Hot and Cold taps wrong way round in new house - whats that all about?

[ruzw]

Moved into new house, and almost scaled myself as when I went to turn on what I thought was cold water tap in kitchen (on the right) boiling hot water came out.

This led to realise that in the kitchen, bath sink and bath, utility sink and downstairs cloak that the hot comes out on right and cold on left, and I have always in past in other houses had it other way round.

Now whowever installed it seems to have done this intentially as all the taps are marked up also hot right / cold left. Dunno if it is also wrong way round on washing machine plumbing - not checked that yet - but need to as our machine should be cold water supply only.

We are having a new boiler installed next week (changing from system to combi) - and then new bathroom (with mixer shower and bsin/bathmixer taps) installed week later - will this affect those installs?

So hopefully someone here with experience can answer a few questions I have about this.

Will the central heating team - or the bathroom fitter need to or be able to change them over.

Where does it have to be switched - is it at each of the sink/basin locations and done one by one - or is the cold/hot feeds decided further up the system to all the sinks?

I suppose the hot and cold taps being the other way round is currently just more a weird innconveneience - and a suprise if not expecting it. But with the new installs, wonder if it will actually become an operational issue - especially withy the new mixer shower which has thermostatic control - or an issue with the new combi boiler system?

Really appreciated any advice in advance of them starting - so I can make sure I ask them to change the right things - as preferably I'd like them switched, rather than them adapt the new installs to the way round we have it.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice

 

[PlumbBobBob]

welcome to the forums. the easiest way to put the pipework right is at each outlet get them swapped round so they are correct as per the water regs. is this a brand new house or just to you? if it is brand new get the builder back to rectify the faults.

 

[kirkgas]

It won't effect the way the new boiler works if the plumber connects them up the same way, however if you are getting a lot of work done and want them swapped over ask the plumber for a price for the additional work then decide if it's worth it then it's your choice,
We used to connect hot bath taps to the inside as it was thought toddles and kids would always turn on the front tap if they were messing about therefore reducing the chance of scalding, so depending which end the taps were at the hot could be on left or right, then we always done that whb the same way, but always put the sink hot tap on the left, been in plenty of houses done both ways and never really felt it was a problem, especially as taps are marked, if I've turned the right hand tap expecting cold and it's hot I've never been burned yet

 

[kirkgas]

welcome to the forums. the easiest way to put the pipework right is at each outlet get them swapped round so they are correct as per the water regs. is this a brand new house or just to you? if it is brand new get the builder back to rectify the faults.

Steve do the current building/water regs demand the hot on the left?

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i'm not sure tbh but i do know that hot should be on the left in case blind or otherwise sight disabled people use the taps as they are taught this way. thinking about it, it is probably advisable not law really. thankyou for pulling me up on this kirk we are always learning in this industry. also when you buy a mixer tap the hot is always on the left.

 

[JCplumb]

From what I remember from college many moons ago, it wasn't a requirement to have hot on the left, it was encouraged though.

 

[SimonG]

I was taught cold and flow on right. Always stuck. When I'm in a house with it reversed I always ask if they want to keep it the 'wrong way' or putting right.

 

[SimonG]

In the meantime to the op get your cylinder stat turned down, its prob over 60.

 

[kirkgas]

My brother in law is blind what he was taught to do is: he turns a strange tap on and holds the tap body to feel if it starts to heat before he puts his hand under it

 

[ruzw]

welcome to the forums. the easiest way to put the pipework right is at each outlet get them swapped round so they are correct as per the water regs. is this a brand new house or just to you? if it is brand new get the builder back to rectify the faults.

Thanks for the welcome and the quick response - its an older house 1970s - so no idea how long they have been this way round - if its been changed to this way or always been this way

 

[ruzw]

It won't effect the way the new boiler works if the plumber connects them up the same way, however if you are getting a lot of work done and want them swapped over ask the plumber for a price for the additional work then decide if it's worth it then it's your choice,
We used to connect hot bath taps to the inside as it was thought toddles and kids would always turn on the front tap if they were messing about therefore reducing the chance of scalding, so depending which end the taps were at the hot could be on left or right, then we always done that whb the same way, but always put the sink hot tap on the left, been in plenty of houses done both ways and never really felt it was a problem, especially as taps are marked, if I've turned the right hand tap expecting cold and it's hot I've never been burned yet

cheers for response -

when we were choosing taps for our new bathroom, i had to reject any mixer taps that had the H & C markings or Red/Blue colour on the lever, as the reality would be they would be the wrong way round - so had to choose some with no markings, in case we are unable to swap the feed over.

At the same time boiler is being fitted we are having exisiting CH pipework and rads done - again guessing this is unrelated to the hot and cold water feed to basins and bath

 

[ruzw]

In the meantime to the op get your cylinder stat turned down, its prob over 60.

There is no stat on the cylinder - Very old CH system - hence the upgrade

 

[ruzw]

So just to clarify - am i asking my plumber to change at each bath and basin - or is there a system wide change that can be made to swap over the hot and cold to all my sinks and bath

and will the current set up affect my thermostatic mixer shower install?

 

[kirkgas]

Any tap head needs to be removed to repair tap so you should be able to swap them over, do you want to pay to have them changed over? It would require an inspection to be done to see if pipes could be swapped at the tank area or whether it might be easier to do at each outlet

 

[stevetheplumber]

i doubt if you can swap pipes at source unless you want hot flushes

 

[village idiot]

the house was originally plumbed for an American couple, hence the Hot being on right and the Cold on Left.
Easiest way forward, just inform those doing the refits that the hot and cold are ''wrong'' way round and you want this rectified. STRAIGHT FORWARD REALLY.
Bath taps removed, pipes cut further back and soldered to opposite outlet. Same for basin and sink.

You say you are worried about your washing machine, what about your toilet? Do you have HOT flushes? -🙂

 

[buckley plumb]

I always fit cold on right but was un aware of any reg to enforce this

 

[village idiot]

I always fit cold on right but was un aware of any reg to enforce this

no regs to enforce it as such.
It's just standard practice that in the UK, taps are piped that way. Same as we drive in the ''wrong'' side of the road in the uk.

 

[ruzw]

the house was originally plumbed for an American couple, hence the Hot being on right and the Cold on Left.
Easiest way forward, just inform those doing the refits that the hot and cold are ''wrong'' way round and you want this rectified. STRAIGHT FORWARD REALLY.
Bath taps removed, pipes cut further back and soldered to opposite outlet. Same for basin and sink.

You say you are worried about your washing machine, what about your toilet? Do you have HOT flushes? -🙂

The person who lived here before us was here from day it was built - and not American

What i meant reagrds washing machine, the plumbing for it has both a hot and cold outlet to connect to - (for washing machines that need a hot and cold feed). My washing machine is cold connect only, so I have connected to what I assume is the cold outlet - but if everything else is other way round, I was saying I needed to check if the washing machine plumbing was also the other way round.

 

[ruzw]

Any tap head needs to be removed to repair tap so you should be able to swap them over, do you want to pay to have them changed over? It would require an inspection to be done to see if pipes could be swapped at the tank area or whether it might be easier to do at each outlet

When you say the 'Tank Area' - where do you mean specifically? Do you mean the hot water cylinder, or the loft tank - if so, we are having a combi boiler installed so they will be removed.

 

[ruzw]

i doubt if you can swap pipes at source unless you want hot flushes

Ha - see your point.

So at what point in the feed to the basin taps does the cold and hot pipes split/get decided - I mean where is the 'source' location in a house - presume this is further down the pipe feed - cuz under my sinks currently the pipes come off each tap and go straight down into floorboards

So should they be swapped over right there before they join the taps - or is there somewhere further down the pipe system that they could/should be swapped - or is that way to complicated/expensive?

 

[cr0ft]

Most houses I have been into where the hot is on the right and cold on the left are older properties. Not seen any newer properties with that arrangement to be honest.

 

[AWheating]

4.6 Where hot and cold taps are provided on a sanitary appliance, the hot tap should be on the left.


building regs doc G, g4.

 

[scorps]

Hot's on the left in America,hot left cold right is worldwide it's for blind people.The problem occurs when the plumber doesn't know this

 

[Heith]

I do maintenance on 7 high rise blocks , the hot is in the right in the bathroom but on the left in the kitchen! - nightmare when fitting thermo bath shower mixer