The Great British Tap Mystery: Why Are There Two?! (British Quirks 11/30)

One of the first things I noticed after moving from the U.S. to the UK—right after the endless cups of tea and the obsession with weather—was the plumbing. Specifically: the taps. Not faucets, mind you—taps. And they come in pairs.

Yes, you read that right. Many British sinks—especially in older homes, public toilets, and charming B&Bs—still feature two separate taps: one for hot water, one for cold. There is no mixer. No happy medium. Just one scalding pipe of lava and one icy blast from the Arctic.

As an American used to the blissful convenience of a single, adjustable faucet, this setup was…confusing. I remember my first few mornings trying to wash my face, shuttling my hands between the two like I was playing some demented game of sink ping-pong. Do I boil my skin or freeze it off? There is no in-between.

So Why Does This Still Exist?

As it turns out, there is a historical reason behind this peculiarity—and it has a lot to do with post-WWII British housing and how water was supplied.

Back in the day, especially after the Second World War, many British homes were built (or rebuilt) with cold water coming straight from the mains, while hot water was stored in a tank, often located in the attic. This hot water wasn't under the same pressure and was more vulnerable to contamination (especially if, say, a bird somehow made its way into the tank... yes, really). As a result, the hot water wasn’t considered safe to drink.

To avoid any chance of mixing potentially unsafe hot water with clean, potable cold water, the taps were kept completely separate—and by law, in some places, still are.

It’s one of those things that makes complete sense in a 1940s context. But in 2025, when thermostatic mixer valves and modern plumbing are a thing, it can leave American expats like me scratching our heads in disbelief.

The Daily Tap Dance

Here’s how most Brits handle the two-tap dilemma:

• Some fill the basin with a mix of hot and cold and use that water to wash.

• Others brave the extremes: a blast of cold to wake up, a flick of hot for warming the hands.

• More modern bathrooms (especially in new builds or renovated flats) do have single taps or mixer faucets—but you still see the two-tap setup a lot more than you'd expect.

Of course, I did what any confused foreigner would do—I asked around. The reactions ranged from shrugs to nostalgia. One British friend said, “It’s just how it’s always been.” Another laughed and admitted they thought it was weird too, but “quintessentially British.”

A Quirk You Learn to Love (Sort Of)

To be fair, this isn’t a nationwide rule—many kitchens, newer flats, and updated bathrooms now feature the more familiar mixer taps Americans are used to. But if you’re living in an older home or staying somewhere ‘charmingly historic,’ prepare for a bit of a splashy surprise.

Eventually, I got used to it. I even came to appreciate the strange ritual of balancing temperatures, like a plumber's version of the Goldilocks tale. And it’s one of those little quirks that makes living in the UK feel both fascinating and delightfully maddening at the same time.

Final Thoughts

Living abroad teaches you a lot—about language, customs, even plumbing. And while I’ll probably never fully understand the British devotion to separate taps, I’ve learned to embrace it as part of the cultural mosaic. If nothing else, it makes for a great party story when friends back home ask, “So… what’s it really like over there?”

Just smile and say, “Well, for starters, washing your hands is a two-step process…”