Facts

How Logical Is It To Have Two Taps In The UK? Let’s Find It Here

Cultures vary across the world, some of them being incredibly eerie. We bring you one among them, the two taps in the UK! Yes, people in the UK have two taps for basins in Kitchen, Bathrooms, Showers etc. It’s time to dig into the reasons behind such weird tradition!

What are these two taps for?

two taps in UK
Via- Starecat

One tap is for “HOT water” and other for the “COLD”. You cannot wash your hands or take a shower with only one of them. The hot water faucet is boiling water, and the other one will freeze you. Hence, the water gets mixed when you open the valve resulting in the least wastage of water.

Notion behind the two taps

notion behind two taps
Via- tenor.com

The United Kingdom has houses that are quite old (19th Century and early 20th Century, before the modern valves, came to market) which is why they have the old plumbing system. This system provided cold water directly from the networks. So, later when the need of hot water aroused, people had to install a separate outlet for hot water.

Read also: Why does the UK print its laws on calf skin? 

Law and restriction for use of one tap

Isn’t it surprising to hear that there is a law on the number of taps to be used in households? But it’s true. The UK has a law that prohibits mixing the cold and hot water from the boiler. Since there is no central heating system in the country, so people have a gas column in each house.

Previously, a special cylinder was required for the boiler. The water could go stale, and the cylinder could rust, making the water unhygienic for drinking. Seemingly, this didn’t stop people from mixing hot and cold water which led to the emergence of the law that prohibits this.

Current Scenario

The introduction of the “Mixer” taps have changed the convention in Britain. Now, most modern days properties have taken necessary steps to enable “Mixer taps” to be installed, but the tradition persists!

So, later when the need of hot water aroused, people had to install a separate outlet for hot water.

Make sure to know how much is the cost of new boiler installation.

Read also: Attention! We have found the best way for you to drink water

Nidhi Khurana

Started as a pastime now became her passion, Writing is something where she finds peace. Always eager to know more, Nidhi is an English literature student from Miranda House. Following the motto of love what you do, she dabbles in lifestyle and travel writing. The bug of creativity bit her in a way that she forever became a prey to it.

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