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#31344 06/06/01 03:38 PM
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of troy Offline OP
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In the thread on Airing Cupboards we went off thread to discuss hobs, elements and burners..

In the same vien (and down Ponder Avenue a bit) what does your water come out- tap, spigot or faucet?

and what do you call the large thing in the room with all the plumbing fixures? (and the other things... sink? basin? or lav? ) and out side, when there is a fire, to what do the firemen attach their hoses? (in NY alone, there are 3 correct answers to that question!)

A riot? in what are the protesters/rioters hauled away in?

we have had fun with this sort of thing with closets/ wardrobes, silverware/cutlery..

we might even discuss what is under your house-- (an other flat? an apartment? a floor through? a basement? a celler? or ?????) Or being us-- we might just go off tangent immediately!

Oh, yes--How do you get the water for house hold use hot? --Anyone still do it by the shilling (or new pence equivient)?


#31345 06/06/01 03:56 PM
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In our kitchen (and bathroom, for that matter), the water comes out of the faucet and into the sink (the kitchen sink has two basins, though). The firefighters (not all men) attach their hoses to a fire hydrant. [hydrant tangent] My father once had a summer job painting fire hydrants for the Town. I can't imagine a duller job, but he said it was easy money. Also, in Vermont fire hydrants often have long metal poles with a "flag" on top attached to them so you can find them in the winter. Every year the fire dept. reminds everyone to shovel out their local hydrants for easy access if there is a fire.[/hydrant tangent] Protesters (much more common than rioters in Vermont) get hauled away in handcuffs (or "paddy wagons" if you are looking for the politically incorrect name for the van they get thrown in for transport to the station). There's only a shallow crawl space under our apartment, but a basement/cellar under the rest of the house (I use the terms interchangeably). Whew! Back to work!


#31346 06/06/01 04:22 PM
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Our water comes out of a tap or faucet.
the large thing in the room with all the plumbing fixures?The bathtub? The thing for washing your hands is a sink.
You attach your hose to a fire hydrant (what other words are there, of troy?).

[to Flatlander] I always thought the poles were to keep the snowplows from running over the fire hydrants during the winter. The hydrants would be invisible without them.

Under our house is an "unfinished basement" meaning it has a dirt floor, the door is outside (you can't get to it thorugh the house), but you can store things in it and someone has attempted to make a little workroom there. There's a work bench and some electrical outlets.


#31347 06/06/01 07:11 PM
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Dear of troy: In New England a hundred years ago, a cellar was very desirable as a place to store vegetables, fuel for the heating system, and protect the first floor from moisture while tending to insulate it also.The cellar was also the location of utility inputs. An attic, usually unfinished provided protection from the summer heat, and somewhat decreased heat loss in winter. Bathtubs had not yet had showers added. (Horrid idea, sitting in your own ablutions.) Woodstoves were just beginning to be replaced by gas stoves. My mother was glad when an electric stove replaced the gas stove. Insulation was virtually non-existent, which made houses harder to heat. But the new houses, so well insulated and energy efficient, are less healthful. There was an article in NEJM right after WWII, describing the bafflement of French pediatricians trying to explain why there fewer children hospitalized because of pneumonia during the Nazi occupation than before it or after it. Their conclusion was that an unheated house was healthier for children than a heated one. The rugs in today's houses get heavily contaminated with all sorts of infectious and allergenic substances, which easily become airborne, and there is too little air exchange to clear them. Just as airplanes have terribly unhealthy air. Maybe I should get off my soapbox at this point.


#31348 06/06/01 07:22 PM
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You attach your hose to a fire hydrant (what other words are there, of troy?).

Fire plug.


#31349 06/06/01 08:00 PM
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of troy Offline OP
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Thanks Faldage-- I have 2 other words... and I'll send them private for now.. I bet when you read them, you'll recognize them.. even if they are not the names you commonly use...

and what do you have in your Plumbing room (and is it a water closet, bathroom, wash room.. Lavatory...?

H


#31350 06/07/01 01:07 AM
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I get water from the faucet, and it goes into the sink. I have sinks in my kitchen, and also in the bathrooms. The firefighters around here would probably get water from the pond, since there are no fire hydrants here in the boonies.

The hot water in my house comes from: (get ready) the hot water heater [ta da!]

Most people around here have a basement, but our house is a walk-out, and I tend to call the bottom floor both the basement and the lower level.


#31351 06/07/01 03:28 AM
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Water comes out of the taps into a sink in the kitchen and into a sink or washbasin (same thing, different names) in the bathroom, which has, alas, no bath, only a shower, and a loo or toilet (again same thing, different names).

When I was living in Bandung, there was no washbasin or shower in the bathroom, just a big tank of water filled from a tap. To bathe, there was a scoop (like a child's beach bucket but with a saucepan handle) and I would just pour water over myself with that, soap up, and then repeat. As the water was very cold, coming straight from a mountain spring, this was much the best way.

Larger houses (and quite a few restaurants) here also have a washbasin in the dining room, much more convenient for washing your hands before and after meals.

Bingley


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#31352 06/07/01 09:14 AM
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our house is a walk-out

Sparteye, what is a walk-out? Oh, unlike your neighbours who have drive-ins, jump-offs, fall-outs, etc. ?????

I have a bathroom which has a bath (it would not be a bathroom in UK without one) and a basin/sink, bidet, toilet/loo and the water comes out of taps, the hot having been heated by the boiler. We also have a downstairs cloakroom with a toilet and sink, and incidentally the stopcock. The kitchen has a sink and a draining board. No one in UK has a faucet that I know off (Though we do have a pub in Fawcett Road with the name Fawcett Inn)

We have very few fire hydrants in UK. In Swiss viallges, they are common because of the wooden chalets, but they are often painted as little men; a waiter outside the cafe, a soldier, etc.

Quiet a few houses in Portsmouth have basements which are habitable half underground levels, and some have cellars, usually completely underground and storage (for spiders).

Rod


#31353 06/07/01 10:54 AM
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a downstairs cloakroom with a toilet and sink,

Umm...here the cloakroom is where you hang your coat, at school, or at church, or at some other public function. A bit too public for toilets!


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