4 ms·

Europeans are good at building a lot of things, but I will never understand the "cosplay a small flood" style bathrooms. It's just... inefficient? Why wouldn't

Europeans are good at building a lot of things, but I will never understand the "cosplay a small flood" style bathrooms. It's just... inefficient? Why wouldn't we want to catch the water closest to where it comes out?

randycupertino 10mo ago
It's to save money and labor time so housekeeping can just mop it all down easier and faster without having to clean a separate bathtub and no having to clean any shower doors.
jonstewart 10mo ago
See also: washing machines. If you have three pairs of underwear and all day, Europe’s washing machines have you covered. Otherwise, you’re SOL.
- trymas 10mo ago
  What do you mean?
  - tgsovlerkhgsel 10mo ago
    EU ecodesign rules require washing machines to meet certain low energy/water consumption standards in the "default" program. Washing machine designers implement this by making these programs ridiculously long. The EU has now capped them at 3h because they realized that if these programs grow even longer nobody will use them. Even regular programs in front-loading machines (at least in the European countries I've been to, these make up the absolute vast majority of machines) are longer than typical top loaders. Top loaders are faster but put more wear on the clothes and use more energy and water. A regular, "non-EU" cycle will typically take around 2h. The EU one will typically max out the 3h limit.
- tgsovlerkhgsel 10mo ago
  I've never really run into capacity problems with European washing machines, but the run times are definitely real. Most of them have a well-hidden faster mode. Still not as fast as a US machine on fast mode, but not the mandatory-default-by-law three-hour program. Which would be even longer than 3h if some EU bureaucrat didn't realize that making the default unacceptably long for everyone will result in nobody using it.
  - seanmcdirmid 10mo ago
    Isn’t this mostly drying time and the fact that hardly any driers in Europe are vented (so either heat pump based or condensation)? Or is this the uses less water type washing machines? Europe tends to have higher rates on water and electricity to make efficiency worth while. My Bosch dishwasher takes 3 hours I guess due to efficiency, it seems reasonable. I didn’t go with a European washer dryer combo though (my laundry room has a vent and I’ve heard that heat pump tech still isn’t good enough).
    - tgsovlerkhgsel 10mo ago
      No, this is just about washing machines, not washer-dryers or doing both in sequence. Due to ecodesign legislation, I would assume that all machines that can be legally sold in the EU would count as "uses less water" in the US. The dishwashers are another can of worms. My last one had an EU and a non-EU program, and you quickly learned to pick the "non-efficient" one if you actually wanted clean dishes.
      - ruszki 10mo ago
        My experience with dishwashers is that there are bad and good ones regardless of country. I had terrible and great dishwashers in the US, Australia, and Europe (basically in all countries there). The same with washing machines.
        seanmcdirmid 10mo ago
        My Bosch is slow but the results are always good. I rarely resort to the quick program.

randycupertino 10mo ago

It's to save money and labor time so housekeeping can just mop it all down easier and faster without having to clean a separate bathtub and no having to clean any shower doors.

jonstewart 10mo ago

See also: washing machines. If you have three pairs of underwear and all day, Europe’s washing machines have you covered. Otherwise, you’re SOL.

trymas 10mo ago
What do you mean?
- tgsovlerkhgsel 10mo ago
  EU ecodesign rules require washing machines to meet certain low energy/water consumption standards in the "default" program. Washing machine designers implement this by making these programs ridiculously long. The EU has now capped them at 3h because they realized that if these programs grow even longer nobody will use them. Even regular programs in front-loading machines (at least in the European countries I've been to, these make up the absolute vast majority of machines) are longer than typical top loaders. Top loaders are faster but put more wear on the clothes and use more energy and water. A regular, "non-EU" cycle will typically take around 2h. The EU one will typically max out the 3h limit.
tgsovlerkhgsel 10mo ago
I've never really run into capacity problems with European washing machines, but the run times are definitely real. Most of them have a well-hidden faster mode. Still not as fast as a US machine on fast mode, but not the mandatory-default-by-law three-hour program. Which would be even longer than 3h if some EU bureaucrat didn't realize that making the default unacceptably long for everyone will result in nobody using it.
- seanmcdirmid 10mo ago
  Isn’t this mostly drying time and the fact that hardly any driers in Europe are vented (so either heat pump based or condensation)? Or is this the uses less water type washing machines? Europe tends to have higher rates on water and electricity to make efficiency worth while. My Bosch dishwasher takes 3 hours I guess due to efficiency, it seems reasonable. I didn’t go with a European washer dryer combo though (my laundry room has a vent and I’ve heard that heat pump tech still isn’t good enough).
  - tgsovlerkhgsel 10mo ago
    No, this is just about washing machines, not washer-dryers or doing both in sequence. Due to ecodesign legislation, I would assume that all machines that can be legally sold in the EU would count as "uses less water" in the US. The dishwashers are another can of worms. My last one had an EU and a non-EU program, and you quickly learned to pick the "non-efficient" one if you actually wanted clean dishes.
    - ruszki 10mo ago
      My experience with dishwashers is that there are bad and good ones regardless of country. I had terrible and great dishwashers in the US, Australia, and Europe (basically in all countries there). The same with washing machines.
      - seanmcdirmid 10mo ago
        My Bosch is slow but the results are always good. I rarely resort to the quick program.