Things you just don't get - Page 329

separate hot and cold faucets in a sink/bathtub.

I could understand it in a bathtub (well not really understand, but could deal with)

But I don't get it when they use them in sinks.

Seems like you'd get scaldingly hot water out of the hot tap.

Or 32.1 degree water. Take your pick.

I can remember a bathroom sink having a mixed faucet was pretty impressive to me. All the old houses I grew up in had the separate faucets.

I have a couple of theories about the 2-faucet thing. Neither of which apply to modern times.

1. When indoor plumbing first came along people were not used to the concept of running water/wasting water. They filled a basing for their toilet needs, and the faucets arent a hinderance to that.

That still wouldnt explain they chose to install 2 peice of hardware. So here's a better guess:

2. Hot water heaters in those days didnt use a pump. Ive seen shots of turn-of-the-century houses where the water heater was in the attic and operated by gravity. This would produce much less pressure than the main water line, so a convenient way to get around balancing that pressure to get enough hot water is 2 faucets.

Any plumbers on board have a real explanation?

I am an amateur plumber but I believe this explanation is accurate. Many times in ye oldern days the cold and the hot water had different pressure. It stuck around because that's what many people's old sinks had installed so you couldn't replace just the faucet you would have to replace the whole sink.

Also we had one of these in the house I lived in during elementary school.

32.1 degrees, just under body temp.

I am very happy it's not my body that is 32.1 degrees. Brrrr.

Neat. I learned something today!

NYE

32.1ºC as a body temp? you're well into hypothermia and probably already calculating time of death if a pathologist/detective/CSI guy.

32.1 C = 89.78 F

Damn you metric system, why must you make so much sense?!

But most hot water heaters now still don't use a pump right? It's just water pressure from the input pushing the hot water out?

I've certainly never heard a pump kick in.