That’s a classic—nothing like thinking you’re done, then getting an unexpected hot blast when you wanted cold. Been there more times than I’d like to admit.
The mysteries behind the drywall never end... Ever had to deal with those old compression fittings that seem to leak no matter how tight you go? Curious if you’ve run into any wild handle directions—sometimes they turn in, sometimes out, sometimes both. Makes me wonder if there was ever a standard or if it’s just chaos under every sink.“Turns out, the pipes behind the wall were reversed—probably from a 70s ‘remodel.’”
Honestly, I’ve seen every possible handle direction out there. Had a job last month where the hot turned clockwise and the cold was counter, but only halfway—after that, both just spun freely. The homeowner swore it was “original to the house,” but I’m pretty sure some DIYer got creative in the 80s. Compression fittings are the bane of my existence, too. Sometimes you just have to walk away before you over-tighten and make it worse.
I hear you on the compression fittings—one wrong move and suddenly you’ve got a drip that won’t quit. I’ve had tenants call about “backwards” handles more times than I can count. Sometimes I think old plumbers just liked to mess with us for fun.
I get where you’re coming from, but I don’t think it’s just old plumbers having a laugh. There’s actually a method to the madness—traditionally, hot water on the left turns counterclockwise to open, cold on the right turns clockwise. It’s supposed to help folks avoid burns by making hot harder to turn on accidentally. That said, I’ve seen plenty of “creative” installs over the years... sometimes it’s just whoever did the last repair not paying attention. If you want to fix it, swapping the stems usually does the trick, but sometimes you’re stuck with what’s there unless you redo the whole valve assembly.
“It’s supposed to help folks avoid burns by making hot harder to turn on accidentally.”
That’s a good point, and honestly, I’ve run into that logic a lot—especially in older homes. It’s one of those things that makes sense once you know the reasoning, but it can still drive you nuts when you’re used to a different setup. I’ve definitely seen my share of “creative” installs too... sometimes it feels like whoever did the last job just grabbed whatever parts were handy and called it a day.
If you’re thinking about fixing it, swapping the stems is usually pretty straightforward, like you mentioned. Just make sure to shut off the water first (learned that one the hard way). But yeah, sometimes you’re stuck unless you want to go all-in and redo the whole valve assembly, which isn’t always worth the hassle unless you’re already renovating.
Honestly, half the time I just leave it as-is and chalk it up to “house personality.” You’re not alone in finding it confusing—there’s no shame in wanting things to work the way you expect.
