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.
