Aerated taps - what is the point?
Discussion
The place I've recently moved to has aerated taps all round and they annoy me beyond reason because I cannot think of one single good point to them. Being a bit of a luddite and technophobe in general I did some googling to educate myself. All I could find were things like "low energy water saving". How the juddering feck does inserting a load of bubbles into water make it "low energy" and how does it actually "save" any? If you need a pint of water then the actually volume is still going to be same, the only difference being that you'll have to leave the tap on longer with an aerated system while you wait for all the pointless bubbles to go.
What used to be a simple process to fill up my kettle by turning on the tap and sticking the spout underneath is now a needlessly painful exercise trying to finely regulate the flow otherwise the fancy aerated water refuses to go down the spout and instead erupts back out like a volcano and generally creating a lot of mess.
What am I missing? They seem like a solution to a problem that didn't exist.
What used to be a simple process to fill up my kettle by turning on the tap and sticking the spout underneath is now a needlessly painful exercise trying to finely regulate the flow otherwise the fancy aerated water refuses to go down the spout and instead erupts back out like a volcano and generally creating a lot of mess.
What am I missing? They seem like a solution to a problem that didn't exist.
Equus said:
They're a method of saving drinking water, which is both in short supply in some areas and actually takes a fair amount of energy to 'process' to drinkable standards.
As you say, they don't help if you're trying to run a pint of water to fill a saucepan, but they do reduce consumption if you're washing your hands, or rinsing something under the tap.
There are now rules in the Building Regulations to limit water consumption by new dwellings, and there have also been other sustainability standards (most recently Code for Sustainable Homes - now subsumed by the aforementioned Building Regulations), frequently imposed as a requirement of a Planning Approval, which similarly encourage the use of low-consumption water fittings.Both require the use of such fittings.
You'll usually find low-capacity toilet cisterns and showers that are barely capable of delivering a dribble, to complete the package of water saving measures, in such houses.
OK. I can see how washing my mitts would perhaps save a thimbleful or so but I am up norf in W Yorks where there are no such water shortage issues. The other thing that annoys me about them is the din they make when running. It's like the taps and the kettle are having their own private competition for which of them can make the most noise when in use. Kettles have always made noise, that's how they work, I'm cool with that. Taps? Not so much.. As you say, they don't help if you're trying to run a pint of water to fill a saucepan, but they do reduce consumption if you're washing your hands, or rinsing something under the tap.
There are now rules in the Building Regulations to limit water consumption by new dwellings, and there have also been other sustainability standards (most recently Code for Sustainable Homes - now subsumed by the aforementioned Building Regulations), frequently imposed as a requirement of a Planning Approval, which similarly encourage the use of low-consumption water fittings.Both require the use of such fittings.
You'll usually find low-capacity toilet cisterns and showers that are barely capable of delivering a dribble, to complete the package of water saving measures, in such houses.
Ref the khazi, I hear you but there are 2 settings on mine. There is the anaemic flow button which is not much more than a dribble and struggles to flush some piss away, then there is the man-size full-on Niagara Falls button
which would have no problem disposing of even the largest of turds.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff