not anything but the kitchen sink.
January 31, 2018 6:43 AM Subscribe
My kitchen faucet broke. A plumber installed a new one. Can't decide if it's worth calling him back to fix what he did.
My kitchen faucet broke. A plumber came and diagnosed. I went to 2 different stores to find a faucet, got a mid priced fixture by Moen. The plumber then came back the next week, and installed it. All this took a lot of my time (and of course $.)
We chatted as he put his gear away. He is clearly a professional who knows his stuff. He inspired confidence and I said good bye to him before checking his work. (I know, I know.)
So after he left I went to use the sink.
The faucet has a single lever that you shift to the right or left for hot and cold water. On the bottom of the lever, there are two colored spots signifying hot and cold. The red dot signifying hot is on the left side of the faucet and the blue dot for cold on the right.
So of course, if I shift the lever to the left (towards the red dot) the blue dot is then more centered and in my line of vision, as the red one moves further away from my vision, towards the left side of the faucet. Thus I see the blue dot when I shift left and expect cold water. And vice versa.
The problem is that turning the lever to the left (towards the red) now accesses hot water even though the blue dot is centered. And turning it to the right accesses cold, even though the red dot is centered.
Is this actually *wrong?* While I expect to the appropriate color centered, I guess, you could say that shifting the faucet TOWARDS the appropriate dot is correct. What is actually customary?
I do not really want to take more time off to get the plumber back here. But it's counter-intuitive to me and I don't even know if some people use it this way. Is it objectively installed wrong?
Would it drive you crazy?
Would you feel you had to warn guests?
Would it bug you if you were buying the house from me?
To head off the obvious comment: I do realize that I am the customer and I can have the faucet as I want to feel comfortable. For this question, please assume I know my rights, but would rather adjust myself if this is actually normal.
My kitchen faucet broke. A plumber came and diagnosed. I went to 2 different stores to find a faucet, got a mid priced fixture by Moen. The plumber then came back the next week, and installed it. All this took a lot of my time (and of course $.)
We chatted as he put his gear away. He is clearly a professional who knows his stuff. He inspired confidence and I said good bye to him before checking his work. (I know, I know.)
So after he left I went to use the sink.
The faucet has a single lever that you shift to the right or left for hot and cold water. On the bottom of the lever, there are two colored spots signifying hot and cold. The red dot signifying hot is on the left side of the faucet and the blue dot for cold on the right.
So of course, if I shift the lever to the left (towards the red dot) the blue dot is then more centered and in my line of vision, as the red one moves further away from my vision, towards the left side of the faucet. Thus I see the blue dot when I shift left and expect cold water. And vice versa.
The problem is that turning the lever to the left (towards the red) now accesses hot water even though the blue dot is centered. And turning it to the right accesses cold, even though the red dot is centered.
Is this actually *wrong?* While I expect to the appropriate color centered, I guess, you could say that shifting the faucet TOWARDS the appropriate dot is correct. What is actually customary?
I do not really want to take more time off to get the plumber back here. But it's counter-intuitive to me and I don't even know if some people use it this way. Is it objectively installed wrong?
Would it drive you crazy?
Would you feel you had to warn guests?
Would it bug you if you were buying the house from me?
To head off the obvious comment: I do realize that I am the customer and I can have the faucet as I want to feel comfortable. For this question, please assume I know my rights, but would rather adjust myself if this is actually normal.
Best answer: If it helps: The dot tells you how you can adjust the current water temperature by moving the faucet. So, left to get hotter, right to get cooler. When the faucet is all the way left (hottest) the only available adjustment is blue (cooler), and vice versa.
posted by meinvt at 6:48 AM on January 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by meinvt at 6:48 AM on January 31, 2018 [3 favorites]
Best answer: You don't give a location, plumbing standards are highly location-specific.
In the United States, hot water is on the left and cold water is on the right, no matter if we're talking about a single-handle faucet or a double handle faucet. So as an American I would not be surprised if I were a guest in your home and your faucet was set up the way you describe.
posted by muddgirl at 6:48 AM on January 31, 2018
In the United States, hot water is on the left and cold water is on the right, no matter if we're talking about a single-handle faucet or a double handle faucet. So as an American I would not be surprised if I were a guest in your home and your faucet was set up the way you describe.
posted by muddgirl at 6:48 AM on January 31, 2018
Best answer: It's installed correctly to standard. If you switch the dots, you will totally confuse your guests. You could buy and install another faucet that doesn't swivel if this really bothers you.
posted by Gnella at 6:50 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Gnella at 6:50 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
Is the dot a sticker or rubber plug that you could just pry or peel off and reverse?
I doubt you'd get the plumber back there for something like this, unless you paid him for his time.
If you really hate it you could always just swap the hot and cold water lines under the sink. Most modern faucets use fittings that can be loosened or tightened by hand or with nothing but a pair of pliers. This would probably confuse guests, however.
posted by bondcliff at 6:50 AM on January 31, 2018
I doubt you'd get the plumber back there for something like this, unless you paid him for his time.
If you really hate it you could always just swap the hot and cold water lines under the sink. Most modern faucets use fittings that can be loosened or tightened by hand or with nothing but a pair of pliers. This would probably confuse guests, however.
posted by bondcliff at 6:50 AM on January 31, 2018
Best answer: The tap is installed correctly. There's nothing to call about. Sorry!
posted by DarlingBri at 6:56 AM on January 31, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 6:56 AM on January 31, 2018 [5 favorites]
This is just a little plug that goes over the set screw for tightening the handle. It is installed correctly, as it indicates which direction to move the lever for hot or cold water, not which one is currently running. Some faucets come with a chrome-coloured one instead of a red/blue one. Just pull it out and turn it around if you really don't like it.
posted by fimbulvetr at 7:03 AM on January 31, 2018
posted by fimbulvetr at 7:03 AM on January 31, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I'm very relieved to be wrong :).
posted by velveeta underground at 7:10 AM on January 31, 2018
posted by velveeta underground at 7:10 AM on January 31, 2018
I will say that my apartment faucet was installed incorrectly (like how you want it) then a plumber came to fix some other issue with it and switched the hot and cold to be more conventional (left hot, right cold). He did this without asking and the visit took about 30 min so if you really wanted it done it’s probably an easy change.
posted by raccoon409 at 9:35 AM on January 31, 2018
posted by raccoon409 at 9:35 AM on January 31, 2018
Note that hot on the left is actually a code requirement and not a convention; a plumber may not be willing to reverse it.
posted by Mitheral at 10:18 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 10:18 AM on January 31, 2018 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
So while the dot thing seems like someone didn't think it through, the faucet sounds like it was installed correctly.
posted by MangoNews at 6:46 AM on January 31, 2018 [7 favorites]