Honestly, swapping the lines always seemed like a shortcut that could bite you later. I tried it once and ended up chasing a slow drip for weeks before realizing the seal was shot. If you want both handles to turn the same way, just get the right cartridge or faucet—less hassle in the long run. Water hammer is real too... had some loud banging pipes after messing with supply lines. Not worth it for me.
Yeah, swapping lines always felt like tempting fate to me. I once tried it on a kitchen sink and ended up with a weird vibration in the pipes every time I turned the hot on. Ended up redoing it anyway. Just not worth the hassle or risk of leaks.
Yeah, swapping lines always felt like tempting fate to me. I once tried it on a kitchen sink and ended up with a weird vibration in the pipes every time I turned the hot on. Ended up redoing it anyway. Just not worth the hassle or risk of leaks.
That pipe vibration is what we call “water hammer,” and yeah, it’s a real treat when you’re just trying to wash your hands and suddenly it sounds like someone’s drumming under your sink. Swapping lines can definitely mess with more than just which handle does what—sometimes you get those weird noises, sometimes you get leaks, and sometimes you just get confused houseguests who can’t figure out why hot is cold and vice versa.
The whole “handles turn opposite ways” thing actually goes way back. It’s mostly tradition at this point—left for hot, right for cold—but also has to do with how the old compression valves were designed. They wanted to make sure people didn’t accidentally scald themselves by turning both handles the same direction at once (which would’ve been way too easy). Now, with all these fancy single-handle faucets, it’s less of an issue, but the old habits die hard.
I’ve seen folks try to swap lines thinking they’ll “fix” the direction their handles turn, but honestly? Nine times outta ten, it just leads to headaches. Like you said, not worth the hassle or risk of leaks... or that lovely pipe symphony.
If anyone’s really bothered by which way their handles turn, there are some faucets where you can flip the cartridges inside instead of messing with the supply lines. But unless you’re really set on it—or just love taking things apart for fun—it’s usually best to leave well enough alone. The only upside to swapping lines is maybe getting a good story out of it... assuming your kitchen doesn’t flood in the process.
Funny how something as simple as which way a handle turns can cause so much chaos under the sink.
Ever notice how some older houses have the hot on the right instead of the left? I ran into that on a job last week and it threw me off for a second. Makes me wonder—do you think there’s any real reason to keep the tradition going, or is it just habit at this point? Also, has anyone actually seen a faucet where flipping the cartridge fixed the handle direction? I’ve only read about it, never tried it myself.
Never understood why some places still put hot on the right. I always thought it was just old habit, but maybe there's some regional thing going on? I did flip a cartridge once in a cheap bathroom faucet and it actually worked, but the handle ended up pointing backward—looked weird, but at least it was functional. Anyone ever just swap the supply lines under the sink instead of messing with the faucet itself? Feels like the faster fix, but maybe I'm missing something.
