C4.36 Hot and Cold Separate Taps

Why do sinks in the UK have two taps? Why are there separate hot and cold taps in the UK?

Of course, not all bathrooms use pull-cord light switches—only some older houses, traditional properties, or certain buildings. For example, the student dormitories at our school are single rooms, but each room is equipped with two taps.

Most sinks (washbasins) in the UK have two taps, as shown in the image below: the left one is for hot water, and the right one for cold water

The water temperatures from the two separate taps are quite extreme: the hot water is scalding hot—hot enough to make you scream—while the cold water is freezing cold—so cold it feels like you’re in Antarctica. You could definitely sing a song about the "chill" to express how you feel in the moment. The so-called "ice and fire" experience probably refers to these dual taps in the UK. However, for many people used to a single mixing tap, this is quite inconvenient. So some netizens have come up with a solution: buy a Retromixer, which combines hot and cold water according to the distance between the two taps.

Shishengmiao does it differently. Instead of buying a mixer, I just pour both hot and cold water into the sink or a basin, then wash my face directly.

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So why are there separate hot and cold taps in sinks across the UK?

BBC

Claudio Marongiu, a 28-year-old Italian, told BBC reporters: "I’ve always wondered why there are two completely separate taps in the same sink in the UK? You either get burned by the hot water or frozen by the cold water—there seems to be no other choice."

The BBC then interviewed Kevin Wellman, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, about the issue of separate hot and cold taps. Kevin Wellman replied: "The tradition of separate hot and cold taps in the UK dates back to an era when hot and cold water were used separately. At that time, the reason for separation was to prevent contamination through cross-connection.

Cold water comes from the mains and is safe for drinking, while hot water is supplied by a local storage tank usually located in the attic. This design also causes pressure imbalance, so if incorrect taps and valves are installed, one water flow may backflow into the other. In the UK, water regulations prohibit the mixing of hot and cold water because the water in attic tanks is considered unsafe.

As early as 1965, a code of practice called 'CP 310' recommended that hot water taps should be placed on the left whenever possible. That’s why hot water is always on the left tap in the UK. Over the years, reports have stated that one of the reasons for adhering to hot water on the left is to allow visually impaired people to always know which side is hot and which is cold. Even now that single mixing taps have become popular, it is still required in the UK to ensure that water does not mix before flowing out of the tap—and the practice of having hot water on the left and cold water on the right remains in place."