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Taps

quidity on 2003-04-02T21:24:33

I noticed today that almost all taps, including those in public places, distinguish their hot or coldness through entirely two dimensional methods... either through H and C decals or by being blue or red in places. Very rarely is the hot top very differently shaped from the cold tap. I'd hate to be partially sighted and needing some hot water (or wanting to not be scolded by the taps that seem to link directly to the magma chambers brewing evil in the deepest bowels of the earth).

I also wonder at the proportion of left or right handed sinks... I've never noticed any rhyme or reason affecting the placement of taps. Do budding water systems engineers have a morning of their training courses set aside to learn that hot should be on the left, is there a big book somewhere? Perhaps the modern plumber is mildly discordian and injects that little bit of chaos into everyone's lives by flipping a coin to decide which side is hot. I think we should be told.

Taps

grue on 2003-04-02T23:59:13

I think we seem to have more of a standard in Aus - hot is on the left (or top) and cold on the right (or bottom) Okay so there are the occasional dodgy home plumbers around but I'd say it's pretty standard in public places. There are also laws about how hot the hot water is so you're unlikely to burn yourself - kids are equally at risk. You can also get braille taps and a lot of lifts I've seen lately have braille.
I found it a little disconcerting in Amsterdam and Nodnol to find the taps either the opposite way or randomly placed. But then your water flows around the wrong way over there anyhow. :-P

Re:Taps

jdavidb on 2003-04-03T18:36:27

In the southern and western United States, hot is usually on the left. Times when it is not appears to be when someone who didn't know any better installed them.

Another pet peeve of mine is when they install the knobs to turn the wrong direction. Counter clockwise should be on, clockwise off. Or maybe it's "turn the top outward." I forget. But I can tell when it's wrong. :)

Re:Taps

quidity on 2003-04-03T22:05:19

Spinward and antispinward, clearly.

I always remember "left loosy, righty tighty", but then I also have to remember that it is refering to the top of the tap.

Re:Taps

vsergu on 2003-04-03T23:40:23

Hot is left in northeast US as well, as far as I can tell, and here in DC (whatever region that counts as). There must be some sort of standard for it. And off is counterclockwise for the right knob but clockwise for the left.

At YAPC in Montreal I saw knobs marked "C" for both hot and cold (but not on the same sink). I guess you're supposed to check whether the other knob says "H" or "F".

Re:Taps

jdavidb on 2003-04-04T14:05:38

At YAPC in Montreal I saw knobs marked "C" for both hot and cold (but not on the same sink). I guess you're supposed to check whether the other knob says "H" or "F".

That's so unpatriotic.

UK

Odud on 2003-04-03T15:53:33

I think it is supposed to be hot left cold right in the UK. (Although one sink in my house is reversed...)