DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GERMAN AND AMERICAN HOMES
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- Опубликовано: 3 июл 2024
- While we travelled and especially since we have moved to Germany, we have noticed some major differences between German and American homes! Some are brilliant differences and some are just wacky!
Ramstein, Germany - September 2019
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Americans: "We have everything!"
German: _tilts window_
Americans: _collapses in astonishment_
lol
These folks are very well traveled and they know everything there is to know.......yeah right. Both the screens and the windows shown are fairly common in new construction in, guess where, Canada. The screens have been around for at least 30 years and the windows probably 25. They are fairly expensive and that is why they are not used in many renovations.
@@oh8wingman Yeah, I used to sell windows over 20 years ago right here in the U.S. there were all sorts of these windows and blinds. The really nice window blind combination is a blind in between the glass planes. Why would you want a blind on the outside?.. There will be a draft for the holes to control the blinds.
Haha, sums it up.
Tilt turn windows - yes they have an english name - and shutters, I saw them France, Germany and Italy over 40 years ago.
“A lot of Europeans don’t take showers!” I don’t know a single person who would prefer taking a bath over a shower for the daily hygiene.
lol I’ve been living here 20 years and I only know shower takers. I think it’s and older mentality.
simple: Brits prefer bathtubs, "Continentals" prefer showers.
Muc SALTO they’re a bit “special” anyway. #Brexit 😜
Yeah, no shit. I have not met a person in my life that does not take showers haha
I have no bath in my home and I would like to get a bath some times... :-)
As a german it‘s funny to see someone so excited about a (for me) simple window 😂❤️
if you know the interior mechanics of a "simple" window, it gets quite complicated.
When you look at windows in America, do you really think that's 1850 or what?
simply glazing, wooden frame, no tilting mechanism, where are the rubber seals? This is Stone Age, Dark Middle Ages, WTF.
The joke is there are double and triple glazed windows to buy, most builders are just too stingy to buy, it just has to be really cheap
They are gonna be less excited in the summer when the choice after dark is to have the window open for air and turn the lights off, or have the lights on and have the windows closed. Because with lights on and windows open, it's game on for moths.
spotify de That's what mosquito mesh is for
Believe me, when I was in Portugal I was excited not only from windows but even from doors and just from everything, it's 2000 km from my country (Czech Republic) and everything is completely different. USA is even far so I can understand them. :-D
It's frightening that US Americans still think recycling is a novelty, especially when it such a large country that consumes so much.
SparkleeUnicorn777 P it would be nice to implement recycling everywhere, there is a lot of waste and landfills that are too large (too many) we should start with scrapping the plastic grocery bags!
We all have recycling available to us. The problem is NOT that We don't recycle, the problem is that they charge you extra if you want a recycling bin along WITH your normal trash pick up. Waste companies have monopolized this because they care more about profit than doing a good thing. Its not the citizens fault, we don't make the rules. It also doesn't help the fact that trash pickup is on the expensive side. In my area, its $70+ a month and that's NOT including recycling. Lots of people choose to opt out of the recycling program because of the price. It sucks, but its not like a lot of us have a choice in the matter. But if we did, I guarantee a lot more people WOULD recycle.
@SparkleeUnicorn777 P I will assume you live in an urban area....so of course its going to be cheaper for you. I live in rural Pennsylvania. My town is REALLY small and the nearest shopping is 22 miles away, we have well water and no sidewalks. We are the exact opposite of where you live. We live in a civil war era house that we are restoring and are JUST getting a sewer plant installed by the township for a town that probanly has no more than 100 people. Our post office is literally no bigger than my old apartment. The pricing IS insane for things you would think should be affordable. But ugh,....PA is the land of taxes and potholes.
here in Czech Republic we are separating waste and recycling too, legend is saying it's because not enough sources in communism era in Czechoslovakia so recyclating was inportant for regime
I live in rural Virginia recently. Even here there are recycling facilities but it is not mandatory but there is no garbage pick up. Where your taxes are higher and your tax dollars pay for garbage pick up usually recycling is mandatory.
Oh man wondering how you would react if you would see a modern german appartement . This one is absolutely old school 😂
While it is old school, I find it more typical than a modern one. There's just so much variation nowadays that you cannot call any single one typical.
There is no "Waschküche", that stood out to me
Also the electronic installation is probably sill frome the 60s-70s that's why the outlets are placed so odd and well the switches ohh good the last time I saw one of these was in a dark basement XD
Soo yeah typical West German XD modernisation of electric installation don't happen and if they the landlord is doing it. well be prepared for the next bill
@@TheLtVoss the outlets were also common in the 80ies. our house was built in 1886 and we also have those under the switches. most of them are just used for the vakuum cleaner
There are things which are absolutely certain: death, taxes, and Americans marveling at German windows.
We have 3 panes of windows and electric Raffstores. The woman would be thrilled.
What does "Raffstores" translate in English?
We have no idea what raffstores is but the windows are just so different than ours we love them!
"Raffstores" are slats that can be placed in different positions. If you don't need them, you let them disappear above the window in the wall like blinds.
Google the word, please!
Have a nice time in your new home and welcome.
@@PassportTwo Raffstore, or Jalousie, translates to "window blinds".
Here in Australia we call them roller shutters and they're predominately marketed as a security feature and some emphasis is added on their supposed ability to help reduce summer heat.
My first time in America I searched the entire hotel bathroom for the toilet brush. I thought "What an odd thing to take." assuming the previous guests had stolen it.
for real, I would think the same xD
Outlets in the middle of the wall are typically for the vacuum cleaner, so the owners or the cleaning crew don't have to go digging behind furniture for plugs.
