The word "register"

[Pthagnar]

"Please indicate when you are being sarcastic!"

I'll keep that in mind...

No.

"Please indicate when you are being sarcastic!"

[ol bofosh]

"Please indicate when you are being sarcastic!"

I'll keep that in mind...

No.

You caught me.

EDIT: re OP: never heard of a "register" in terms of heating or whatever. It's usually a list of student names in schools or a verb to "register" with something formal. Or a cash register.

[Viktor77]

What I want to know is if this lack of the word "furnace" in British English to refer to a heating system for a house is because the Brits still somehow actually use boilers and hot water systems?

In the US we mostly use forced air, which requires a rectangular smaller furnace which fits easily in a closet, laundry room, basement, etc. My idea of boiler is exactly that of Kereb, the creepy room at school or at church as boilers are more or less industrial here.

We certainly have blast furnace, but there is no connotation of furnace with blast furnace unless blast is written there.

So far it seems register use corresponds with furnace use and is an American concept.

[Davoush]

What I want to know is if this lack of the word "furnace" in British English to refer to a heating system for a house is because the Brits still somehow actually use boilers and hot water systems?

In the US we mostly use forced air, which requires a rectangular smaller furnace which fits easily in a closet, laundry room, basement, etc. My idea of boiler is exactly that of Kereb, the creepy room at school or at church as boilers are more or less industrial here.

We certainly have blast furnace, but there is no connotation of furnace with blast furnace unless blast is written there.

So far it seems register use corresponds with furnace use and is an American concept.

Yes, most British houses have a boiler which is connected to a central heating system, the heat comes out of radiators (which are warmed up by the hot water).

A furnace here usually refers to something big and industrial.

[Viktor77]

What I want to know is if this lack of the word "furnace" in British English to refer to a heating system for a house is because the Brits still somehow actually use boilers and hot water systems?

In the US we mostly use forced air, which requires a rectangular smaller furnace which fits easily in a closet, laundry room, basement, etc. My idea of boiler is exactly that of Kereb, the creepy room at school or at church as boilers are more or less industrial here.

We certainly have blast furnace, but there is no connotation of furnace with blast furnace unless blast is written there.

So far it seems register use corresponds with furnace use and is an American concept.

Yes, most British houses have a boiler which is connected to a central heating system, the heat comes out of radiators (which are warmed up by the hot water).

A furnace here usually refers to something big and industrial.

So weird it's the opposite here. And stranger still that you all still use radiators. Radiators exist in older homes here, sometimes they are used, sometimes people have installed vents or registers. We definitely do not build new homes with radiators. They are unsightly and hot water is expensive and inefficient for heating and difficult for installing central air systems. We have four general types of central heating systems which are not by woodstove, pellet stove, or fireplace and they are a forced air natural gas furnace (most common) a hot water furnace/boiler (antiquated and it doesn't necessarily require old-style radiators), electric (cheap), and radiant (expensive hot water tube system but for under-the-floor heating for bathrooms, etc).

[Astraios]

That post is so full of superiority it hurts.

[clawgrip]

My old house had radiators. I didn't find them unsightly because I considered them a normal element of a house, probably because a lot of the houses around where I lived were older houses and so they were relatively common in many people's homes. The cats sure liked sitting on them, so we used to put towels on their favourite ones to make them a little more comfortable. I don't know how they could stand it though because they get extremely hot, even with the towels.

[Viktor77]

That post is so full of superiority it hurts.

Only because your former colony has managed to invent a heating system that doesn't require water.

[Astraios]

I don't know how they could stand it though because they get extremely hot, even with the towels.

They're cats.

Only because your former colony has managed to invent a heating system that doesn't require water.

Nope, because people who act surprised when they find out that not everybody uses the same [heating system or other fancy schmancy modern comfort] they do are usually people who deserve a smack.

[Viktor77]

I don't know how they could stand it though because they get extremely hot, even with the towels.

They're cats.

Only because your former colony has managed to invent a heating system that doesn't require water.

Nope, because people who act surprised when they find out that not everybody uses the same [heating system or other fancy schmancy modern comfort] they do are usually people who deserve a smack.

Just face it. America has been one uping you since we dumped your tea in the harbor.

[Astraios]

Just face it. America has been one uping you since we dumped your tea in the harbor.

It's sad how much you're obsessed with that. Really sad.

[Viktor77]

Just face it. America has been one uping you since we dumped your tea in the harbor.

It's sad how much you're obsessed with that. Really sad.

No, that's not me, that's the entire USA. See: the Tea Party.

[Astraios]

Yes, and that just makes it even sadder.

[Viktor77]

Yes, and that just makes it even sadder.

We as a people have a short history so unlike yours which is long and complicated, ours is easy to learn and thus easy to be proud of.

[Astraios]

That makes absolutely no sense at all, Viki.

