Differentiating between right vs. left and cold vs. hot stems can be tricky! Luckily, the following information, presented on behalf of Barry Walter, will make anyone ready to tackle the job with the knowledge needed to choose the right stems for your application.
The defining factor of which stem or cartridge to use comes down to the installation type. In the past, stems were described by the direction of its thread. This has now changed depending on the handle type or if the faucet is on a deck or on a wall. There are only a few ways that the valve handles can turn.
- The only time stems will turn off in opposing directions is if lever handles are involved in the installation. The orientation of turning on and off in this situation depends on whether the fixture is mounted on a deck, a wall, or a slant back.
- When lever handles are used on a deck, they should be rotated inward to turn the water on and pushed away from the user to turn the water off. This means that the hot, or left side, will turn off clockwise and the cold, or right side, will turn off counterclockwise.
- The caveat to this is if the faucet or valve is installed on a slant back or a wall. When that happens, the lever handles should operate inversely. Gravity may cause heavier levers to turn the water on unintentionally. In this case, the hot, or left side, will turn off counterclockwise while the cold, or right side, will turn off clockwise.
To determine if a thread is right-hand or left-hand, it is best to look at its direction. If the thread is going up and to the right, it’s a right-hand stem. If the thread is going up and to the left, it’s a left-hand stem.
Now that you know what your faucet needs, visit our website or reach out to your local sales rep to finish the job!