In Continental Europe, the primary outlets are usually located on the main feed that comes from the floor... Secondary outlets are often connected from the ceiling, with the main interchange hidden above the central lighting point
Fun fact: when building a new building the default hight of (all) outlets is at 1m more or less because people mostly want them lower to the ground. This way, when people request to lower the soccets, they have to pay the contractor a sum of money to actually do so: it's a way to generate more money on building projects. In the Netherlands anyway...
@@lisaladylisa sockets are cca 20 cm above floor here in Czech Republic, almost everywhere, only new houses or flats after reconstruction have that different sometimes :-D
It's also accessible, not all people can reach a socket near the floor for different kind of reason for example they can get dizziness when bending down etc.
There are usually no outlets in the middle of the wall, only one near to the switch, as the cabel from the switch also provide power. The installation of electric cabeling is also ruled by a norm. DIN 18015 & 623053
A lot of Europeans dont take showers? Where have you been?
France probably ^^
As per video description they are in Rammstein Area which is „famous“ for the US Army basis. However: the bath in your video is a bath which can be used twice. A.) for taking a shower 🚿 B.) a full bath 🛁
To be crystal clear I guess 90% of the habitants used to take daily shower at minimum! Really funny because This was one of the first questions when I was living in the US 🤣
Enjoy your stay!
@@GeoStreber hahaha 😆
I take only showers, I take 1 bath every 3-6 months if even 😂 idk
@@GeoStreber 😂😂😂
most european have showers i promise :P
So we Europeans do have showers and use them regularly. I, for example, have got two small bathrooms. One has got a shower, the slightly bigger one a bathtub. The house I lived in before had one big bathroom with a shower and a bathtub. The people I know usually mostly take a shower and rarely use the bathtub. That's just normal in Germany.
Yes and wow We are in Norway and have aircondition in an old house too
or bathtubs that double as shower in older houses you usually find those
Danni jensen I have two of them plus one bath tube.
@@lindalund9621 but there is a point germany usually has no air conditioning
Wait I thought every country has windows like that 😂🤔
that is European standard and what concerns buildings, US housing is just third world standard.
If you watch a US tv show or movie, and you see those windows that you push up? That is *STILL* the default. It's also shit, because you *can't* get good insulation that way, because they don't really close as well as European windows close. And because you cannot do two or three panes of glass… if you did you couldn't push it up, and it wouldn't stay up anyway, because it would be too heavy.
@ too heavy? The bigger windows always have been balanced by counterweights.
@Joan In Florida a Florida women?
1.) about kids - Darwins law, survival of the fittest! Education and living on first floor helps, too.
2.) burglars: if the shutters are fully closed, you are not able to open them from the outside. + we have less crime in Germany as we have strict gun control and a well trained police force (62 gun shots fired last year).
3.) I assume that any standard German house is better insulated and needs less heating than 90% of US houses. (that includes a non-leaking pull mechanism for the shutters)
Jürgen Erhard most new windows have the double panels of glass. Many older homes have new windows fitted because they are more energy efficient. The windows are designed so that they stay where you put them when you open them.
if you plan to take anything with you from europe, please, take the metric system
and how to recycle properly
Yes, the more practicable metric system would be a great gain for you.
And the windows!
I remember as a child being told by the teachers at school that “The metric system is coming and so are the Russians. We can’t stop them.” Ummm....yes we can. Can. Did.
Nah the US Standard system is far superior you just aren’t used to it.
Actually the numbers on the "knob" on the heater are for certain temperatures:
* -> 6°C
1 -> 12°C
☽ -> 14°C
2 -> 16°C
3 -> 20°C
4 -> 24°C
5 -> 28°C
I'm German and I didn't even know this 😂
@@Nanda-pw1py Dont bother, the resulting room temperature depends on a lot of things.
Though the numbers are markers for on what temperature the Thermostat (in that knob) will close = stop the flow of hot water .... which in result will end up with a specific temperature as Alucard15423 mentioned (at least if everything around is properly "done" - e.g. no wet towel on the radiator etc.)
I dont think so, if I turn on 3 it's way above 20C, and that in every appartment I lived in.
ruclips.net/video/VdIheN-c7G0/видео.html
i smell bs. it depends on the temp of the water in the radiator. 5 is just the max that is possible. 5 is much warmer in january than in november for example. at least where i live (not germany, but in europe).
Just for clarification. They live in an old apartment that has seen some modernizations. So lots off stuff they showed is very dependend on the apartment.
The windows and power sockets look like late 70ies to me.
@@tubybubi Those light switches are more from the sixties.
@@tubybubi and how old are you? 12?
soo, just one little quick note: although germany is on the same latitude as southern canada, it aint nearly as cold, because we got the gulf stream, with brings A LOT of very warm water and is (i think its pretty unbelieveable too) imfluencing the weather thst much.
id go so far and say german winters (unless youre in the alps or smth) are even milder than new york ones.
The long coastline also helps mitigate temperatures. This is also why North America has a bigger annual thermal range than European countries, places far from the sea are warmer in the summer and colder in winter
Yes. German winters are honestly pretty mild most of the time. In North-Rhine-Westfalia you get snowfall something like 8 days a year. Obviously this is dependent on where you live in germany, but in general german winters are pretty mild.
I believe the cause of the last ice age was that of a major ice dam that burst into the atlantic ocean stopping the jet stream, hot water raises to the top and cold falls to the bottom of the ocean therefore stopping the warmer water from the south which could not reach the north, if I am correct then there is a body of ice sitting in the north atlantic that is melting as we speak--anyone heard of Greenland controlled by Denmark which Trump failed to purchase
Try the UK for the gulf stream. They even manage to grow palm trees in Scotland.
@@TabeaSerenety it has got milder yes but even as a kid in the sixties we rarely had snow Christmas day itself. Snow on the ground used to regularly be there for a couple of weeks. Then, in the 90s I think, we seemed to get almost no snow for a decade. I remember making most of a snowman from mud and just a snow cover for my nephews. Every house had a sledge and that time is long gone.
Second big thing I want to mention : All German houses are made of stone .Nearly all.....
Remember that they build with wood... concrete and bricks are a novelty for the US, so is recycling....
that is very very incredibly very wrong... since like the 1800s we don't build houses out of stone anymore.... brick and mortar exterior sure it's still somewhat popular but that's only the facade... but the actual walls are NEVER build out of stone... stone is incredibly bad at isolating heat/cold.... walls are usually build out of wood, isolating material and air gaps.... it's much better at isolating temperature (keeps your house cold in the summer and warm in the winter).... in east germany you'll still find a lot of houses made out of steel-concrete the so called plattenbau... but since around 1822 we don't use stone...... stone bad.... intelligent wall design good.... the difference is that german (not just german but basically all of europe and asia) build walls with the idea of isolation.... which is incredibly expensive... north americans build walls for the purpose of having walls (literally they only serve the purpose of keeping the roof up)... the isolation there isn't needed because they use an AC to control the temperature... which is cheaper... but much worse for the environment
Yep, most houses are built of stone, brick or mortar in Germany, but there are also wooden ones or so-called "Fertigteilhäuser" (prefabricated houses) like ours, which can be customized and they only pull up the prefabricated walls, windows and doors are already included. Then all you have to do after is to put on the roof and the interior. That way, the outside shell of the house is finished within 2-3 days.
ruclips.net/video/kwDwfnGqM28/видео.html
@@LoFiAxolotl The benefit of stone is that your house will not blow away in the next storm like in the US.
@@LoFiAxolotl I think you mean "insulation", not "isolation" (although, I guess, people might be isolating themselves from the rest of the world by putting up walls ;)).
A few things to add from my experience as a German:
Shades are mostly made out of plastic only a few parts are made out of metal.
Having your window tilted is very energy inefficient. Open it completely for 5 minutes once or twice a day is much better (its called Stoßlüften). Your heating Bill will show the difference ;)
In the summer time having your windows tilted will heat up (!) your room since warm air will enter. Instead open the windows at night and let the rooms cool down (20°C and lower are possible on many nights). Shut the windows in the morning and close the shades half way. The building will stay cool the complete day (most of the time
I had that in school too, but real life is not like what they teaching us in school. Many houses and flats have problem with too high humidity and mold and modern plastic windows are sealed too much so you have to let it open at least little. There should be some small hole only for ventilation. People are buying plastic windows and think it's some life hack for cheaper heating, but they will destroy their old house or flat because of that.
couldn't have said it any better!
@@Pidalin In fact there are windows like that with small holes for ventilation. But I think they are terrible for insulating. And the only reason they exist is because landlords who assume people are too dumb to ventilate properly force them on people.
@@silkwesir1444 we have such windows sometimes in summer huts, but I've never seen that in normal flat or house
I have my windows tilted almost all year long.
Only in winter and really hot days it is closed.
It is just nice to have a light airflow and always fresh air in your house.
It's warmer in winter than Canada because of the golf stream.
For now... 🤣😳🥶
LOL- ⛳️ 🏌️♀️
It’s GULF Stream
@@KiKiQuiQuiKiKi In German it's indeed Golfstrom. Sorry, my English is not perfect. 🤷♂️
🤦🏻♀️Oops-I apologize!
I thought you were an English speaker..
@@KiKiQuiQuiKiKi No worries! You taught me a new word. Thanks, for that. 😊
Honestly.. as a German I thought all windows around the world are like this.. 😂
Hast du noch nie einen amerikanischen Film gesehen? Da schieben die doch immer die Fenster hoch. Oder hast du schon mal gesehen, dass Robert de Niro ein Fenster kippt?
Komm mal in den Norden, da sieht es schon anders aus :/
@@roschue Ich kenne das nur aus Australien und England.
In Poland we have the same windows and i was in few other european countries, they have it too. I think all europe have them.
In Denmark We had these kind of Windows
In Norway they have h-Windows (hausfrau ) they open and can turn all round. Why? So you can clean them 😝
Everyone here in the comments thinks this apartment is old. Darling, you haven’t seen my house. You don’t know what outdated really means 😂
there ARE shower curtains, though, attachable easily above a bath tub. 😉
Thats square 1. Square 2 is: they have a shower (separated from the bath tub) right there - so why the hell would anyone try to take a shower in that bath tub?! (hence need a curtain to avoid water spill)?!
I have a Bathtub where the Shower is integrated so I need a Shower Curtain
The whole world uses Celsius ....except you know who !!
Is it the Bahamas?
The advantage to Fahrenheit is that you get almost twice the precision you do with Celsius. (There being 180 degrees between H2O's freeze and boil points instead of just 100.)
You live in a place with crazy weather like Chicago, that precision matters. (It also helps when gauging how dangerous a fever is.)
@@asphodelale if you need precision, you simply add decimals.
@@Digi20 Nah--too long to read on weather forecasts, and not really feasible on analog thermometers. (At least, not the ones sized for home care. ) But for actual laboratory science I suppose it is do-able. *grins*
But it'll always seem odd not to have a scorching hot day be 100 degrees. (And seeing that it's Christmastime, it'd also totally mess up the Mr Heatmiser song. Sometimes you just have to have your cultural anchors.)
and all those other unpractible lengths and measures used in he Anglosaxon world ...LOL.
Psst: thermostates like yours are actually indeed temperature controlled, however people often don't know about the settings. 1= 12 °C, 2 = 16 °C, 3 = 20°C, 4 = 24°C and 5 = 25°C. The way it works is called: "Dehnstoffelement" which loosely translates to expansion element. If you're interested, look it up.
Was that really thermostatic valve? I am not sure, here in Czech Republic we must have them by law. But many of them look almost same as old simple valves.
Also das kann ja sein das deine Heizung so funktioniert, aber generell kann man das nicht so sagen! Bei mir z.B . ist das abhängig von der Aussentemperatur. Wenn ich die Heizung auf "3" stelle, ist die bei -10°C wärmer als bei 10°C. Einstellbar am Heizelement/Brenner im Keller, nennt sich glaub ich "Steilheit" im Fachjargon :D
sane0matic also ohne hier jetzt Diskussionen entstehen zu lassen: du liegst falsch. das ist tatsächlich allgemein gültig und genormt(DIN EN 215). Es gibt in Deutschland keine anderen Heizthermostate. Danfoss etc. funktionieren alle so. Mit deinem Zentralthermostat hat das wenig zu tun. Das Thermostatventil am Heizkörper regelt den durchfluss unabhängig davon.
Google es wenn du es nicht glaubst ;)
@@feelinggrape Du hast grundsätzlich recht. Aber diese Werte gelten für einen Normraum. Falls man z.B. einen größeren Radiator im Vergleich zur Raumgröße hat, passt das nicht mehr. Und weil das eben nur Normwerte sind, stehen eben auch Zahlen und keine Temperaturangeben drauf. Das wäre ja ansonsten viel einfacher.
@@sane0matic die Thermostate am Heizkörper regeln die Durchflussmenge an warmem wasser, abhängig von der Raumtemperatur. Wie oben beschrieben stehen die nummern für bestimmte Temperaturen und sind genormt.
Die Außentemperatur nutzen die meisten Heizungen (nicht Heizkörper!) als Referenz dafür, wie hoch das wasser für die Heizkörper erhitzt werden muss.
Außentemperatur-fühler haben also nichts mit dem Heizkörper zu tun, nur mit der Heizung.
Edit:falls dein Heizkörper (Radiator) für den raum zu groß ist, funktioniert das natürlich nicht mehr richtig.
Dennoch funktioniert der regler auch da abhängig von der Raumtemperatur und regelt dementsprechend auf oder zu
That is not a "poop shelf" toilet.
You can tell because:
a) it's slanted down into the water and not horizontal and
b) it's at the front, so unless you are anatomically fascinating or sit on the loo facing the wall, it won't make contact with your poo. Google poop shelf and you'll see the difference.
So what you have there is a completely normal, run-of-he mill toilet. Poop shelf loos have fallen out of fashion these days anyway. They mostly get used in hospitals, where there might be a need for taking stool samples and those toilets provide easy access to the sampling matter.
I dont know any German who prefer taking a Bath.😅
Depends i take a nice bath when iam sick or when everything after a hard day of work just hurts.
I only take a bath like 5 times a year
@@mrn234 me too
Was machst du denn hier??!! 😂
Me
Man, you rented a pretty outdated apartment I have to say...
They are anyway flashed by everything. I wonder how bad it is in the states
It not that much outdated
Perhaps they have a thing called a budget, or maybe they just liked the location that much. I personally would be happy with such a place.
@@hovanti Ramstein is a very little town. Most of the people that live there are US Soldiers/Airman just because its right beside the Ramstein Airbase.
Most of the houses there are from the 70/80s. The only thing that most of the landlords have done since than: New Windows (saves a lot of energy).
I just wanted to comment that it’s a very modern apartment 😂
Do not forget, these windows have double panes, some even triple ones, in order to reduce heatloss. The blinds are supposed to be closed during nighttime, also for reducing heatloss, thus to minimize the cost of heating, reducing CO2 emissions and saving our Planet Earth.
*saving ourselfs, not the planet earth, planet earth couldnt care less
8:00 typically those next to the switches are used for stand lamps or vaccum cleaners
Can’t believe I’ve just sat through 3 mins of a lady getting excited over how windows work lol bless
FYI : shutters are made of plastic. They are mostly hollow, but can also be sold filled out with expanded plastic foam for higher insulation.
I think these things are very common all over Europe and not just Germany.
yeah, but they are from the US :D
I really love to see how positive you two are!
It’s been a while since I lived in Germany. Your video was a nice reminder of how much I enjoyed some of the things that were different. Thanks for the reminder! ❤️
Same misconception as in most vidos of this kind - these are not German-specific differences, they're European ones. Nothing shown differs from my Czech Rep. or France or the Netherlands.
Btw., the last one: why would there be any dead bolt on the inside since the door can't be open from the outside without a key?
wonder why that is? because Germany Videos work on RUclips ;) and they are in Germany, so of course they make it about Germany. And most of those things, were created in Germany. but yes they really gonna do it over the top, because not everyone in germany has all those things they showed, not everyone here does it their way. and the Door thing, even if you would look it with your key from the inside, you are save :D you cant open the Door with ease. if your Door is closed, its closed .. you dont need "extra" ...
