Plumber reversed the hot and cold faucet placement, can it be fixed?

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shreyas

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Hi All,

I have been reading your forum but first time posting.

Just had our bathroom gut renovated with new plumbing by a contractor. New sink and faucets (8" widespread) were installed. But the plumber installed the hot water faucet handle on the right hand side and cold on the left hand side. Though hot water comes out when hot is turned on and cold when cold faucet in turned on, I would still like to switch the sides because that is just the standard, right? I have been chasing the plumber to fix it but no luck with it. So we are wondering if we could do it ourselves. However, with no experience in doing so, I want to make sure if its even possible.

I have attached a couple of pictures. One is of the faucets (Lefroy Brooks, LB 1216, 8 " widespread) and you see that they are reversed. The other one is from under the sink. The cold is on the left supply line is and the right supply line is hot. (May be the plumber wanted to keep it easy on him and that's why installed the faucets too on the same sides as the supply lines?) We are using Lefroy Brooks 8" widespread faucet. Attached are the pictures. What do I need to do to switch the sides of the hot and cold faucets?

Please advise.

Thank you so much in advance.

shreyas
 

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SteveW

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It is possible.

You could replace those "risers" (the bent chrome pipes) with flexible supply lines relatively easily. Just don't pick "Flood Safe" flexible supply lines -- they have a high rate of false shut-offs.
 

Kreemoweet

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Jeepers, roughed in backwards and then finished backwards too! Those plumbers from Cambodia or something?
All you need are a couple 3/8 compression by 1/2 IPS flexible water supply lines that are "long enough", or so
it appears from your photo. Then a couple adj. wrenches to R&R. When you're done, you'll know you're a better
plumber than the "pros" that worked in your house!
 

shreyas

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Thank you for responding.

So I need a couple of flexible water supply lines. Then I need to connect the left cold supply valve under the right faucet? And similarly right supply valve under the left faucet? I don't need to swap those braided pipes that are connected to the "mixer" correct?

Also what about the faucets on the top? Is it easy to swap the faucets out? do I need to worry about any cartridges?

Sorry if the questions are too basic.

Thanks again.
 

Jadnashua

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If you have the installation instructions (or can download them), it should tell you how the label on the handle is attached. Often, it's just a press fit, but you may have to actually dismount and swap the whole thing. Or, maybe there's a way to get the handle off easily. The installation instructions would show this. If the handles turn different ways, you may have to dismount the whole handle assembly and swap them.

As others have said, while the chrome risers may look better, a flexible braided line (similar to what's used between the handle and the spout) can be purchased in various lengths and fittings to cross-over the feeds to their proper sides.

Or, since at least the handles are labeled right, you could just leave it. If you had used certain single handeled valves, the temp function can be swapped by turning the cartridge 180-degrees and reinstalling the handle...can't do that with separate handles though.
 

WJcandee

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There are no questions too basic.

Amazing. This is a $1300 faucet, with a fancy-schmancy supply, and the plumber half-assed the job after reversing the rough-in. Given the marble there, I guess you don't want the wall opened. I'm just wondering whether the behind the wall pipes can be accessed easily elsewhere and the problem corrected behind the wall (i.e. hot connected to left supply and cold corrected to right), then the tags reversed on the faucets. Is this a coop/condo? If so, at a minimum, these guys should be barred from future work in the building or your super could reject the work.

Unfortunately, the installation instructions are not posted online. Apparently, Christo Lefroy Brooks feels that if you are going to spend $1300 for one of his faucets, you are not going to install it yourself. You don't want to damage the handle by trying to remove the label with an improper method. I would pull the contact information from the manufacturer's web site {click here), call the main office, ask for customer service, and tell them that your idiot plumber installed the handles backwards and you want to change the labels, and how do you do that. You might wish to forego the rest of the tale; it's up to you.

I can't tell how much of the plumbing you can see when using the bathroom. Given that he has the braided supply drooping down almost to the fancy-schmancy supply, I'm guessing not much. In that case, just go to any hardware store and get an appropriate-length braided line and cross them over. You are correct that you don't need to touch the braided supply that is already there.
 

