www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Most of you probably picked up on this, but for the noobs...

You will see an H and a C in most hotel showers, just like back home. However, remember this...

H = Helado
C = Caliente

Its reversed.

Just trying to spread a little knowledge...

Helado Thats ice cream

All you need to remember that in CR as in the states, as you are facing them, the left side valve is hot (caliente) the right side valve is cold (frío)

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

What is the name of the hotel where they have ice cream in the shower? I want to stay there!

Ice cream in a cold p*ssy - yum!

if its "H" and "C" on the faucet most likely its made in the USA. or maybe the plumber mixed up the connections and you figure "C" =caliente and "H" has to mean something cold? like ice cream?

Yes, helado is Ice cream, but its also an adjective as in "Ese agua estaba muy helado."

It has multiple meanings as it is a participle and noun depending on the usage - as in "I will run to the store" and "There is a run in my stocking."

I think Chico has it right that C is Caliente and H is what is left over. BTW, I've seen the same problem in french speaking countries where C is Chaud.

There is not much need for hot/cold faucets in the typical Tico house. All the sinks and the pila only have a cold water supply. The only hot water is in the bathroom where a suicide shower is installed.

I would suspect that the two faucet fixtures are imported from the USA or some other country that manufactures them for the USA market and therefore are marked H & C

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Yes, I have noticed that "American Standard" fixtures seem to be the bathroom fixtures of choice in CR.

Shower controls have markings? :!

Shit, I just run the water for a minute and test the temperature. You sighted guys are so-o-o funny!

I just got a great mental picture of a shower head spewing Rocky Road. Blew coffee through my nose.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

And I just got a mental picture of a blind guy reaching up to adjust the temperature on a suicide shower head and electrocuting himself because he couldn't see the bare wires. Ouch!! Not so funny.

Pro
the picture you just painted funny but the ending sucks
OK BLUE = COLD
RED= HOT
As my plumber says Hots on the left, Cold on the right, Sheet don't run up hill and payday is on friday all you need to know
But there a few plumbers out there that forget things from time to time.
One of my favorite rooms in SJ the shower controls are backwards
They just redid that room ..... did they fix that?.... I will see soon.
I think that Costa Rican plumbers invented Muy Tico

I agree. I'm not so sure about that whole hot on the left cold on the right standard. Sure, it works that way in the US (where H is Hot and C is Cold in any event any way). It also might work that way MOST of the time in CR, but I've come across places where I'm not so sure the foreign plumber who installed the pipes got the manual.

Adding to the confusion, its not always so easy to discern the difference between hot and cold once you start spinning those faucets. The "hot" water that comes out when you start turning that "C" faucet on the left in places like CR is not always all that hot. Even when it is, it might take a long while before that tepid warm water makes its way through the hotel's pipes to your showerhead or tap. You start to wonder "is the lack of truly hot water the result of "pipe delay" or did the tico plumber screw up"? In desperation, you start spinning that "H" faucet on the right in HOPES that MAYBE that MIGHT get you some truly hot water. Finally, you come to the realization that NEITHER tap ("H" OR "C") really means anything because there wasn't any hot water to begin with and the plumber simply installed both taps he had in the set just because they were there.

BTW, for you Rio guys, does the Hot on left Cold on right apply south of the equator too or do they do such things backwards down there too (like which way they spin the water when it goes down the drain). I'd imagine they don't have the same problem confusing what the "C" is for since Hot is Quente in Portuguese

Pro
Yes there is that lag time for the water to come out just right
If there any plumbers here please chime in
Now Pro could you provide a graph showing the best time to take a shower based on.... occupencey... time off day....water pressure

There are too many independent variables to accurately do that. Are we talking about a "monger hotel" or more of a mainstream one? I'm guessing the average time guests get out of bed in the morning is much later at the monger hotels, so if you get up early at one of them you'll probably do okay. OTOH, those ecotourists like to get to bed early and rise early for their 7AM tours. If you stay at one of those hotels and get up after 7AM you may be SOL until the hot water tanks have a chance to recharge. Other than that, its all probably just a crap shoot. My words of advice: either learn how to take really quick showers, take your shower at the end of the day before you go out for the night or before you go to bed or stay in more expensive hotels with stronger water systems. Personally, I find in the CR heat that I often wind up taking more than 1 shower per day anyway.

A Tampa guy talking about CR heat?? Sorry, Brother Prolijo, just couldn't resist. Take 2 free shots at me.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED