Jeremy Vine left baffled by tap handles fitted the 'wrong way round' (2024)

FAQs

Which direction should taps turn? ›

“On the LEFT – which is an international standard. Hot Left, Cold Right.

clockwise turns them off and anti clockwise turns them on. anything else and there is an issue.

If you have fitted a new valve and suddenly your handle / lever is now working in the wrong (opposite) direction from normal, you have either received the wrong valve from us OR you have fitted the valve incorrectly. Remove the valve and check the seal e.g. red for hot, blue for cold.

These compression-type valves and stems are threaded to turn either left or right, with hot normally being the right-hand thread. To change handle directions on a faucet of this type, either switch the hot and cold valves and stems, or purchase a new set threaded to turn in the desired direction.

The thread on the hot tap will be normal ie anti-clockwise to undo.

What is a stopco*ck? The stopco*ck is a valve for turning off and on the cold water system in your home. When you turn the stopco*ck in a clockwise direction the water supply will be shut off. You can turn the water supply back on by turning the stopco*ck in an anti-clockwise direction.

If you wish to reduce the water pressure to a particular faucet, turn the valves clockwise by a quarter rotation. Make sure to turn the cold and hot water valves equally to create more consistent water pressure.

Do all water valves turn off clockwise? ›

In most cases, the master shutoff valve to the home will have a wheel (gate valve) or a straight handle (ball valve). Gate valves (pictured to the right) are operated by turning the wheel clockwise until the water is off. Ball valves are operated by turning the handle a quarter-turn clockwise until the water is off.

If the outdoor shut-off valve is tap- or knob-style, turn it clockwise, or to the right, to shut it off (remember: righty-tighty, lefty-loosey). If it's lever-style, turn the lever clockwise or in whichever direction the “off” arrow is pointing.

Your valve may be worn out or there could be limescale build up. Either way, the fix is relatively easy. The key is paying attention to the order you take apart the tap, so you can reverse that order when putting back together. Before taking apart the tap be sure to TURN THE WATER OFF!

When it comes to which way you should turn the valve, keep in mind the old saying “righty tighty, lefty loosey.” In other words, turning a valve clockwise, or to the right, will restrict the flow of water while turning it counterclockwise, or to the left, will allow water to flow.

Water taps always close clockwise.

In most cases, the master shutoff valve to the home will have a wheel (gate valve) or a straight handle (ball valve). Gate valves (pictured to the right) are operated by turning the wheel clockwise until the water is off. Ball valves are operated by turning the handle a quarter-turn clockwise until the water is off.

Cold water should always be on the right side of the faucet and hot on the left. This is an industry standard throughout North America, and applies to single lever as well as dual faucets. When indoor plumbing was first introduced, there was one option that came out of the hand pump: cold water.

If your kitchen faucet has threads on the outside, it is male threaded - which means you need to buy a FEMALE threaded aerator to fit over it. Conversely, if your faucet has threads on the inside, it is female threaded and you'll need a MALE threaded aerator.

To determine if a water valve is open or closed, there is a simple general rule you can usually follow. Basically, if the handle is turned 90 degrees to the flow, the valve is switched off.

Clockwise means moving in the direction of the hands on a clock. Imagine you walk around something and always keep it on your right. Most screws and bolts are tightened, and faucets/taps are closed, by turning clockwise.

Do you open clockwise or anti-clockwise? ›

Typical nuts, screws, bolts, bottle caps, and jar lids are tightened (moved away from the observer) clockwise and loosened (moved towards the observer) counterclockwise in accordance with the right-hand rule.

Evaporation. One explanation of the effect is that as the hot water cools, it loses mass to evaporation. With less mass, the liquid has to lose less heat to cool, and so it cools faster. With this explanation, the hot water freezes first, but only because there's less of it to freeze.

When dual-temperature faucets appeared, the cold water stayed on the right while hot water occupied the left. The Uniform Plumbing Code now requires that faucets “shall be connected to the water distribution system so that hot water corresponds to the left side of the fittings.” It's a rare victory for lefties.

If the taps are placed vertically the hot is at the top and the cold placed below.

Bathroom or kitchen taps, and more specifically the elements within them, can be damaged by over-tightening taps when turning them on or off. The rubber washers contained in taps can be quickly worn out via tap over-tightening, leading to dripping tap fix measures to be required.

Hand Tight is Right

In fact, pipes should only be hand tight to help aid the flow of water throughout your home. The unique construction and configuration of pipes means they are made to be tightened just enough, making them super tight can actually prevent water from flowing properly.