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Hi

Why are their no overflow facilities in baths or sinks. We had a bit of flood the other day as one of the kids left the tap running. I spoke to an Aussie neighbour and he says that nobody builds them in now.......but they used to!

Any ideas why they would have stopped putting them in?

Steve

Luke I Amyofath

I have noticed that in houses too. What they seem to have in place of them is a drain in the floor, which I suppose works but havent a clue why they wouldnt have an overflow on sinks/baths.
It cant be a recent thing in oz though because our tub and house are over 100 years old and the tub doesnt have an overflow. Our overflow is a floor drain that actually just goes straight through the concrete and ends about 3 inches from the ground under the house, you can even see the ground if you look becasue the pipe is semi transparent and gives off a lot of light !!

ABCDiamond

To stop the spiders coming up that way?

I must admit I have always wondered that. Didn't know that they used to have them though.

WBB

i did not realise they did not have them, it seems a no brainer???

slightly OT has anyone seen that episode of the simpsons where bart phones australia to find out which way the water swirls away down the sink?

does it go the other way???

does anybody even know what i'm talking about??

i'll get me coat.

podgypossum

Yes Billy..it does got the other way...one of the first things i noticed when i arrived in NZ!!

Jacqui

We've got overflow drains in the floors in the loos, bathrooms and laundry room (and I have tested the laundry one, left a towel in the sink with the washing-machine on, and where does the waste water go, through a pipe into the sink, that's something you don't have in the UK either!) There is no drain in the floor in the kitchen though, so too bad if I accidentally leave the taps running in the kitchen sink or the dishwasher floods!

Also odd here, sockets right next to the basin in the bathroom, handy for the hairdryer, but very dangerous surely? And the light switches are the flick on switch type, not the pull-cord type that UK bathrooms always have.

ABCDiamond

I think that point gets most UK people wondering !

NickyC

I've never understood why proper light switches and powerpoints aren't allowed in bathrooms in England.

It's like 'Ooh, no. Much too dangerous. Can't trust people to have plugs in rooms with water about'.

Yet there's no problem having powerpoints and proper light switches in kitchens where there's just as much water about.

Pollyana

Oh my god, I thought I was on my own with this one!

Since the very first time I've visited Oz I've wondered about the overflow thing - I like having deep baths and its a real nuisance having to watch the water level so closely!! Didn't say anything before cos I though it would make people think i'm ever weirder than ever, worrying about things like that. Very strange - but i think it might be partly for the spider thing - we have cockroaches that come up the plughole here!
Same with the bathroom light-switch. The one in our unit os loose, and I keep meaning to ask the Bloke to do something about it cos I am so used to having a cord which I could pull with wet hands. I keep using the normal switch with wet hands by accident and will probably fry myself one day!

WBB, I've seen that episode, and I'll back PP up - yes, it does!

Aussiepeter

I asked a plumber this question and he said that muck hair rubbish got stuck in the overflow and with the heat bred germs
and smells so they were taken away in the early 60s.

WBB

i suppose that makes sense.

i just take a shower it's quicker and easier.

ABCDiamond

Who ever built this house must have considered the bathroom light switch situation, as they put the light switches OUTSIDE two of the bathrooms, but for some reason inside on the third one.

Luke I Amyofath

yes theres just as much water about in kitchens but you dont lay in your bathroom sink !!!
The safety issue in bathrooms is that you could be in the bath and a hairdryer/electric shaver/curling iron etc could fall in and youd be toast, therefore sockets are placed at a more safe distance to help lower the amount of accidents.

Piece of trivia though on that subject: The only reason you would get a shock while in the bath if electricity is introduced is because you are on the surface of the water. If you were swimming in a pool and lightning struck the pool, it wouldnt harm you if at that moment you were completely under the water. This is because water is a fairly good conductor of electricity and any good conductor keeps the electricity on the surface. This is why fish dont get electricuted when lightning strikes

NickyC

Sure, but not having powerpoints in bathrooms means that people are more likely to rig up their own electricity source using extension leads and the like. I'm willing to bet that Australia has no more bathroom electrocutions than the UK does, despite having powerpoints installed in the room....

ABCDiamond

Never did that myself in UK, the bathrooms normally have special shaver sockets, so you can shave in there. You don't need anything else that uses electricity. It's easy to use the hairdryer in the bedroom.