Day: July 13, 2021

If you’ve just moved into a new house or apartment, there’s a chance you’ve just stumbled onto something really confounding: the water faucets are giving out the wrong temperature than they say they should. While this backwards mistake is something possible to ignore and adapt to, it can also lead to accidents. For example, a guest or child could burn themselves. Plus, it’s just really annoying when things are labeled wrong when we, as a society, rely on labels so often. So, how do you fix faucets that are backwards? Let’s cover the steps together.

Preparing to Work

The first thing you’ll need to do is prepare your work area. You’ll need access to the cabinet under the sink. Therefore, if you’ve got things stored in that cabinet, you’ll want to remove them to give yourself room to work. You’ll also need a wrench, as the water lines are typically secured with bolts.

The next step of preparation is turning off the water. There should be two water cutoff valve knobs under the sink. These are typically chrome nobs. Turn them both clockwise until they come to a stop. Then, turn on the faucet to check that the water is fully off. You may want to spread a folded towel on the base of the cabinet, as there may be some leftover water in the valve lines when you unbolt them.

Switch the Water Lines

Now that you’ve got your work area prepared and water lines turned off, you can switch the two valves. The reason the water faucet temperatures are backwards is because someone connected the hot water line to the cold faucet and vice versa. Simply switching them will make everything as expected.

The two lines are the two flexible, metal tubes leading from the water cutoff knobs up toward the faucets. You’ll be disconnecting them from where the connect to the supply lines above the knobs. Simply turn each one’s connecting bolt counterclockwise until they’re loose, then reconnect them to the opposite line. Voila! You’ve swapped the supply lines.

Test the Water

Lastly, you’ll want to test your water. First, turn the water supply back on with the cutoff valves. Then, turn on each faucet by itself and check that the temperatures are correct. If they’re still giving the wrong temperature water, it’s possible the lines got mixed up and refastened to their original lines. It happens to the best of us; simply try again. 

While testing the water temperature, you’ll also want to check for any leaks in the supply lines under the sink. If there’s any dripping or running from the connection, turn the sink off, turn the supply off, and reconnect it. Unscrew the bolt entirely and resecure it. Check again for leaks.

Call If Any Problems Arise

If the line continues to leak in spite of reconnecting it, there may be an issue with the hardware. If leaking continues or any other problems with your water or its temperature arise, give us a call at POM Plumbing. We deal with faulty sinks all the time and can get yours back in working order.

This question is extremely common. Fortunately, the answer is a simple one! The handle of a toilet has a chain attached to it within the tank of the toilet. This chain’s job is to pull up on a plug when the handle is pushed down. That plug, also known as the flush valve, is what keeps the fresh water in the back of the tank. Then, when it’s unplugged, water is able to rush down into the toilet bowl, flushing your toilet out. So, why is the toilet handle loose? Even worse, why is the toilet handle not working? Let’s take a quick look.

Diagnosing the Problem

If your toilet handle has suddenly stopped working or, perhaps, has never worked, the problem is simple. The chain that attaches your handle to the tank’s flush valve is likely not attached, or is so loose that the handle does nothing at all. Every time you push down on the handle, it’s doing nothing because it’s unable to pull up the plug that initiates a flush.

To fix this issue, start by lifting the lid off of the toilet’s tank and setting it aside. Now, look inside. Is there a chain attached to the extended interior handle? If so, it must be incredibly loose. There may also be no chain attached to the handle. Check if there’s one sitting in the bottom of the tank. If the chain is missing entirely, you’ll need to head to a hardware store to buy one. If it’s just been detached from the handle, your job is an easy one.

Attaching a Flush Chain

Attaching a flush chain is easy. There is usually a hook at the end of the interior handle. Simply hook the end loop of the chain over that hook. Now, give it a flush. Check to see if the last loop is tight enough. Sometimes, a chain is longer than necessary. If the chain doesn’t pull open the flush valve or not enough for a flush, you’ll need to tighten it a bit.

If your flush chain is too short to reach the handle, and this toilet has never had a working handle since you moved in, the short chain is likely the reason for that. Whoever installed it realized the chain was too short to fit and didn’t bother getting a new one. Unfortunately, that’s now your job. Head to a hardware store and get a chain that’s a bit longer.

Tightening a Flush Chain

Tightening a flush chain is simple. Simply hook one of the loops that’s slightly further down the chain and try flushing again. It should only take a couple adjustments to get to the loop that’s just right. When you find the right one, the chain should be long enough to pull the flush valve open, get a successful flush, and then quickly close again when the water level in the tank is low.

Toilet Repair Services

If these solutions didn’t work for you, give us a call at POM Plumbing. Is your toilet handle loose? We’ve seen all there is to see with regard to dysfunctional toilets, and we look forward to assisting with yours.