Switching cold & hot taps?

[CluelessDIYer1]

I've only ever lived in the one house (well we moved when i was 2) & all taps are - cold on the right, hot on the left.
All my friends throughout school & so ... cold on the right, hot on the left.
People i've visited - cold on the right, hot on the left.
Other random buildings i've been in - cold on right, hot on left.
Go to another country - cold on right, hot on left.


Buy a house 4 mile down the road .... cold on the LEFT, hot on the RIGHT.



One of those small things that irritate the hell out of you (well, me anyway!!).

Who has this arrangement, seriously? I've never seen it before. Having said that, every man & his dog is going to enter this thread & say "me!" lol.



But bottom line is - how do you go about 'correcting' this so they're switched? Is it more complicated than one would expect?

 

[OwainDIYer]

If the taps have been plumbed in with flexi hoses, probably fairly easy to swap (might need longer hoses).

Note the kitchen tap, if a mixer, must be a split-spout mixer so the hot and cold water don't mix inside the tap, and if it's a concentric spout the cold should be on the outer so the tap doesn't get hot.

 

[fluxeyfingers]

My understanding is that a single spout is permissible provided that single check valves are fitted, but I'm quite happy to be corrected on that.

Of course if the hot water comes from a cylinder, then the concentric spout would be best, but not so much of a worry with a combi. Swapping mixer taps is easiest but standard non-mixer taps can sometimes need a fair bit of re-plumbing, particularly if the supply is low pressure.

 

[CluelessDIYer1]

Divvy question - how can i tell if it's been plumbed in with flexi hose? Can you only tell that if you start pulling things apart?

The kitchen i'm not too sure to be honest i'd have to see which side is cold & which is hot because i think the kitchen is actually ok if i remember right. & yes the kitchen is a mixer tap.

The bathroom on the other hand - i think both the sink & the bath have them on the 'wrong' way round & they're not mixer taps, they're individual.

 

[fluxeyfingers]

If you have a look under the tap (take bath panel off) you will either find rigid pipework, or silver braided hoses to connect the taps.

Do you have a hot water tank?