Monobloc ceramic-cartridge tap turns the 'wrong'way

[decomplexity]

Just replaced my ageing basin and bath taps and wastes with appropriate Bristan equivalents. All but one have conventional valves; , the one exception – a N SNK EF C 1901 Easyfit Kitchen Sink Mixer monobloc – has ceramic cartridges and both H and C turn the ‘wrong’ way (clockwise to turn on). This may be by design, e.g. Bristan repurposing cartridges from lever taps, but has (justifiably…) upset my wife and I am in the doghouse. Can the cartridges be rejigged or even changed, or must I accept this counter-intuitive bit of design?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Swap them around eg hot in cold and cold in hot then adjust the handles to match vis the splines

 

[steadyon]

Should be OK if you just try swapping hot and cold cartridges.

 

[snowhead]

Is the Monolcok fitted the right way around, assuming it will turn the other way?

 

[decomplexity]

The cartridges fitted were both Hot cartridges, and these turn on clockwise. Reversing the cartridges on the two sides will make no difference. I had a chat with Bristan who confirmed that ‘clockwise is ON’ cartridges are fitted to these taps by design. (Apart from direction of turn and a coloured band on the base, there is no other difference between between H and C cartridges)

Dissecting a cartridge shows that the cartridges are built for H or C and there is no magic pin or whatever that can be switched around to change the direction of ON/OFF.

Bristan are aware that some customers who also have conventionally-valved monobloc taps (which, like single conventional taps, gate valves and the like are ‘anticlockwise is ON’) may find the difference confusing and they will sell a pack of two C valves for £17.41 (their SKU 2701225300). I have stumped up, fitted them and peace reigns in the household.

 

[Chipdoctor]

I had always assumed that the cartridges were marked blue for cold and red for hot. I learned this week that the colours are just to differentiate clockwise from anti-clockwise operation. There are no differences mechanically in the cartridges, only the direction of operation. This may not be news to old hands but it was to me!

 

[Crumpo]

The cartridges fitted were both Hot cartridges, and these turn on clockwise. Reversing the cartridges on the two sides will make no difference. I had a chat with Bristan who confirmed that ‘clockwise is ON’ cartridges are fitted to these taps by design. (Apart from direction of turn and a coloured band on the base, there is no other difference between between H and C cartridges)

Dissecting a cartridge shows that the cartridges are built for H or C and there is no magic pin or whatever that can be switched around to change the direction of ON/OFF.

Bristan are aware that some customers who also have conventionally-valved monobloc taps (which, like single conventional taps, gate valves and the like are ‘anticlockwise is ON’) may find the difference confusing and they will sell a pack of two C valves for £17.41 (their SKU 2701225300). I have stumped up, fitted them and peace reigns in the household.

Thank you for this bit of info, fed up with soaking ourselves, its been two years and none of us has got the hang of righty tighty lefty lucy being reversed. It goes against the natural order of the world

 

[Ben-gee]

Some cartridges you can dismantle and then remake them to operate the opposite way around - I first discovered this by mistake of course!
Have a tinker.

 

[bjwDT11]

I suffered from this, too and may wife (and I) was furious. I rang up and gave Bristan a hard time and they caved in and sent replacement cartridges for free. It may have helped that I bought the entire tap as a replacement from Amazon and told them I'd send it straight back if they were so stupid as to arbitrarily change the on/off action of taps when almost every other tap in the UK (well in our house at least) worked the opposite way without at least making it very clear. I was only changing the tap because I was always having to strip down the old valves, having already replaced the them twice in just over ten years. Useless idiots!!