The mixer tap, brilliant invention, and yet something that seems to have passed Britain by. You'll get Americans coming over here and asking why our taps look like they're from the 1940's. And even here, in my parents' bathroom -- I'm visiting my folks this weekend and they just had a new bathroom put in -- separate hot and cold taps. And there are all sorts of theories about why that might be, generally revolving around 'Well we're British,' and 'Stiff upper lip,' and 'You know we don't need mixer taps. We've never had them.' And well, that's partly true, but it also goes back to how houses in Britain were constructed after World War II. In most old British houses there's a cold water storage tank up in the attic. It's reasonably sized, about 250 liters, and that in turn feeds a hot water storage tank that's for the central heating, and for hot water in the bathroom, and in the kitchen, and so on. But the trouble is that might not be entirely safe drinking water. Because that cold water storage tank, in some houses that weren't properly maintained, might have been open to the elements, or silted up, or covered with iron rust, or, in one particular case you can read about, have a couple of dead rats floating in it. That water might technically not be drinkable. And under the regulations - I looked up the regulations - it is not counted as drinking water. The cold, meanwhile, at least certainly in the kitchen, and sometimes the bathroom, too, the cold water comes straight from the mains. That counts as drinkable. So here's the thing: You have cold, safe, the regulations call it 'wholesome', drinking water, and you have, well, almost certainly safe but not technically, not legally under the regulations, hot water. And never the twain shall meet. If you have a mixer tap, then technically, the unsafe hot water, in the worst case scenario, when there is a backwash valve failure and the mains turns off, that unsafe water could go back, backwash through all the systems, and go out to contaminate the rest of the street or the rest of the water system. That's not legal, therefor no mixer tap. You don't cross the streams. Nowadays, of course, it's a little bit different. This house had its hot water tank ripped out a few months ago. The attic is now just a big empty space again. And, well, there is a very modern, shiny bit of technology downstairs that heats up water on demand. All new built houses go this way. If they've got mixer taps, it'll be absolutely fine. But... I remember being told as a kid 'never drink from the hot water tap.' And that stuck with me. Even now, if there is a mixer tap and I want to drink from it, I will run the cold water for a few seconds just to make sure anything that's unsafe has come out of it. Even now old habits die hard. And sometimes these things just feel a bit safer. [Translating this video? Add your name here if you'd like credit!]
At the parents' house, doing their Windows updates - something a lot of us can relate to I'm sure.
I didn't drink the hot water because it's hot. Who even drinks hot water?
Even in the states, I've been told hot water isn't the best to drink because the water that sits in your water heater absorbs some metals and is easier to contaminate. I'm sure it's negligible compared to the examples listed in the video where the storage tanks were contaminated, but it's a pervasive suspicion even outside Britain.
I worked in the UK for 4 years. One day I took the hot water from the tap and put it in the kettle for tea. My colleagues almost killed me. As a German the idea of an open hot water tank in the attic just sounded totally stupid and ridiculous to me and I didn't believe them. Apparently it's true the question is though, why don't people change it now? It's so nice to have warm water to wash your hands.
I'm chuffed this guy has a channel of his own - I'm sure I've seen him on University of Nottingham channels. They're awesome too btw!
I was told never to drink out the hot tap because it wasn't as clean.
I grew up on the West Coast of America in a house that was built in the 1890's and we had separate taps in our bathroom sink. It was so annoying because I had to run both and swish my hands from one to the other because the hot was scalding and the cold was freezing.
I always wondered why those exist. Thanks OP.
I jut really wanna see the dead rat pictures....
plumber here you shouldn't drink the hotwater even if it is "safe" as it has been in your pipes for quite a while and will have a super metalic taste to it.
also storing the water cold and then heating it is kind of super stupid most other places store the water hot (like kills anything that makes you sick hot) and then feeds in cold water.
and his point about backdraft is one of the most unlikly thing to ever happen since they are designed not only to have one kind of fail safe but 2 if not 3 fails safes. pretty much all plumbing is over designed to all hell since it needs to be safe you blender tap will stop working before you get backdraft.