Honestly, I get wanting to avoid a big plumbing project, but I’d be careful about just swapping handles or “getting used to it.” It’s not just a minor annoyance—there’s a legit safety concern, especially if you’ve got kids or guests who aren’t expecting it. I’ve seen situations where someone gets burned because they assume hot is on the left like everywhere else. Plus, if you ever sell the house, inspectors might flag it as a code issue.
Those universal handles can work in some cases, but they’re kind of a band-aid. If the valve cartridges are reversed, sometimes you can flip them so the hot and cold match up without tearing into the walls. Not always possible, but worth checking before you resign yourself to living with it. Honestly, I’d say it’s worth at least seeing if there’s a fix at the faucet before writing off the whole thing as too much hassle. Sometimes it’s just a five-minute job... sometimes not. But yeah, rerouting pipes behind tile or drywall is a pain and probably not worth it unless you’re already remodeling.
Yeah, you nailed it—people really underestimate how much of a headache this can be down the line. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to explain to homeowners that “just living with it” isn’t always the safest call, especially if you’ve got little ones or visitors. Flipping the cartridge is usually my first move too, and honestly, sometimes it’s way easier than folks expect. But yeah, once you’re talking about moving pipes behind finished walls... that’s a whole different ballgame. Good on you for thinking ahead instead of just slapping on new handles and calling it a day.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve got to push back a bit on the “just living with it isn’t always the safest call” part.
In my experience, unless there’s a real risk of scalding or leaks, most tenants just adapt. I’ve had units where the hot and cold were reversed for years—never had a single complaint, even with families. Maybe it’s not ideal, but ripping out walls or re-routing pipes is a huge expense that doesn’t always make sense unless you’re already renovating.“just living with it” isn’t always the safest call, especially if you’ve got little ones or visitors.
Flipping the cartridge is great if it works, but sometimes those old valves are so corroded you end up making things worse. Ever tried to fix one and ended up with a bigger leak? Not fun. Sometimes “slapping on new handles” really is the most practical move, at least until there’s a bigger reason to open up the wall. Just my two cents—sometimes good enough really is good enough.
Yeah, I get what you’re saying. Sometimes you just have to pick your battles, especially in older places where nothing is standard anyway. I’ve been in rentals where the hot was cold and vice versa—after the first week, you just get used to it. Not ideal, but like you said, tearing into walls for something that’s more of an annoyance than a hazard doesn’t make sense unless you’re already doing a big overhaul.
And man, those old valves... I tried swapping out a cartridge once and it turned into a full afternoon of cursing and a trip to the hardware store. Ended up calling it “character” and left it alone. At the end of the day, most folks just want things to work, even if it’s a little backwards. As long as nobody’s getting burned or flooded, sometimes close enough is good enough.
Ended up calling it “character” and left it alone. At the end of the day, most folks just want things to work, even if it’s a little backwards.
That’s pretty much the story of every pre-80s building I’ve managed. You can chase “right” forever, but at a certain point, you’re just rearranging quirks. I’ve had tenants ask why the hot water turns clockwise in one unit and counterclockwise in another—honestly, sometimes it’s just whatever valve was on sale when someone did a repair twenty years ago.
If you do ever want to swap handles so they turn the same way, it’s not impossible, but you usually have to pull the stem and see what thread you’re dealing with. Left-hand vs right-hand threads, old vs new cartridges... it’s a rabbit hole. And yeah, unless you’re already gutting the bathroom, I wouldn’t bother.
Curious—has anyone actually tried to standardize all their faucets in an older house? Did it end up being worth the hassle, or did you just live with the “character” too?