plumbers to the forum please…..

should be an easy one for most on here, i was tempted to just go ahead and do it but thought id best double check here first….

plumbers plumbed in our hot/cold feeds the wrong way round so taps say cold, hot comes out and vice versa. rather than p1ss about bothering him and waiting for him to come round and sort it, i may as well just do it meself if its easy enough.

now am i right in assuming i can just turn isolation screw to off, then unscrew the top nuts, swap hoses and reverse procedure? may have to remove the waste pipe elbow first as its in the way somewhat, but nothing fiddlys gonna drop out never to be seen again, (rubber washers etc) are they?

thanks

EDIT: actually looking at it again, what would i grip to unscrew the nut? (see i knew i was right to ask on here)

I’d just change the bit of the taps that say hot and cold over.

new olives if you decide to switch the tails round.

dont think theres anything i can do at the top end. too fiddly to get right underneath the taps as theyre deep into the underneath of sink, and this is the mixer tap on top…..

if it means new olives and it is actually gonna be a fiddly job i may as well get him back.

thanks

I think you have the right idea. There will be a rubber washer but it shouldn’t go far. Get some water pump pliers on the isolation valve to stop it turning as you undo the top nut and don’t do them up too tight when you have swapped them over

IANAP

On the other hand I’d get the plumber back to sort his silly mistake. Has he left you with a hot flushing loo too 🙂

No help but that pic needs to go in the ‘aghh, my eye’ thread 😉

and yet another thing……..are you 100% sure they are the wrong way around, have you used a mixer tap before 🙂

sorry, when you said ‘taps’ I assumed they were separate – you can just take the actual knobs off most separate taps and switch them over.

In your case, get the plumber back. You know it’s been done right then…

there won’t be olives on the top side? There will be an olive where it mates onto the copper but just a rubber washer where the hose connects to the top if its anything like the ones i’ve used before.

So isolate the valve, use a cloth to catch any water in the hose and swap them over.

or get the fella back to do it properly.

No help but that pic needs to go in the ‘aghh, my eye’ thread

i see an elephant 🙂

are you 100% sure they are the wrong way around, have you used a mixer tap before

funny you should say that, we had the discussion about whether you should turn the lever to the hot or cold dot, or…. when you turn the lever the correct dot should be at the front.
but, the fact that its the opposite way to the toilet sink taps means one of them needs changing at least or peoples heads will explode trying to work it out 😀

EDIT:

So isolate the valve, use a cloth to catch any water in the hose and swap them over.

okeydokes, ill give it a try, thanks

there won’t be olives on the top side?

you’re right. I’ve got some green stuff I put on threads like that. No idea if it does anything but I feel better about it.

doh, was sure itd be a 22mm spanner. 22 doesnt fit, 24 is too loose but i dont have an empty slot in my spanner for a 23mm so i dont have one.

have to try and source one from a mate before i go ahead. thanks a lot chaps.

Big adjustable spanner?

I’d do it without a second thought. There will be a rubber washer in the joint, possibly with a filter on it. Save these.

Turn the isolating screws, check the tap doesn’t run (hot or cold)
One spanner (or bodging wrench) on the bottom nut, one on the top.
Unscrew.
Swap
Do back up with washer in the appropriate gap.

You’ll find that once you’ve un nipped it, you’ll be able to do it by hand.

thats exactly what ive just done tinybits, thanks. altho i didnt grip the bottom nut as i was worried that may undo instead. used pliers wrapped in a sock to grip the isolator and as you say, i could undo by hand after it was un-nipped. also used the looser 24mm spanner but made sure it unscrewed it before starting to chew the edges.

all sorted now, no exploding of heads in our house henceforth.

thanks everyone.