Why is the cold water always on the right side

[prescot]

I am thinking about changing my faucets. I think it would be easier for
the average left hand person to have the cold on the left side.
Is there a reason why I can't do this.
I read on another board that it is a code issue. Can someone explain
the code issue?

[Red Jacket]

Safety. Hot water scalds.

Post by prescot
I am thinking about changing my faucets. I think it would be easier for
the average left hand person to have the cold on the left side.
Is there a reason why I can't do this.
I read on another board that it is a code issue. Can someone explain
the code issue?

[prescot]

What does safety have to do with this? Hot water is indicated by red
tab on top of faucet blue for cold. What difference does it make?

[PipeDown]

Truely SAFE products do not rely on the operator to observe variances to the
norm. They operate passively and in expected ways.

Sometimes a guest to your house might use the bathroom in the dark. Since
there is a universal assumption that cold is on the right (the original
designation was probably arbitrary but now it is a Standard) that person
might wash their hands only to find the wrong temperature.

If that is not a good enough reason, you would never get an inspector to
sign off and if you sold the house, it would show up prominently in the home
inspection report and likely result in your having to fix it then.

Some faucets do not have colored inserts but have engraved letters on
handles that cannot be exchanged, some people are even colorblind (imagine
that).

Nobody will arrest you for doing it but someone might sue you and win if
they are scalded. Intentionally reversing hot and cold would probably be
seen as negligent if it got that far.

I once stayed at a hotel that had the hot water hooked up to the toilet.
For what purpose I don't know, but it is luxurious to have your butt steamed
when you flush.

If you want fair treatment for lefties, try a faucet with one handle.

Post by prescot
What does safety have to do with this? Hot water is indicated by red
tab on top of faucet blue for cold. What difference does it make?

[Bennett Price]

I'm curious whether hot on left is the rule in parts of the world that
drive on the 'wrong' side.

Post by prescot
I am thinking about changing my faucets. I think it would be easier for
the average left hand person to have the cold on the left side.
Is there a reason why I can't do this.
I read on another board that it is a code issue. Can someone explain
the code issue?

[indago]

The cold water is on the right side because the hot water is on the left...

[prescot]

No one has still answered the question.... There has to be a reason why
cold water is on the right sidet. To just say it is because because the
hot is on the left is stupid. To say it is a standard, what made the
standard? To say it is a safety issue is not an answer to the question,
it is an answer to a different question about someone making the
assumption that the person knows that the cold water should be on the
right side.

Are there any actual, real plumbers here that know why?

[Dale Wilcox]

I was told in school years ago that when water was first installed in
buildings there was only cold and it was installed on the right side of a
sink because most people are right handed. When hot was added at a later
date it was installed on the open side (Left). If that isn't good enough for
you, It is now a code issue.
Dale

Post by prescot
No one has still answered the question.... There has to be a reason why
cold water is on the right sidet. To just say it is because because the
hot is on the left is stupid. To say it is a standard, what made the
standard? To say it is a safety issue is not an answer to the question,
it is an answer to a different question about someone making the
assumption that the person knows that the cold water should be on the
right side.
Are there any actual, real plumbers here that know why?

[gosammy]

responding to
http://www.homeownershub.com/plumbing/Why-is-the-cold-water-always-on-the-right-side-301-.htm

Post by Dale Wilcox
I was told in school years ago that when water was first installed in
buildings there was only cold and it was installed on the right side of a
sink because most people are right handed. When hot was added at a later
date it was installed on the open side (Left). If that isn\'t good
enough for
you, It is now a code issue.
Dale

Post by prescot
No one has still answered the question.... There has to be a
reason why
cold water is on the right sidet. To just say it is because
because the
hot is on the left is stupid. To say it is a standard, what made the
standard? To say it is a safety issue is not an answer to the
question,
it is an answer to a different question about someone making the
assumption that the person knows that the cold water should be on the
right side.
Are there any actual, real plumbers here that know why?

You are right. When I was a kid my dad said the cold is on the right
because most people are right handed. Therfore most would not burn
themselfs. Sam




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[Red Jacket]

Sorry, its still done for safety reasons.
Use some common sense.


"prescot" <***@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:***@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
No one has still answered the question.... There has to be a reason why
cold water is on the right sidet. To just say it is because because the
hot is on the left is stupid. To say it is a standard, what made the
standard? To say it is a safety issue is not an answer to the question,
it is an answer to a different question about someone making the
assumption that the person knows that the cold water should be on the
right side.

Are there any actual, real plumbers here that know why?

[MLD]

Post by prescot
I am thinking about changing my faucets. I think it would be easier for
the average left hand person to have the cold on the left side.
Is there a reason why I can't do this.
I read on another board that it is a code issue. Can someone explain
the code issue?

Are you putting in individual faucets? If it is a typical double faucet (one
piece) then I would suspect that hooking up the cold water to the left side
might result in a compatibility issue in that the hot water and cold water
cartridges are not the same. So hot/cold water going into a faucet meant for
cold/hot might be a problem--something to check out.
Why cold is on the right and hot on the left?? I would guess that when
indoor plumbing became the rage that was how the first plumber put it in and
ever since then everyone else has followed his convention thinking that if
they reversed it something would go wrong
MLD

[ncsd73]

responding to http://www.homeownershub.com/plumbing/why-is-the-cold-water-always-on-the-right-side-301-.htm

Post by prescot
I am thinking about changing my faucets. I think it would be easier for
the average left hand person to have the cold on the left side.
Is there a reason why I can't do this.
I read on another board that it is a code issue. Can someone explain
the code issue?

The cold water is on the right because... Most people are predominantly right handed and... When a person goes to a faucet 8-10 times they are gonna use the cold water over the hot. Think about it and consider how often you reach for the cold handle versus the hot handle for common every day use, glass of water to drink, wet or dampen a rag or sponge, rinse something off real quick or if you even wanna take it a stretch farther, to rinse out a spill on clothing/important or delicate fabric that could result in a stain if left to set, and as some may or may not know, when doing so with hot water it can sometiems speed up the setting process on the item of concern.