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Why Britain Uses Separate Hot and Cold Taps

Tom Scott2 HN recommenders · 2015–2025
6.8M views · explainer · evergreen · Uploaded 2014-10-06

Tom Scott explains why Britain historically has separate hot and cold taps rather than mixer taps, tracing it to how water was stored in tanks. He notes why the hot tap is not safe to drink from.

HN commenters treat it as the standard short answer whenever UK taps come up.

Home, DIY & practical skillsWorld history

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8 comments from Hacker News

@rogerbinns2015 · in “Britain's housing crisis is a human disaster”

It makes a lot of sense having them separate. Tom Scott explains [VIDEO] Here in California showers and much other plumbing are required to have backflow valves so that hot and cold don't cross contaminate.

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@SimonPStevens2021 · in “Rents for the rich are going down, rents for the poor are going up. Why?”

Short video by Tom Scott on the subject for those interested. [VIDEO] tldw; Older homes in the UK had a water storage tank in the roof space that fed the water heating tank. This couldn't be classified as drinking water so wasn't allowed to be combined with the safe mains water that fed the cold tap. These days modern houses mostly use combi-boilers with no storage tank, so mostly both hot and cold are drinkable and it's not an issue. But preferences still lean towards the separate taps.

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@msie2021 · in “Bottled water is 3,500 times worse for the environment than tap water”

At least in Britain, if there are separate taps for hot and cold, you shouldn't trust drinking from the hot tap: [VIDEO]

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@stevekemp2021 · in “Culture shock”

On the topic of mixer-taps in bathrooms, the UK typically has separate taps due to the way the water is stored, or used to be stored: [VIDEO] I was pleased when I remodelled my bathroom there and installed a mixer. So much more convenient.

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@cyounkins2022 · in “Controversy continues over whether hot water freezes faster than cold”

Hot water heaters frequently have sacrificial anode rods to prevent corrosion. The rods corrode over time and dissolve into the water. Lower cost aluminum rods have health concerns, not as much with magnesium rods. See also Tom Scott's video on Britain's history with separate hot and cold taps and why hot taps sometimes had unsanitary cold water tanks to supply them: [VIDEO]

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@WirelessGigabit2023 · in “A manifesto on shower temperature control”

Mandatory Giphy: [LINK] Also mandatory explanation why UK historically has had 2 taps: [VIDEO] Which in the end is understandable. It's outdated. What isn't understandable is having the light switch OUTSIDE of the friggin' restroom.

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@crote2023 · in “Lead poisoning causes far more death, IQ loss than thought: study”

That's because it is primarily a historical artifact[0]. Most modern plumbing heats water on-demand, which pretty much entirely avoids the risk of storage tank contamination or Legionella. [0]: [VIDEO]

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@throw0101d2025 · in “BS 1363 British Plugs and Sockets”

Obligatory Tom Scott video on the topic: * [LINK] Bonus: "Why Britain Uses Separate Hot and Cold Taps": * [VIDEO]

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