[Bob Johnson]

No, that's not me, that's the entire USA. See: the Tea Party.

shut up viki

[ol bofosh]

Yes, and that just makes it even sadder.

We as a people have a short history so unlike yours which is long and complicated, ours is easy to learn and thus easy to be proud of.

A nation's history starts out of thin air???

[Viktor77]

Yes, and that just makes it even sadder.

We as a people have a short history so unlike yours which is long and complicated, ours is easy to learn and thus easy to be proud of.

A nation's history starts out of thin air???

I don't know how Europeans think because I am not one of you but from those I met, they never seem to have a very prideful view of their past (unless they were like Greek or something), it seemed to be more pride of culture. I'd argue that in the US we are less prideful of culture and more prideful of our history. Our Constitution is viewed by many as carved in gold and the Founding Fathers are easily placed each on a pedestal. We're always trying to interpret things as they would have seen them (whether people's interpretations are wrong or right is irrelevant, it's the fact they do it.)

[Rui]

Speaking of boilers, do Brits call hot water heaters "geysers" ([giːzɚ])? I'm familiar with the term "hot water heater" (which, now that I think about it, is a little redundant), but I encountered the term "geyser" when I was in South Africa, and obviously they get a lot of their English terms from British English. Interestingly, ours in SA was manual, so we would turn it on first thing in the morning, and then we'd turn it off after everyone was done showering and stuff, and then it would last for the whole day.

Is there a more compact AmE name for them?

[Viktor77]

Speaking of boilers, do Brits call hot water heaters "geysers" ([giːzɚ])? I'm familiar with the term "hot water heater" (which, now that I think about it, is a little redundant), but I encountered the term "geyser" when I was in South Africa, and obviously they get a lot of their English terms from British English. Interestingly, ours in SA was manual, so we would turn it on first thing in the morning, and then we'd turn it off after everyone was done showering and stuff, and then it would last for the whole day.

Is there a more compact AmE name for them?

Nope. I've only ever heard hot water heater or water heater.

[ol bofosh]

I don't know how Europeans think because I am not one of you but from those I met, they never seem to have a very prideful view of their past (unless they were like Greek or something), it seemed to be more pride of culture.

True. I think a lot of European history looks so detached from modern times, its relevance seems distant. I mean who's interested in 1066? (damn the Normans). And though I'm not proud of being British I can be nostalgic about some bits of it. "British" (history and culture) isn't my identity, it's just an influence on who I am.

Living in Spain I've acquired a more global view of things, seeing my "nationality" and "culture" as smaller parts of a bigger picture. British history is a part of a European history, and that, part of human history. So when I ask "A nation's history starts out of thin air???", it's because I don't see the history of a nation isolated.

(sorry, "register" was it? )

Speaking of boilers, do Brits call hot water heaters "geysers" ([giːzɚ])? I'm familiar with the term "hot water heater" (which, now that I think about it, is a little redundant), but I encountered the term "geyser" when I was in South Africa, and obviously they get a lot of their English terms from British English. Interestingly, ours in SA was manual, so we would turn it on first thing in the morning, and then we'd turn it off after everyone was done showering and stuff, and then it would last for the whole day.

(ah, there we are!)

No. I could imagine it being used as part of slang or something, especially if hot water started leaking everywhere, but I've never heard a boiler called a "geyser".

[Rui]

No, I didn't mean calling boilers "geysers," I meant calling the thing that heats the water for showers, sinks, etc. "geysers"

[ol bofosh]

No, I didn't mean calling boilers "geysers," I meant calling the thing that heats the water for showers, sinks, etc. "geysers"

Ahem... this is getting confusing.

In my house the thing that heats the water for showers, sinks, etc. I call a boiler.

[Viktor77]

No, I didn't mean calling boilers "geysers," I meant calling the thing that heats the water for showers, sinks, etc. "geysers"

Ahem... this is getting confusing.

In my house the thing that heats the water for showers, sinks, etc. I call a boiler.

This is a water heater:


How can you call that and a furnace a boiler? When a repairman comes over, how does he know which to fix if you say it's the boiler?

[Lyhoko Leaci]

The thing that heats water for showers, etc is a (hot) water heater.
The thing that heats air for heating the house is a furnace.
The thing that heats water for heating a building is a boiler, though these aren't as common now. (My old elementary and Jr. high school had them, both schools were connected by a tunnel with pipes, we would use said tunnel to get from the elementary building to the gym in the Jr. high building when it was cold out.)
The thing that controls air flow into a room is a vent. Probably the same for one controlling air flowing into a furnace, but I've never had a need to really refer to such an object before.
The thing that controls air flow in a chimney is a damper.
I would hope that there are no geysers ([ˈgaɪzɚ]) in the house.
Geezer ([ˈgiːzɚ]) is a term for old people, and a bit of an insult.
Typically, there are no registers in a house, aside from the sort in a computer. Or maybe a kid's toy cash register or something.