Bridge Lever Tap Valves – Why the Valves Go on Opposite Sides
Replacing ceramic valves in a bridge lever kitchen tap can be confusing because the valves are not fitted the same way as a standard kitchen tap.
On a standard kitchen tap, the handles usually sit vertically when OFF and rotate in the same direction as the valve opening.
A bridge lever tap works differently. The handles usually sit horizontally when OFF, pointing outwards from the centre of the tap, and both handles move inwards when turning the tap ON.
Because the handles are positioned on opposite sides of the bridge tap, the opening direction of the valve is reversed.
The handle operation is:
- Cold handle (right-hand side) turns clockwise to open.
- Hot handle (left-hand side) turns anti-clockwise to open.
To achieve this, the valves must be fitted on the opposite sides:
🔴 Hot valve (clockwise-opening valve) → fits the cold side (right)
🔵 Cold valve (anti-clockwise-opening valve) → fits the hot side (left)
If the valves are fitted on the matching side instead, the tap will still work, but the handles will operate in the wrong direction.
Remember: For bridge lever taps, order the valve by its opening direction, not by whether it is for the hot or cold side.