@@Simmi0312 the windows are a swiss invention....
@@LoFiAxolotl again .. i saidy " most of those thing were created in Germany" im not perfect in English, but im pretty sure " most of" doesnt mean EVERYTHING ;)
Doors in the U.S. don't lock on their own. You have to actually lock them with a key. Some doors in the U.S. don't just have one lock on the inside but too (e.g. one with a chain or latch on top and one that you turn at the bottom, where the knob is).
Thats an airbnb door like a hotel door.....autolock "almost" always....
Okay the toilet brush part seriously blew my mind- I’m currently studying abroad in England and noticed NO place provided toilet brushes and the toilets usually look pretty nasty. Why?? I mean honestly, wouldn’t it be so much more neat to have no shit sticking to the sides of the bowl? 😂
2:08 - I like those solar panels on the house across the way here. :)
Trifler500 ya! The government give tax credits to those that install those here according to our understanding. We see quite a few of those around here.
@@PassportTwo Even though Germany has less sunshine than Seattle.
@@PassportTwo It's not that easy as it sounds. By installing Solar Panels on your roof you basically become an energy provider. As soon as you produce energy you will get approx 0,10 € per kw/h from the local main energy provider for every kw/h that you are not use for yourself. Basically you become a little company. As that you are under different tax regulations. Everything you pay for are with "Mehrwertsteuer" (VAT). For everything you sell you will get VAT as well. So in the end of the year all VAT you paid and all VAT you get are summed. If you paid more VAT then you earn with selling your product you will get these back from government. If you sell more than you paid you have to pay the government. (The last thing is normally the best thing for a company otherwise you would getting ruined very fast)
For every normal person here in Germany this basically means you get the VAT, which you paid for installing, back. You have to be in this system for 5 years. After that you can change to an other, smaller, form of enterprise which is basically VAT free. I say basically because that is another story which need a little bit more information.
In the end you can save a couple thousand bucks by doing this.
We will install a 7kw/p plant next year as well.
@@Stefan556 It is not necessary to have that much sunshine, monocrystaline solar panel are capable to handle less light with better conversion. I've got 5kwc on my house in Belgium and it work pretty well, it cover my whole consumption for the year. Only issue in Belgium is the new 500€/y tax they put in place, so all the money you would get from your installation is now stolen by the government...
The toilet is build like this to avoid splashing dirty toilet water to your genitals 😉
Slavoj Zizek on toilets:
ruclips.net/video/rzXPyCY7jbs/видео.html
then "dirty toilet water" is quite clean before you dump your dirt.
@@mucsalto8377 most people pee quicker than they dump... so no, that water is not clean anymore when it splashes back.
@@ZebraJess92 no problem, your pee ist not "dirty" and no risk at all. More, it is even heavily diluted and most times it will not even "splash up to you genitals".
If that is as shallow as it looks, you're trading toilet splash-back for pee splash-back, and that's of no benefit to anyone.
The other purposs of the window blinds is to keep in the summer the heat outside. In the winter, the air between the window and the blind is a additional isolation to keep the cold outside, as the windows are a big cold-spots and heating energy is expensive.
Just found your channel. This was neat! Cant wait to make it through your other videos!
Nice to see how you are trying to understand without judging. Very admirable.
Another couple of cool points about the windows: The swing open position is often used to quickly air out the Wohnung, AND (very German) it makes the outside of the windows easier to clean, which Germans do VERY regularly. Then, the “tipping-in” function is also great to let air in, even when it’s raining. Unless when it’s also windy, the rain simply flows down the sloped window instead of coming inside. And have noticed the windows are almost always at least double one insulated, with significant weatherstripping all around. One thing that is MISSING however is the bug screen. In the US, that’s expected, and they’re custom fitted in frames. In Germany, you can buy screens at the home improvement store but you to fabricate the frame yourself. Great video! Keep up the good work!
Well said. One more thing: The swing open position is also very useful for quickly lowering humidity or in winter (less energy wasted, as the walls do not cool down too much, if one opens the window only for a few minutes, in German "Stoßlüften").
first point, most windows like this that can recline you can find them not only in Germany, but in all europe. In southern Europe in newer houses you find the bug screen pre-installed. Otherwise you can buy it separately without having to fabricate anything.
Second point, are you sure you have seen Germans cleaning windows?? I live in Germany almost 2.5 years I've never seen Germans clean the outside of their windows ever, and it shows when you pass their houses.
@@Gigi-us4jk Yeah cleaning the windows is nothing to generalize. The older generations however tend to do it more often and I never heard of anyone who cleans only the inside.
Its so surprising that those simple things are so new and special for you, as a German all those things are normal for me and i cant imaging that all the places in the world are so different in those little things. Amazing :D
Awesome video! I actually live right down the road from you guys. How crazy is that
I get an early 80s vibe. Glasses, cloth, furniture. Best shot ever.
Wow for me as a german i never thought about the windows because i'm used to them😅 I hope germany feels like a good home to you:)
I really use the rovolving shades to manage heat in summer, and I missed them TERRIBLY while I was living in the US
Just found you guys. Great channel. Want to visit Germany pretty bad. Learning the language now through GermanPod101
Totally enjoyed your video!
I was stationed in Germany a few months ago I was about a four hour drive away from Ramstein. The winters aren’t as bad there as in Grafenwohr where I was stationed we had snow like every other week and temperatures in the negatives.
