Yeah, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve had to explain to tenants why the hot handle turns left in one bathroom and right in the kitchen. It’s just one of those weird old house quirks. Unless you’re running a hotel or something, nobody cares. I say, if it ain’t broke (or leaking all over the place), don’t mess with it. Plumbing “standards” are more like suggestions anyway...
Had a call last week about this exact thing—tenant thought the hot was “broken” because it turned the “wrong” way. Old houses just have their own logic. I’ve seen setups where every single faucet in the place turns a different direction. Unless it’s causing confusion or a safety issue, I leave it alone. Fixing it usually means tearing into walls for no real reason. Standards are nice, but reality’s messier.
Old houses just have their own logic. I’ve seen setups where every single faucet in the place turns a different direction.
That’s the truth. I’ve worked on 1920s bungalows where the hot handle turns left, cold turns right, and the tub is backwards from both. It’s usually not worth ripping out tile or plaster just to “fix” it unless someone’s getting burned or really confused. Standards are great on paper, but once you’re in the crawlspace with 80-year-old galvanized pipe, you start picking your battles.
I get the “pick your battles” mindset, but honestly, I’ve had more headaches from leaving those weird setups alone than from just biting the bullet and fixing them. Tenants get confused, guests scald themselves, and then you’re dealing with calls at 10pm about “broken” faucets that are just backwards. It’s not always about aesthetics—sometimes it’s a safety thing, especially if you’ve got kids or elderly folks in the house.
Yeah, it’s a pain to open up old walls, but I’d rather deal with that once than have to explain for the hundredth time why the hot water is on the right in the kitchen but on the left in the bathroom. Plus, if you ever want to sell or rent out, inspectors can ding you for non-standard plumbing. I get that standards aren’t always practical in old houses, but sometimes it’s worth the hassle upfront to avoid bigger problems down the line.
Honestly, I get where you’re coming from, but ripping out old walls just to swap faucet directions isn’t always worth it.
Maybe, but in my experience, most folks adapt after a day or two. I’ve seen more damage done by overzealous “fixes” than by leaving things alone. Unless there’s a real safety risk—like scalding temps—I’d rather save the headache (and cash) for when something actually breaks. Standards are great, but sometimes old houses just do their own thing.“sometimes it’s worth the hassle upfront to avoid bigger problems down the line.”