T8191

Mulling over our recent trip, we were commenting on the "Very Hot Water" notices in the LGW lounge 'restrooms'. Yes, the hot taps do indeed emit exceptionally hot water. So a couple of questions came to mind:

1. Why don't they turn the thermostat down a bit/lot, and save money?
2. What happens for pax with a limited command of English, who may not understand the notice and thus get scalded?

corporate-wage-slave

Yes the water in the gentlemens' facility in LGW lounge is - I think- the hottest I've come across anywhere from a tap intended for handwashing. Which makes it impractical to properly wash hands without using the plug to mix in cold water. So I'd like to know the answer too. If it was coffee/tea I think it would be too hot to drink. The strange thing is that the hot water in the showers is a more reasonable temperature.

cornishsimon

Sounds like a bit of an elf and safety issue !!


cs

windowontheAside

I really don't understand why so many public handwashing facilities in the UK still offer separate hot and cold taps.

Given that most people do not run a basin full of water and instead wash under a running tap, it's a choice of either washing with cold only, or dashing your hands under the hot and cold taps to avoid scalding/freezing. It seems a particularly British thing. Most other places I visit offer mixer taps in public facilities.

Calchas

In principle a double tap should offer warm water (appropriate to hand washing without mixing) and cold water.

HIDDY

I just use cold water to wash my hands and face.

lukew

It may be that there is Legionella in the water system. Increasing the water temperature is a control measure.

Saltire74

I remember the old GLA lounge had the very same problem. Despite the signs, one would not think that the water was as hot as the warning portrayed.

There were a couple of 'Ah ya *****r' moments followed by the rush to get the cold tap on, resulting in a 'splash' effect down the front of one's trousers

Happy & Safe travels (without the third degree burns )

S

compass31

Same thing in the Ladies at MAN's lounge. I had a choice of scalding or cold to wash my hands. I always understood that cleaning with cold was less effective, germ removal wise. Certainly not great for my arthritic fingers. I didn't see a plug.

Why not have a mixer tap?

LondonElite

Many older systems have a central boiler that supplies all hot water needs, especially in industrial environments. Putting in a chiller to lower the temperature is often expensive and impractical. A cheap sign is often a reliable alternative.

origin

You need a sign whatever the temperature as someone will fail to understand that a hot water tap, does have hot water sometimes.

Calchas

There's no evidence of that water temperature is important in reducing bacterial loads (unless you want to scold your hands).
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...8D2C9B8.f04t01

Up In The Air

Mrs Up In The Air (who's from the US) often comments at the fact that so many wash basins in public buildings in the UK have a 'hot' and 'cold' tap rather than a mixer tap: "Wow, luxury: Two taps rather than just the one"!

exilencfc

Maybe they have the problem we had when our plumbing was installed - somebody threw he instructions away part through and the installers had to guess what to do. Result? Scalding water.

Mart81

This.


Even after residing in the UK for 5 years this is my biggest pet peeve.

I've looked up the historic reasoning and apparently most British water mains do not have a very high pressure. The cold tap is connected directly to the mains whereas the hot tap tends to be connected via a boiler or water storage. The result is two different types of pressure which will make mixer taps malfunction. The only way to prevent this is to pressurise the cold/hot mains equally which according to regulations is not legal (as you're not allowed to pump from the mains as it could drain the pipes to other areas).
If pressure is relatively equal you can still attempt to install a mixer tap and in most houses you can get away with this just fine. I guess doing this in bigger buildings such as airport terminals this may be more problematic.

On the temperature issue, what I don't understand is why most hot water thermostats are set to scalding levels. I would not trust a toddler to use a hot tap in most British houses. It would be far more reasonable to set them a bit more gentle.

To my frustration this situation is still the case in our current bathroom sink as well. I would replace the taps for a mixer tap as we did in our old house if it wasn't for the fact that we're looking to move soonish.
I don't understand how you can comfortably wash your face in winter time without waiting 3 minutes for the sink to fill up with "mixed" lukewarm water. If you use the hot tap you practically burn and the cold tap freezes the cheeks of your face.

Please, if there is one problem that should be resolved in 21st century Britain it would be to rid the country of this legacy tap system.