The higher plugs near the door are usually for things like the vacuum cleaner or other things you use only temporary. The are mounted higher so you can reach them much better.
That’s brilliant actually! We really hadn’t figure it out so thanks for the information!
@@PassportTwo You might also want to use them for your iron. Often the cable of your iron is pretty short
and the height of the ironing board already uses a lot of it up, making it very annoying to iron a shirt etc.
The higher outlet makes it much easier for me to use the iron, the vacuum or devices I might use temporarily.
I tend to have some kind of table or sideboard at the wall the high outlet is at, so I can also put other things there
like my Microsoft Surface when it's charging or a HIFI system. The higher outlet solves the problem of not being able to
access an outlet where you might wanna plug things in and out all the time instead of burying a multi-outlet behind furniture or
having huge cable management issues, ruining the looks of your room just cause the outlet at the bottom is otherwise unusable. :)
Thanks guys
1:21 Very usefull in winter. Those shades insulate the windows very good.
Well. if it comes to sinsulation.. they are prety much useless.
But we have speical Windows here that do that job very well.
In fact people use them at nighttime for privacy and daytime to keep the sun - and therfore the Sunnlight and IR heat - out.
Those numbers on the knob equals to a range of temperature. That means e.g. 3 is a range of temperature between 21 an 24 degrees Celsius.
So neat to see what you guys think about all these differences ☺️ The numbers on the heating knob actually stand for specific temperature: 1 = 10C, 2= 15C, 3=20C, 4=25C and 5 equals 30C. The thermostat in the knob „Checks“ the temperature in the room and keeps the room heated up to 20 degree for example when turned on 3. That way you can Control your heating expenses a bit better 😉
very interesting and fun video; thanks for sharing!
Currently love in Weilerbach. Cool video!
the outlets for the power are often in this places because it is more practical for vacuum the room
Expect it also has something to do with the wiring. Can't speak for the US but UK sockets tend to be nearer the floor because they are on a separate circuit to the lights and all 13A. On the continent you also have lower power Europlugs and the circuits are individual spurs, so you could wire a light and a socket together.
These 'knobs' on the radiators are actually thermostates, those numbers are not the temperature but are set fixed to one temperature. USUALLY they are the following:
* ~ 5 °C - frost protect
1 ~ 12 °C
2 ~ 16 °C
3 ~ 20 °C - usually a very common 'feel good' setting, 21° is considered the perfect 'wohlfühl' temperature according to science
4 ~ 24 °C - bit too warm to my liking but a common bathroom-setting (don't forget to set lower in summer .. u don't want that heat then)
5 ~ 28 °C
Usually those temeratures can be a bit off, depending on insulation, general airflow in the room and whats around that thermostate (stuff blocking airflow or so, so don't cover the thermostate)
The problem is that in most houses with at least 3 or 4 floors some radiators won’t work that well because air is in the pipes. You can however let the air out yourself if you know how to do it but that makes some radiators go less warm than others.
@@klamin_original Yep. But even if they get less warm the thermostate will not close the valve as long as it's still colder than the set temperature.
Besides, today most modern/newer radiators have automatic deareating valves (automatische Heizkörperentlüfter) or should be upgraded with those. They are not perfect but usually work very well.
Never use 4-5 to "heat up" the room.. this is not how a thermostat works :D.. just put it on 3 .. its the most common.. it will power up until it reaches temp. even on 3 it will be very hot to get the room to the temperature u want. it will regulate itself. many people think that they can use 4-5 to heat up the room fast and then set it back to 3.. but this is a total waste and the room will be too warm after a while that people tend to open windows again :)
@@31337flamer Like I said sometimes that doesn't work especially when there are several floors and a heating system from the 60s.
We HAVE to use 4-5.
In 20°C average Czech person would die by cold :-D heating systems are calculated for 20°C (I had that in school) but most of people here are heating to 22 or 23 because we are not used to wearing much cloth in our homes. But today energy is expensive so many people started wearing more cloth instead of heating. :-D In my grandma's flat there was always something like 16°C because she wanted save money so we had to wear cloth like for some south pole mission :-D
I love the shades built in the window you can open the window and hashade open a little to let air in. I live in Germany for 3 yrs
Thanks for doing this video...reminds me of home....
Im amazed how they misunderstand a lot of the euro homes features
the outlets near the light switches are for the vacuum cleaner
I'm not sure why many older homes have a bathtub only, but it's not that we only take bath, we take sitting showers.
Learned a lot, thanks! Especially learning about the trash, look forward to that video!
Years ago while in Heilbronn, I thought the room window was going to fall on me when I opened it, scared the shit out of me, LOL!!
Fun fact I had a window failing this mechanism and it dropped on me partially. Took two people to get it back up those things are heavy af
Normal room temperatur is 20°C, some people like it a little bit colder or higher in their rooms
The reason for power outlets under the switch, is to have a place to plug in your vacuum, that is easy to access.
Those windows are the coolest!
Astonished by Americans praising German windows🤔😀
Liked the part of the shades being outside.
Greetings from Munich, Tom.
Like we are astonished when Germans visit a grocery store and freak out as to it's massive size.
2019? Welcome back to the 90. Home.
60.
Yes, like most of them.
You are funny guys, liked it a lot!
