Medusa

The Weird World Of British Bathrooms

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">There are many important differences between American and British culture and customs &&num;8211&semi; including our use and spelling of the English language&comma; what side of the street we drive on&comma; and our governmental system&period; Of course&comma; the list continues with other obvious variations between our societies&comma; yet one key difference that is not often explored is the peculiarity of the British home bathroom&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><img class&equals;"aligncenter size-Correct-Size wp-image-9942" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;medusamagazine&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2013&sol;12&sol;The-Weird-World-of-British-Bathrooms-640x359&period;jpg" alt&equals;"The Weird World of British Bathrooms" width&equals;"640" height&equals;"359" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Usually&comma; these differences have to be experienced to be understood&colon; travellers are usually quick to notice these subtle&comma; unusual features of bathrooms in the United Kingdom&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Electricity in the Bathroom&colon; How do the Brits Dry their Hair&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Nearly everyone knows that American plugs do not fit into the electrical sockets in other countries&comma; including the UK &&num;8211&semi; which is solved with a quick fix in the form of an inexpensive adaptor that can be purchased at nearly any hardware or electrical product store&period; However&comma; most people will be surprised to see that they can’t plug these items in anywhere in a British loo&colon; many visitors to the United Kingdom notice that their hair dryers&comma; toothbrushes&comma; and other common bathroom necessities have to be used in other rooms&comma; which seems somewhat counterintuitive&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Electrical shavers &&num;8211&semi; available in England with the proper plug &&num;8211&semi; can be charged in some British bathrooms&comma; however&comma; if the necessary outlet is present on the wall&period; Even more strange &&num;8211&semi; bathroom lights are not controlled by the traditional on-and-off switch&comma; but by a cord that is pulled from the center of the ceiling&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Why does this pattern exist&quest; This isn’t just a cultural difference&comma; but the result of strict housing regulations that are still in place today&colon; these rules were designed for safety’s sake&comma; to prevent any electrical shocks from occurring from water splashing on wiring or appliances&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Hot and Cold&colon; The Strange Phenomenon of Separate Faucets<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Travellers often notice that British bathrooms have separate taps for hot and cold water&period; In fact&comma; it was during a wartime visit to Moscow in 1942 that Winston Churchill himself noticed that his own nation had a peculiar custom of separating hot and cold water&comma; as he enjoyed using the single faucet to find the perfect water temperature for washing his hands&period; This tradition&comma; a proud feature of authentic Victorian homes&comma; is still present in most WCs today&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">This curious pattern is the result of several different reasons&period; First&comma; regulations exist that are very strict about how hot and cold water streams are allowed to mix inside a tap&comma; for reasons of contamination that could affect a whole neighborhood based upon the structure of the plumbing system&period; Special valves must be installed such that a water tank does not send water streams of potentially contaminated water back into the greater common system&period; Another great benefit&colon; separate taps are less expensive&excl;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Celebrating British Tradition&colon; Embracing Bathroom Oddities in Your Own Home<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">It is relatively simple to adopt British WC customs into your own home&comma; even if you live on the other side of the pond&period; Many homeowners in America like the aesthetic of separate water faucets at their sink&comma; as it adds a unique look to the bathroom&period; Furthermore&comma; many families appreciate the idea of removing electrical outlets from the walls in their bathroom for the safety of their children&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">If you want to adopt any of these British water closet peculiarities into your own American powder room&comma; or you simply want to have a consultation with a professional about ways to upgrade your bathroom space&comma; seek out the expertise of the specialists at Fischer Plumbing&period; They will be able to help you know what renovations might best update your current bathroom setup&comma; and pinpoint what peculiarities set your powder room apart from the rest&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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