Which side is the hot and cold tap UK?
Which Side Is Cold Tap Uk? It's as simple as left-hand – that's an international standard. The left hand is warm, while the right hand is cold.
Cold water should always be on the right side of the faucet and hot on the left. This is an industry standard throughout North America, and applies to single lever as well as dual faucets.
“On the LEFT – which is an international standard. Hot Left, Cold Right. (That's not politics!) I believe this is in building practices regulations.”
Water bylaws prevented hot and cold water being mixed because water that had been sitting in a tank in the loft was not deemed safe to drink, he said. As far back as 1965 a code of practice called CP 310 advised that wherever possible hot water taps should be placed on the left.
This is why English homes have two taps – In the UK, there's a law that prohibits mixing cold water and hot water from their separate boilers, one for cold water in the attic for drinking and one for hot water downstairs which is not drinkable.
Back in the day, hot water was supplied by a storage tank often placed in the loft. It would heat up the water over time, so it would never be as fresh and could get contaminated during the process. Hence, it was decided to keep hot and cold water separately in order to keep cold water safe to drink.
In this case, why do plumbing requirements specify hot water on the left-hand side? Quite simply, the purpose of the code is to prevent scalding by the user.
How a water tap works. The flow of water is controlled by turning or moving the tap handle which is connected to the spindle. When moved, the spindle causes the tap valve to move upwards or downwards, causing the water chamber to open or close.
For most faucets – hot is left, and cold is right. It's been the industry standard for over 100 years. Manufacturers like Delta, Kohler, and Moen make single lever faucets that all follow this convention.
You see, back in the 19th century, when indoor plumbing was introduced, water was generated by a hand pump. The hand pump had but one trick: producing cold water. And since most people were – and still are -- right-handed, the pump was placed on the right side of the sink.
Why do my taps turn the wrong way?
Usually your lever is working incorrectly becausse you have fitted the correct valve open when it should have been fitted closed as per above example in the Two Lever Tap OR you have ordered the wrong valve because a bridge lever tap works in the opposite direction from what you might assume if you are not used to ...
On a traditional single handle faucet, one with the handle on top (such as this Delta Foundations faucet) turning to the left is hot and turning to the right is cold.
![Which side is the hot and cold tap UK? (2024)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HfHgUu_8KgA/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLBExfDMph3fA_MISMlru-2fuTd7lQ)
You see, back in the 19th century, when indoor plumbing was introduced, water was generated by a hand pump. The hand pump had but one trick: producing cold water. And since most people were – and still are -- right-handed, the pump was placed on the right side of the sink.
For most faucets – hot is left, and cold is right. It's been the industry standard for over 100 years. Manufacturers like Delta, Kohler, and Moen make single lever faucets that all follow this convention.
As the water heats, it rises to the top of the tank. The heat-out pipe is located near the top of the tank. Water exiting the water heater at the top is always the hottest in the tank at any given moment because it's the nature of hot water to rise above denser, cold water.