Power outlets at the door, together with the light switch are very cool for the vacuum cleaner. They are handy to reach, normally not used for other stuff, therefor empty in most cases.
just letting u know as a german :D The radiator nob actually sets the temperatur u want in your room to a fix point. So for example if u set it on 4 the radiator will heat the room up until it reaches 25 celsius and will stop heating automatically reaching this threshhold. If the room cools down it will automatically heat it up again. Therefor u should just put it in every room to 3 for example and leave it there. Saves alot of energy and keep the heating costs down :D
The Outlets next to the lightswitch are for plugging in the vakuumcleaner. ;)
Hans Peter Wurst thought so. I remember it from Denmark. In Norway no. And if there vere We just move them lol. No need for electricians 😜
You should point out the doorknobs too which are cool. They are like levers rather than round. Very handy when carrying stuff, just use your arm to lower the handle and push open the door. Married a German and moved back to states. We installed German style doorknobs.
I know its rly late to response.. but those power outlets near the switches are for things like a vacuum cleaner and stuff like that. Its always good to have some near you if you need it :)
Tenebrarum haha, yes, we have been informed by quite a few other comments now about this but we always appreciate the help! :) thank you!
Radiator heat in older American homes: check. Tubs without a shower in older American homes: check. Lack of air conditioning in older American homes: check. As far as recycling, Europeans have been doing it for several decades.
The creepy basement thing made me laugh a lot! It’s so true, I hate doing laundry in my basement, and I convinced my partner to get a dryer because I’m surprised it’s not as popular here. One thing that you forgot and that I think is the weirdest thing out a German home is that when you initially move in, a lot of homes don’t have a kitchen so you have to either travel with the one you already had yourself or have one built for the new home. It’s a huge expense, sometimes your old kitchen doesn’t fit and takes even months to have someone come install the new kitchen. And you have to do this every damn time you move. Also I’ve seen in a lot of homes, including mine, that the radiator in the bathroom is towel rack shaped so you can hang your towels dry and they’re nice and toasty when you get out of the BATH haha :)
most germans know how to install a kitchen.... and own the kitchen that they like... there's a popular saying in germany "was nicht passt wird passend gemacht" if it doesn't fit we make it fit.... And germans do not like to move... the average is 4 times in a life time.... so it's much less of a hassle... and why would it take you months to get someone to install a kitchen? you can literally just call your landlord... ask a neighbor... call a plumber or electrician... or whereever you bought the kitchen.... shouldn't take more than 3 days
IDDQD In many other places in the world a kitchen is treated like a bathroom: it usually is installed and ready to use as soon as you move in, and the nicer, newer, prettier the kitchen/bathroom is, the higher the value of the house will be. To me it sounds as if you were saying “Most Germans own a toilet that they like so they just take it whenever they move” haha it just sounds a little funny to foreign ears because we never go through the hassle, that’s all. Moving into a house without a kitchen could surprise many people, especially since most kitchens are anywhere from 2000 to 8000 € so it is a huge expense. Times are changing, cities are getting more expensive so I’m not surprised if people started moving more often. My boyfriend’s mother bought a kitchen through a company that waitlisted her for 3 months to install the thing, and she used her parents refrigerator and washed the dishes in the bathroom sink for that long!
@@LoFiAxolotl Of course we don't like to move so often. And yes it's no problem to install the kitchen you had in your former flat or house. It doesn't even take a day to do so. I've had to move 27 times in my life (even if I didn't want to most of the time), installing the kitchen was never ever a problem.
Yep... It's our heatprotection.
In summer we leave the windows open at nights and close them at 7 am and then close all Rollläden to block the heat out. :)
This was amazing
the outlets near switches halfway up the wall, are most commonly used for vacuum cleaners, easy to access without the need to bend down every single time you need it ;) or i homes with children some peeple use it for a nightlight close to a lightswitch
Brainreaver79 those are brilliant reasons for it being there actually! We really didn’t know so thanks so much for sharing!
@@PassportTwo you're welcome ;)
In modern German houses/apartments the outlets are mostly located 3” above the floor. Instead of those outdated outlets for radio and TV (there are no antennas for terrestrial TV on the roof anymore) you have outlets for satellite coax cable and for LAN cable. The windows usually have three panes for isolation and noise reduction purposes and electrical blinds (timecontrolled).
So this ended up in my suggested video's.
Seems like you guys have a nice channel. I am Dutch myself, so Germany is close and rather similar.
Subbed, will stick around :D
Michiel Voetberg thanks so much! We have some new videos coming out soon!
Lived in Germany for nearly 7 years. The rolladens were the best part of every house we lived in that had them. I worked rotating shifts & slept during the day 2 days out of every 8. Being able to make the bedroom completely dark was a sheer blessing!
Oh definitely, I’m sure in that type of working situation they are ideal!
YOU GUYS DESERVE MORE SUBS
spikey27 haha, thanks! Appreciate the support!! 😊
"They 'still' rely on clothes-lines..." :D
Yeah, it's much more eco friendly
Yaaaa...I shouldn't have said it that way. For us it is an "old-timey" thing but I know it isn't that there isn't the technology, it is a choice made to be more eco-friendly. I goofed! 😊
@@PassportTwo no problem. :D I just chuckled at that moment 😄
Clothes lines???Lol. Feel like you're in Venezuela.
Wow, how interesting! Surprised you guys don't recycle. I'm also surprised you guys use dryers mostly. I've only ever used a dryer on rainy days and even then I'd try not to do a load so I don't have to use the dryer. And the full and half flushes are rare to you guys! You've got to take this info back with you and educate your friends. Great video!