Tom Sawyer

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Let's not over complicate things here. Swap the flex lines that are already there.........
 

Tom Sawyer

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How would that help?

Swap the risers for flexi's and cross them. It's under the sink, nobody can see them. The only other alternative would be to open the wall up behind the sink. And yes, get the plumber back to fix it.
 

shreyas

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Thanks guys for contributing.

So from what I gather, I need to replace the exisiting rigid supply lines with the flex ones just long enough so that I can connect out the cold supply on the left to the handle on the right and viceversa. Correct? Great suggesting about inquiring if I could swap out just the labels. But I am not sure how easy it would be because I remember the faucets came with those ceramic insets installed already. if not, I will have to swap the faucets completely.

The plumber got his money and thinks he did his job and so now its hard to get hold of. I know I should not have let that happen. Plus while he was busy installing the faucets the wrong way, he managed to nick and scratch and ding our marble floor tiles with his tools. Do I again want to invite him to our apartment? May be I will find different plumber. I do not want to take in for a ride anymore by any plumber or a contractor I hire.

wjcandee, we live in a coop. I will inform the super and mgmt on not letting these guys ever again in our bldg. (On another note, the same contractor also installed the stove but with loose connections that there was a gas leak in the apartment! The local gas supply company was appalled when they responded to the incident to fix it).

thanks again.

Shreyas
 

WJcandee

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Shreyas, for next time, I know a great nyc apt contractor. He's now the preferred guy in my neighbor's co-op here on the upper east side; super loves him because he does high-quality (and high-end) work meticulously. (The super there is the kind of guy who has his head in your apartment daily when you have a contractor in, because he wants the work in "his" building to be done right, given that problems in one unit affect everyone else.) My best friend found this guy and his partner after firing the previous contractor on a bathroom remodel about five years ago; since then, he has become a known name among those who know, and my friend just had him back to do a remodel of 2/3 of his apartment, which he finished a month ago, and it went swimmingly. Just stick that in your drawer to get bid and references for next room you want to do...

As to plumbers, Maccarone in Glen Cove is a well-regarded plumber on the North Shore of Long Island who also works in and is licensed in NYC. 516-671-3232 I see them in my neighborhood on the Upper East Side regularly. They have a web site and good reviews on Angie's List. They'll come out and look at the problem and give you an estimate of what it would take to fix properly. They also do gas hookups, unlike a lot of plumbers out here.

I had a feeling that you were in NYC because only in Manhattan would a plumber think that they could scratch up your bathroom, install a $1300 faucet improperly, and still get paid.
 
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hj

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If the entire plumbing system was replaced, it would be unusual for just the lavatory hot and cold to be reversed. Is the toilet flushing with cold water?
 

wassermeister

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What is on the other side of the bathroom wall? If the supply lines can be access from underneath or from the other side of the wall you can fix the problem properly.

When were the water lines redone? Did they have a wall/ceiling open?
 

hj

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quote; If the supply lines can be access from underneath or from the other side of the wall you can fix the problem properly.

It is NOT a question of being done properly, because the situation often occurs with back to back bathrooms if the installer goes the "quick and dirty" way by using tees for the supply connections. Then one of the two rooms will be reversed. I just connected the sinks in two dormitories where every other room was reversed so the supply lines had to cross over, but it was no big deal as long as I knew WHICH rooms were reversed.
 

shreyas

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Thanks again all your responses.

Wjcandee, thank you for the suggestion. Will look them up.

hj, the toilet is flushing cold water. that is not w problem. The a bath and shower are also responding well to hot and cold switches. The kitchen on the other side is also turning hot and cold without any problems.

wassermeister, Unfortunately, the other side are all the kitchen cabinets and cannot be accessed. New plumbing pipes were installed back up to the building riser as a part of this bathroom renovation.


Thanks.
 

LLigetfa

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But the left would still say "Cold" so one has also to reverse the taps or at least the part with the words "Hot" and "Cold".
 
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