorry to hi jack but another thing popped up which is v similar..

We were watching this us show were they "flip" a house.. Anyway the house they had had a lower value as it had a shared wall.. 2 houses 2 different plots but one wall was shared between 2 houses.. Pretty much a semi detached house. Is a house like that really uncommon coz here in the UK they are very common place.. I live in one!

 

[hayz_baby]

Oh and i miss having a mixer tap.. Our old house had them.. This house has 2 taps.. I found it much better to run a bath at the right temp with a mixer..

 

[R_x]

All ours are one tap apart from the bath tub and sink in down stairs toilet. We are in the uk x

 

[OmarsMum]

Mixer taps here in kitchen & bathrooms, but during summer cold water is hot, & we turn off the water heaters to get cold water from it

 

[Incubus]

My mum told me ages ago why we have seperate taps, I don't know if it's true…

It's something to do with old fashioned boilers when you have the big tank for heating up hot water, the hot water sits in them for ages so it's not clean fresh drinking water, water from the cold taps come straight from the mains so you can drink straight from the tap. So it's keeps them seperate.

 

[maryp0ppins]

I am from Canada originally and I had never seen a separate tap before moving to the UK! I hate having to fill up the bathroom sink to wash my face as if I don't I either have burning hot or freezing cold!
Our (rented) flat atm has separate taps in the kitchen!!!!!!! its very very annoying and it is one of the things I am looking forward to when we move into our own flat in a few months.

 

[MrsPear]

My mum told me ages ago why we have seperate taps, I don't know if it's true…

It's something to do with old fashioned boilers when you have the big tank for heating up hot water, the hot water sits in them for ages so it's not clean fresh drinking water, water from the cold taps come straight from the mains so you can drink straight from the tap. So it's keeps them seperate.

Yeah I've heard that before actually.

Okay so mixer taps are common here too! I admit my mum has one in her bathroom lol. But I'm still surprised separate ones AREN'T common over there. Although I do agree, they are better. It's not like I'm trying to show off because my taps are separate hahaha. x

 

[MrsPear]

Sorry to hi jack but another thing popped up which is v similar..

We were watching this us show were they "flip" a house.. Anyway the house they had had a lower value as it had a shared wall.. 2 houses 2 different plots but one wall was shared between 2 houses.. Pretty much a semi detached house. Is a house like that really uncommon coz here in the UK they are very common place.. I live in one!

I have no idea but I can't imagine seeing things like rows of terraced houses in US?! They have a lot more space generally I guess than here. It's a bit regional too because I am in Leeds and we have loads of back-to-back terraces here, it's absolutely commonplace (lots of nice ones too) and I've lived in them myself before we moved at Christmas last year, but I've heard it's unusual elsewhere in UK?