wall mounted sink faucet - hot water operates backwards

16 years ago

Hi,

We're doing a total master bath remodel. Today we installed the two wall mounted sink faucets from American Bath Works. After installing we turned both handles to off - or at least what we thought was off, but when we turned the water back on at the shut offs, the water came on at the faucets. Turns out that on these faucets the cold water operates as expected - clockwise is off - but the hot water operates opposite - counterclockwise is off. On the shower faucet we just removed in the same bath and on the existing tub faucet in another bath, both of which are 25 year old American Standard faucets, clockwise is off on both hot and cold water.

Is the way my new faucets are working (counterclockwise is off for the hot) something new that is standard?

Or can I consider these faucets to be defective and ask the place we bought them from - Vintage Tub and Bath - to send us replacements or to take them back?

Alice

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Comments (6)

hendricus
16 years ago
I think it's the manufacturer. For a lever type handle opposed to a knob I think it makes more sense to have them turn away from the center rather than both in the same direction.
jamesk
16 years ago
It depends on the type of handles on the faucet. If they're levers, they should both turn the water on by pulling the levers toward you and turn the water off by pushing the levers away from you; e.g., cold is anti-clockwise for off, hot is clockwise for off.

If the faucet has knobs or cross handles (+), then they should both turn in the same directions, e.g., cold and hot will both turn clockwise for off and anti-clockwise for on.
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ctbosox
16 years ago
on my kitchen faucet, believe its HD's brand, hot is counterclock, cold is clockwise to turn on, the valve's were marked at installation by manufacturer, it does drive you nuts, it can't be natural because everyone who uses it gets confused., its knobs, not levers, and come to think of it, if it were levers, it would be okay
bus_driver
16 years ago
It is not unusual for faucets to be made this way. Often when repairs are needed, the replacement stems available will be of just one thread hand, left or right. If it happens to be the opposite of the original, it is confusing for a few days. But it beats pulling a bucket up from a well.
heimert
16 years ago
Talk to the company or the product seller. The lever vs. handle issue is hte right one. We have lever handles and the faucets turn in opposite directions for off, both for the wall mounted (shower) and the sink mounted ones. All it should take is a valve swap-out. In fact, I had our shower faucet valves swapped because the levers swung down instead of up to go on, which seemed extremely odd to me.

Put more simply, any faucet has two types of valves possible: clockwise off and counterclockwise off. You just have to pick the right one for what you want, given your handles etc.
thetews
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for all the responses. I hadn't considered that if I had levers I'd probably want them to turn in opposite directions for off. I have cross handles and it will drive me crazy to have them like that. I'll call the company I bought them from and ask them to switch them out.

My faucet: {{gwi:1387824}}

Thanks again for answering.

Alice

wall mounted sink faucet - hot water operates backwards

Comments (6)

hendricus

jamesk

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wall mounted sink faucet - hot water operates backwards

Comments (6)

hendricus

jamesk

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ctbosox

bus_driver

heimert

thetewsOriginal Author

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thetews
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