Which side is hot and cold on a faucet? This question generally comes into mind when you use a faucet at your friend’s house, restaurant, or any other place. You try to get cold water from the faucet but mistakenly you get hot water. If the water is very hot, your hand may get burnt. You were excepting refreshing drink but you get scalding hot water.
If you know which side is hot and which side is cold, you can prevent yourself from burning. In some models handle moves left and right but there are some models that have forward and upward-moving handles. Here you get information about the hot and cold sides of the faucet.
How To Identify Which Side is Hot and Cold on a Faucet?
We use our kitchen faucet on daily basis, so we know the hot and cold sides of the faucet. But if your faucet is new or you are using an unknown faucet, you may get confused between hot and cold sides. Don’t worry, here are some methods to identify cold and hot sides even if there is labeling or not.
In most faucets, hot side is at the left and cold side is at the right of the faucet. This is a standard convention for the handle set.
Also, for the convenience of users, most faucets come with labeling on the faucet handle. Either you will see H (for hot water) and C (for cold water) on the handle or red and blue markings on the handle. The red mark denotes the hot water side and the blue mark denotes the cold water side.
With labeling on the faucet, it becomes easy to find the right water temperature of the water. If you have ever used a faucet with labeling, you would easily know which mark is used for hot and which for cold.
When a faucet is old, marks or labels on its handle become dull due to regular use of the faucet. In this situation, it becomes difficult to identify the side. So, without turning on the faucet, you can’t identify the sides. But be careful and slowly turn the handle of the faucet to get to know about the water temperature.
Why Is The Hot Water on The Left and The Cold Water on The Right?
Have you ever thought about it, why all faucets have hot water on the left side and cold water on the right side? Probably, people don’t think about it because they are used to this concept of the temperature for the faucet handle. If you want to know the reason, let me explain it to you.
In the early days, there is only a single water temperature for the faucet which was cold water. There is no hot water option for the faucet.
Most people use their right hand to complete their daily work. Due to right-handed people, manufacturers put the handle on the right side of the faucet. It is convenient to use the handle from the right side. If manufacturers put the handle on the left side, it becomes inconvenient and makes daily kitchen chores time-consuming.
It was a clever decision to put the cold handle on the right side to make the faucet easy to use. But when later, faucets with hot and cold supply lines were introduced, it became a question to decide which side for hot and cold water.
Users were used to right handle for the cold water so manufacturers decided to put the hot water handle on the left side of the faucet. This setting has been followed since the beginning. Instead of the left side, if manufacturers had put the hot water on the right side, it would have become a confusing situation for the people and accidental burns might happen. So, to avoid any confusion from starting hot water is on the left side and cold water is on the right side of the faucet is using.
Can You Exchange Hot and Cold Side of The Faucet?
Yes, you can exchange the hot and cold sides of the faucet. You can choose a side as per your preference and convenience.
If you are a left-hand person then using the right handle for cold water becomes inconvenient sometimes. In this situation, you can exchange sides and make a left handle for the cold water and a right for the hot water.
But before doing this, you should inform other family members of the house to inform them about this change. People have a habit to reach for the right handle for cold water. When you exchange them and other members don’t know about it, they might burn their hands. So, until it is not essential don’t exchange hot and cold sides.
Read also – How To Get Hot Water Quicker From Faucet?
How To Exchange Hot and Cold Sides?
- For hot and cold water, there are different supply lines. You will find these lines under the sink.
- For every line, there would be a shut off valve. Turn both valves in the off mode. If there is no valve, turn main supply of the house.
- Use an adjustable wrench to remove both supply lines.
- Now exchange the supply lines. For the cold water on the left side, connect cold supply line to the left connection of the faucet. For the hot water on the right side, connect hot supply line to the right connection.
- By exchanging supply lines, you can exchange the hot and cold side of the faucet.
Why I am Not Getting Hot Water From The Faucet?
- A malfunction with your hot water heater is the most frequent reason for no hot water. Make sure it is on and operating properly by checking.
- The pilot light in your gas water heater could have gone out, which would be the root of your lack of hot water.
- A damaged heating element in an electric water heater might stop the water from heating up.
- In the hot water tank, silt buildup over time may obstruct the heating element and stop the flow of hot water.
- Your hot water heater’s thermostat may not be instructing the heater to heat the water to the appropriate temperature if it is malfunctioning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hot Forward or Backward on a Faucet?
When you move a handle in the backward direction, you get hot water from the faucet. It is a general setting for those faucets that have forward and upward-moving handles.
Do all Faucets Have a Light Indictor To Show the Temperature of The Water?
No, all faucets don’t have a light indicator. Some models come with a light indicator to show what is the current temperature of the faucet. Blue light indicates cold temperature and red white hot. Some models show more light such as yellow to indicate lukewarm water and so on.
James Lewis is a seasoned plumber and faucet enthusiast who shares his expertise on Faucetsavvy.com. With over 15 years of experience in the plumbing industry, he’s passionate about helping homeowners find the perfect faucet for their needs. He’s also dedicated to empowering DIY enthusiasts with the plumbing knowledge and skills needed to repair and maintain their faucets.