# EBCD on a water fountain knob **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911 "2012-03-27T02:05:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d2c977/32.png) [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Three_Packs_a_Day)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/1 "2012-03-27T02:05:39Z")
Today I walked through a high school hallway, and as I did I drank from every water fountain I could find, just for kicks and nostalgia. And I noticed something I’d forgotten from my youth- public school water fountains have white knobs (used to activate the water) that say (if I remember correctly) E B C D (and have a triangle too, unless I’m mistaken). I’ve googled it, and found nothing but stuff about emergency boot CDs :p. What the hell is EBCD triangle? If you can answer this question, you get out of detention next saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/2 "2012-03-27T02:12:08Z")
That sounds vaguely familiar. Wasn’t the triangle one of the letters? I’m guessing it was just a popular brand at the time, and probably a high end one at that if they’re still around. ---
**Author:** ![Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d2c977/32.png) [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Three_Packs_a_Day)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/3 "2012-03-27T02:15:18Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > That sounds vaguely familiar. Wasn’t the triangle one of the letters? > I’m guessing it was just a popular brand at the time, and probably a high end one at that if they’re still around. Yeah the triangle is one of the letters, and the letters go down in a vertical line like chinese is written. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/4 "2012-03-27T02:16:36Z")
I Googled 'EBCD water fountain" and the first hit told me that it’s actually Ebco, which is just a brand name. I’m guessing it’s defunct at this point because all I can find are Ebco parts but not much about the manufacturer. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/5 "2012-03-27T02:18:38Z")
Are the letters EBC **D** or EBC **O**? [Oasis/EBCO](http://www.drinking-fountain.net/general.html) is major manufacturer of drinking fountains. eta: beat me by _that_ much!😛 ---
**Author:** ![Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d2c977/32.png) [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Three_Packs_a_Day)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/6 "2012-03-27T02:21:31Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Are the letters EBC **D** or EBC **O**? > > [Oasis/EBCO](http://www.drinking-fountain.net/general.html) is major manufacturer of drinking fountains. Too bad the site doesn’t say what the hell EBCO stands for or where the name came from or why the O is written in such a pointy, triangle-like way. Sure there’s an interesting story behind that, probably died with an old man decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/7 "2012-03-27T02:24:06Z")
I wondered, too, if it was a “D” or an “O” all through grade school, then I stopped caring. But here’s a blurry picture of one: [EBCO](http://www.bagofnothing.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/WaterFountainScreenShotBON105.jpg) drinking fountain handle. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/8 "2012-03-27T02:43:02Z")
My elementary school had one of those fountains! It was an adult-sized fountain near what was originally the junior high wing of the school. I think that school was built in the early 70’s. I thought it was EBCD, too. ---
**Author:** ![Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d2c977/32.png) [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Three_Packs_a_Day)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/9 "2012-03-27T02:58:37Z")
And the worst part is, I can’t even come up with a funny back-ronym for what EBCO might stand for in relation to school, except maybe Every Body Craves Out (of school). ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/10 "2012-03-27T03:24:22Z")
Some more information about EBCO the drinking fountain manufacturer: [http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4005:gidgsa.2.13](http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4005:gidgsa.2.13) First use in commerce, 1916. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/11 "2012-03-27T03:28:28Z")
> [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](#): > > … why the O is written in such a pointy, triangle-like way. … > [@Rysdad](#): > > … But here’s a blurry picture of one: [EBCO](http://www.bagofnothing.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/WaterFountainScreenShotBON105.jpg) drinking fountain handle. Umm, it’s a, slightly, stylized drop of water? > [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](#): > > … I can’t even come up with a funny back-ronym for what EBCO might stand for … I can for EBCD, but I’m almost old enough to remember when everybody couldn’t drink. ☹ CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/12 "2012-03-27T03:28:45Z")
Aha! I suspect “EBCO” was an evolution from the D.A. **Eb** inger Sanitary Manufacturing **Co** mpany. [http://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/cml\_search\_results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/ohio&CISOBOX1=Ebinger](http://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/cml_search_results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/ohio&CISOBOX1=Ebinger) Another link: [http://400westrich.com/the-building/](http://400westrich.com/the-building/) > [@](#): > > The building was built in 1910 as the D A Ebinger sanitary company. They were credited with manufacturing the first refrigerated water drinking fountain and dehumidifier. They also manufactured toilets and sinks. By 1920 they had show rooms in New York and Chicago. By 1935 they had grown into the EBCO manufacturing company later on becoming Oasis. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/13 "2012-03-27T03:31:07Z")
Note the final character is a Delta, not an O. And it wasn’t exactly an E; the middle leg was different. ---
**Author:** ![Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d2c977/32.png) [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Three_Packs_a_Day)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/14 "2012-03-27T03:32:39Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > Aha! I suspect “EBCO” was an evolution from the D.A. **Eb** inger Sanitary Manufacturing **Co** mpany. [http://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/cml\_search\_results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/ohio&CISOBOX1=Ebinger](http://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/cml_search_results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/ohio&CISOBOX1=Ebinger) > > Another link: [http://400westrich.com/the-building/](http://400westrich.com/the-building/) Yep, gotta be. The sad thing is that there’s no wikipedia page on this Ebinger fellow. I wonder what he would think if he knew his company was responsible for the watering of millions of public-school mind flowers across the US. Probably not very proud, I’d suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/15 "2012-03-27T03:33:26Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Note the final character is a Delta, not an O. And it wasn’t exactly an E; the middle leg was different. I think it’s just due to a highly stylized Art Deco-ish font. I think I might even have that font in one of the 10,000 on this PC. ---
**Author:** ![teacherdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@teacherdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teacherdan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/16 "2017-01-15T18:29:29Z")
> [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](#): > > Today I walked through a high school hallway, and as I did I drank from every water fountain I could find, just for kicks and nostalgia. And I noticed something I’d forgotten from my youth- public school water fountains have white knobs (used to activate the water) that say (if I remember correctly) E B C D (and have a triangle too, unless I’m mistaken). I’ve googled it, and found nothing but stuff about emergency boot CDs :p. What the hell is EBCD triangle? > > If you can answer this question, you get out of detention next saturday. Here’s one of the EBCO catalogs from 1926. [Sanitary drinking fountains. : D.A. Ebinger Sanitary Mfg. Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/SanitaryDrinkingFountains) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/17 "2017-01-15T18:46:41Z")
Reminds me of all restaurant drinking glasses in Europe, the brand name debossed in the bottom in mirror image, so the user, looking down through his water glass, would see “Duralex – Made in France”. [http://www.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/duralex02wbz47852yu.jpg](http://www.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/duralex02wbz47852yu.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebcd-on-a-water-fountain-knob/616911/18 "2017-01-15T20:10:16Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Reminds me of all restaurant drinking glasses in Europe, the brand name debossed in the bottom in mirror image, so the user, looking down through his water glass, would see “Duralex – Made in France”. > > [http://www.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/duralex02wbz47852yu.jpg](http://www.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/duralex02wbz47852yu.jpg) shouldn’t that be written in French?