Is Hot or Cold Water On The Left or Right

Is the hot and cold water on the right or left? Whether it is a single lever faucet or a dual lever faucet, all of them will have their hot water line on the left and cold water line on the right.

All the fine branded faucets in North America are subject to industry standards, like- Moen and Delta. According to industry standards, the cold water supply line should be installed on the right side and the hot water supply line on the left side.

Moreover, it’s convenient to have the cold water line on the right side as the majority of people are left-handed.

In this article, we will discuss everything about the placement of the hot water and cold water supply lines along with the reasons. So let’s not beat around the bush anymore and get to the topic straight.

Keep reading!

Which Side Is Hot And Cold On A Faucet? (Left or Right)

which side is hot and cold on a faucet

Have you ever transpired the faucets that have both hot and water, but are not labeled? Perhaps, you saw the red and blue dots on the taps which also identify the difference between hot water and cold water.

However, the hot water would be to the left and the cold water would be to the right.

Sometimes you turn the tap on and it takes forever for it to get hot. You may think that you have cold water on. But always remember that the hot water would be to the left and the cold water would be to the right.

According to the industry standard, a faucet should have cold water on the right and hot water on the left. It has been going on for 100 years throughout North America.

All single-lever and dual-lever faucets have the same system. The faucets of Kohler, Delta, Moen, etc have their cold water tap on the right and the hot water tap on the left.

You may be confused with the faucets that have their handles vertically shaped. As said before, the cold water tap is on the right and the hot water tape is on the left.

Another way to identify the tapes is- that the hot water tapes will face towards you, i.e. counterclockwise, and the cold water tap will face opposite to you, i.e. clockwise.

Reason For A Cold Water Line Being On The Right And A Hot Water Line On The Left

Cold Water Faucet

In earlier times, people used dry sinks. There wasn’t the usage of hot water lines that much. If they had to attach a water supply line, they would obviously attach the cold water supply line.

Besides, most of us are right-handed, if we had to attach a water supply line, we would attach it to the right.

In the same way, the left-handed persons would like to attach the line of the left. However, as a rule of thumb, cold water lines are installed on the right side of a faucet for better access and convenience for the majority of people.

Let’s come up with another reason. Most people think that the cold water tap is put on the left side for safety reasons. Most of us are right-handed, and we need cold water in most cases. Such as washing hands, making wudu, washing feet, brushing teeth, and so on.

For this reason, the tap of cold water is used on the right side. On the other hand, hot water is rarely used. Maybe for a hot shower only. And using our left hand sometimes is not an issue at all.

Hot Water Faucet

Switching The Water Supply Lines

If you are left-handed, the whole placement can be bothersome for you. Because you would want to use the left hand every time will touch the hot water tap.

Don’t worry, it’s easy to switch the hot water line with the cold water line. Here are some steps you can follow to switch your hot and cold water lines:

  • Place the cutoff valves of your hot and cold line under the sink.
  • Turn the knobs counterclockwise. Also, twist the nuts counterclockwise that are attached to the supply lines. This will turn off the supply lines.
  • Now attach the hot water line to the right cut-off valve and the cold water line to the left cutoff valve. Make sure you have tightened them up properly and check for leaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Way Is Hot And Cold On One Handle Faucet?

Single handle faucets like Delta, Kohler, and Moen have the same sequence of the placement of the hot water line and cold water line.

The cold water line is placed on the right side and the hot water line is placed on the left side on these single handle faucets. Turning the faucet towards the left will give you hot water and towards the right will give you cold water.

Which Side Are Hot And Cold Under The Sink?

When the indoor plumbing had newly started, the plumbers had the option to attach the cold water only. Since most of the people are right-handed, they prefer placing the cold water line on the right side under the sink. This practice is still seen on all faucets.

What Side Is Hot And Cold On The Shower Valve?

Just like the faucets, the shower valves have the same sequence as the hot and cold water supply lines. The hot water shower valve is usually placed on the left and the cold water shower valve on the right.

In fact, the international standard recommends placing the hot and cold water lines in this way.

How To Make A Hot Water Adjustment?

To make perfect adjustments to hot water, you just need to change the ratio of hot water and cold water. Start with adjusting the water mixture after removing the handle. Then turn the screw of your faucet counterclockwise to increase the cold water.

Likewise, you will need to do it to increase the hot water.

In Which Way Do Hot And Cold Taps Turn?

There is no specific way to control the temperature of hot water and cold water. If you see, both the hot water and cold water handles open counterclockwise.

Most of the faucets have cross-shaped handles to control the TempAssure of hot and cold water.

Conclusion

Hopefully, the above concept could give you an oriented distinction about the placement of hot and cold water supply lines.

Whether it is the UK faucets, single handles faucets, double-handled faucets, shower valves, or under the sink, everywhere the cold water is on the right side and the hot water is on the left side.

Some relevant reasons can be- most people are right-handed, it adds convenience, and we are bound to follow the industry standards.

If you are left-handed, there would be no problem in switching the water supply lines. The steps above will guide you if you get any reasons to switch them. This is all. Let us know through the comment section below if you have any queries.

Thank you.

Leave a Comment