Dryers are popular because
a) hanging large loads of laundry is physically taxing
b) nobody wants anyone else to know how ratty/sleazy one's undies are
c) bird droppings (especially if you live under a migration flight path or near a mulberry tree)
d) machine-dried fabric is softer than line-dried
e) pollen (you would not believe the pollen that can collect on wet clothing in some parts of our country)
and most importantly
f) thieves are thing. We have people who'll rob you at gunpoint for your designer sneakers, you think they're going to leave your unattended clothing alone?
Seeing someone this excited about things that are completely normal for me is amazing. The windows was the most amazing reaction to me, because I never really thought about that. It's just normal.
For sure! It has also had an unexpected result for us where we are now looking out what we considered "normal" in our US life and realizing it isn't, it was just what we had grown up with assuming as a fact of life. haha
A lot of these things are pretty common throughout Europe in general. Also, fun tip, the windows have a third way of being opened too. You can put the handle in between the 2 you already know and then it will leave just a tiny space around the window open just for fresh air :)
The numbers on your thermostates are temperatures. They activate the heater when needed for the specific radiator they are on.
The usual temps are:
1 : 12° // 2 : 16° // 3 : 20° // 4 : 24° // 5 : 28°Celsius ofc.
It is common, even amongst German people, that the thermostates are misunderstood.
the numbers are not temperatures. They are just indicators for a certain, not defined temperature in the room.
@@mucsalto8377 Wrong. But nice of you to wing it, instead of using the internet to maybe confirm your assumption first.
@@JokoCi Manuell einstellbare Thermostate verfügen bei den meisten Heizungen über insgesamt fünf Einstellungsstufen. Wird der Zylinder nach rechts bewegt, schraubt sich der Regler näher an das Ventil. Dadurch wird die Temperatur selber reduziert, da weniger warmes Wasser in die Heizkörper fließt. Eine allgemein definierte Norm hinsichtlich der Temperaturen existiert nicht. Häufig kommt Stufe 1 aber einer Raumtemperatur von 12 Grad Celsius gleich. Mit jeder weiteren Stufe wird die Temperatur um drei Grad erhöht, bis diese auf Stufe 5 schließlich 24 bis 28 Grad Celsius erreicht. Ob auch Ihre Heizung noch so exakt arbeitet, ist unter anderem vom Verschleiß abhängig.
@@mucsalto8377 First of all. Arrogant to change to German. Not that you had not already established that.
Second: 3° hm ?
Third: The truth does not give a shit about you. Bend or break.
Good luck.
@@JokoCi Manually adjustable thermostats have a total of five setting levels for most heaters. When the cylinder is moved to the right, the regulator screws closer to the valve. This reduces the temperature itself, as less warm water flows into the radiators. A generally defined standard regarding temperatures does not exist. However, Level 1 often equals a room temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. With each additional step, the temperature is increased by about three degrees. Whether your heating system works so well depends, among other things, on wear and tear.
The shades are called rolling shutters, they have been available in the US for 35 years.
Around here, we call them 'Ghetto blinds'. Put them on your house, and you immediately lose 20K in property values.
Parts of the US. I've never seen them before
@@jamesengland7461 Count yourself lucky--I've only ever seen them in high-crime areas. They're like the high-tech version of bars on the windows.
The electricity outlets in the middle of the wall or at the switches can be used for example while vacuum cleaning
The plugs in the middle are usually close to a door. so thats the plug that's generally used to connect your vacuum cleaner with.
We have since learned this and think it’s a brilliant design 😊
The scal on the thermostat:
0 = Off / No pass
❄ = Anti-freeze position (6 degrees Celsius)
1 = 12 degrees Celsius
-- = 14 degrees Celsius
2 = 16 degrees Celsius
-- = 18 degrees Celsius
3 = 20 degrees Celsius
-- = 22 degrees Celsius
4 = 24 degrees Celsius
-- = 26 degrees Celsius
5 = 28 degrees Celsius
My family and I live in Ramstein too! We’ve been here for almost 5 years. I must say I do miss the double sinks in the kitchen. The rolladens and the recycling are probably my favorite things. Looking forward to following your journey.
susana boyd oh wow! Ya, we’ve only been here for one month so we have some time to catch up to you. Haha
I think the double or single sink is not Germany specific, it is a fashion thing. All apartments and houses I have visited in the 80's and early 90's had a double sink.
Today it is more common to have one sink and the tray area next to it. Maybe it is related to dishwashers. We did not have them in East Germany and people who use a dishwasher do not need two sinks that often.
10:05 I'm sure most people have dryers here, never knew someone without one. But when it's warm and dry outside, we also used cloth lines to save electricity.
I think it really depends on the town your in…
If you're in Ramstein you should head up into the Hunsrick for a weekend. Lunch on the Rhine and supper on the Mosel. Visit the The Lorelei and make sure to go to Zell. Hope you enjoy your stay!!!
Thanks so much for the recommendation!! We will check out these spots very soon. Sounds like the perfect day 😊
The squeegee is used to keep the glass damaging calcium and chemical
S in the water from building up on the glass and tile. Not to control the cleaners going down the drain.
Most people in the US are doing this now.
while we indeed are on the same latitude as southern Canada we get much more mild weather thanks to the Gulf-Stream warming the Atlantic just off the coast of Great Britain/France/Spain. This also warms the climate in central Europe.
An Switzerland is in the south of Germany and has much colder winters. This just shows that latitude doesn't mean much...
The outlet next to light switches is used for the vacuum ;) The TV/Radio cable box is quite common, the internet connection not so much, usually the cellphone line is used.
Timo Bösl yes and if you still have a Houseline Telefone you have to use the thing called Splitter