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Proper Terminology "hot water heater"

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Nick Ferry

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It really bugs me when people say "hot water heater" when referring to the appliance in a home that creates the domestic hot water. It is a "water heater". In this particular application, you wouldn't need to heat already hot water. I am aware people's nomenclature can vary from region to region but it really grinds my gears to hear the phrase. I have even heard professional TV plumber, Rich Trethewey from This Old House say it.
I thought of this when viewing another thread in which the term "I couldn't care less" often gets misspoke to "I could care less".

This is all in good fun and I'm not losing any sleep over it. Just happy to be done early on this beautiful Friday afternoon.


What are somes phrases or terminology you encounter that are mispronounced or missused?


E.g. "Crescent wrench" for "adjustable wrench" or people that think "jig saw" and "scroll saw" are interchangeable.
 
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biosurfer1

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Is your name Allen?:) I only ask because the engineer I mentored under early in my career, that was one of his biggest pet peeves. Any time someone would say it, he would just ask "if the water is hot, why does it need to be heated?"

Always made me chuckle.
 
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HMCFab9

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Funny you posted this. We were talking about the "hot" water heater terminology just the other day. A guy I know always says hot water heater. So I say: "your heater is heating HOT water??? He says: "huh... I don't get it"
The Could / couldn't care less is misused a lot too.

My former brother in law had a bunch of sayings he'd always say wrong years ago.... can't remember them though.
 
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mmack66

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Crescent wrench is used in the same manner that people use Kleenex or Coke, so I wouldn't exactly say it is misused.
 
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Nostraquedeo

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Irregardless of what you alll think, most people here in missoura, could care less if it's heating your hot water or cold water! Me thinks its really a warm water heater, since there ain't no thing as cold anyhow. You dont make things cold, you just remove the heat! You know, most of the water in it is hot when the cold water comes, so it's actually warm water your heating. Or depending what your temperature is of the word "hot".....you might actually be heating hot water. Just sayin'!
 
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JoeMA

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I agree that the proper name is water heater, not hot water heater, but in a tank system the heater also maintains the temperature of the hot water in the tank.
 
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KEH

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A popular make of tractor powered rotary mower used it cut brush is Bush Hog. People, at least in my area, use the brand name to refer to this general type of rotary mower, whatever the make. Not unlike vise grips for locking pliers.

KEH
 
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Vinci

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Maybe people who refer to their water heater like that are just letting you know that it has been running, and is hot. As in "This is my hot, water heater." ;)

Edit: I got distracted and Kevin beat me to it.
 
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dirttracker18

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Not so much spoken but when people put the $ after the numeral, especially in Kijiji (Craigslist) ads.

It really bothers me how many people actually think it goes after, such as 10$ :wtf:
 
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JakeKohl

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A buddy of mine works in advertising in the tool industry...he feels the need to point out my mistake every time I refer to a hand-held reciprocating saw as a "saw-zaw" or sawzall....apparently the sawzall thing is a brand name and not a class of tools. I now use the phrase whenever and as often as possible when he's around. :lol:
 
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mattmankow

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Nostraquedeo said:
Irregardless of what you alll think, most people here in missoura, could care less if it's heating your hot water or cold water! Me thinks its really a warm water heater, since there ain't no thing as cold anyhow. You dont make things cold, you just remove the heat! You know, most of the water in it is hot when the cold water comes, so it's actually warm water your heating. Or depending what your temperature is of the word "hot".....you might actually be heating hot water. Just sayin'!
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Something is either regardless or it isn't. No irregardless.
 
A

aka Larry

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JakeKohl said:
A buddy of mine works in advertising in the tool industry...he feels the need to point out my mistake every time I refer to a hand-held reciprocating saw as a "saw-zaw" or sawzall....apparently the sawzall thing is a brand name and not a class of tools. I now use the phrase whenever and as often as possible when he's around. :lol:
Click to expand...

I can't say anything about that because I'm the same about a "Jet Ski". When I had mine (900ZXi Kawasaki) it irked me for others to refer to another brand of PWC as a "Jet Ski".
 
5

58Yeoman

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"All but" is always misused. The news guy will be standing in front of a pile of ashes, and say the 'house all but burned down.'
 
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Kevin54

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lisiecki1 said:
It bugs the hell out of me to read "I have (item) for sell".

:shocking:

It's for SALE you idiot. :lol_hitti
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Daddy454 said:
This seems to have taken off in the last few years,and is just plain ignorance.Apparrently to some,ignorance is cool.
Click to expand...

I've never had the best English, but the one word that gripes my **** is "prolly" as in "where did everyone go? They prolly went to the store"
 
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yuk

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Living in quiet rural Missouri.
it spend most of its life heating hot water, not cold. i dont see the problem.
i think a tankless should be called a water heater and a tanked one a hot water heater.
 
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bams50

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Worst one- 'My car is a 65' Mustang.' Wow, that is one long Mustang! How the hell can people not know that the apostrophe AFTER the number means "feet"??

Also hate to see 'tho' for 'though'. You see that every once and a while (another stupid one):tard:
 
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gpalmer77

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Mokena IL
Wait a minute. When does your water heater kick on? When the water is cold? Mine kicks on when the water is still somewhat hot..... so technically it is heating already hot water to be a little bit hotter. ;-)

Just stirring the pot. Sorry.
 
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BigMike782

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Lowells
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sawzaw
OSB board

another tangent

I seen
supposably

my major pet peeve,
cop/s....they are police officers!
 
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Matt M PA

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Or..."it needs fixed"? Ugh.

My father was an announcer for many years I was corrected numerous times for saying "r"...instead of "ow-r" (our), "hunnert" for "hundred"...any number of things like that.

Of course, when I hear people ask about a "VIN number", or a "CDL license"...I realize they are from the Department of Redundancy Department.
 
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dwright406

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I worked at a plumbing supply store when I was much younger, the more experienced guys there used to give people hell that would come in and want to buy a 'hot water heater'.

"If the water is already hot, why do you need to buy a heater for it?"
I heard that a lot from the salesmen at the counter, so I learned that one early on.

I have tons of pet peeves when it comes to butchering the English language, it seems to be getting worse as newer generations evolve to text-speech.
Makes me feel like I'm at the top of the gene pool most of the time.
 
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Joe B.

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Ice melts around 273 Kelvin. Most of the universe is empty space and much colder than that. On a galactic scale, water in a liquid form is pretty hot.

'Draw' for 'Drawer' really bugs me. When jobs come up is makes me scared to move any further east.
 
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