Just moved into a new (old) house. The shower has one handle. Unfortunately, the water is hooked up backwards, which means that if you turn the handle up high to get decent pressure, the shower's ice cold. It's really tricky to get it at just the right location to get even warm water, so I've been forced to take lukewarm, pressureless showers. I hate it! My husband likes two handles better than one, so we were thinking of switching out the single handle for two so we don't have this problem and can control each temperature independently. Is this possible? Are there any online tutorials for a project like this?

It's possible but plumbing can be very frustrating - even for those who have done it before. To change styles of faucets means that you will have to do some cutting and patching in the existing wall. How hard this is will depend on what is there. Usually, a single lever faucet has about a 4" to 5" hole while the two or three handle faucets use a series of smaller (2" or so) holes. That means that the existing large center hole will need to be patched. Can be done if the shower is tile, not so easy to do if it's fiberglass or solid surface.

Now, if you want to experiment then you could simply swap the existing hot and cold supply lines around. There *should* be an access panel behind the faucet. It's a matter of disconnecting both, lengthening the runs so that they can be moved and hooking them back up.

Considering the factors involved in this, I would strongly recommend getting a plumber or handyman in to do this. Maybe you could look over his shoulder and see what's involved for future reference.

Factors: You must turn off the water to the entire house to work on the shower faucet. Pex plumbing is easy to work with, copper more difficult, galvanized harder still. All will take some specialty tools - tools that could cost you more than a plumbers fee. And finally, there will be three trips to the plumbing supply store for supplies (Don't question the 3-trip rule, it's going to happen no matter what you do)

All in all, I'd be looking for a plumber.

find out who made it, and get a copy of the manual online. with some systems, like an early Moen I put in the folks house in the 80s, if you turn off the water, open the tap to depressurize both lines, remove the cartridge and reinstall it turned 180 degrees, it may work like it's supposed to.

check the manual, it's worth the few minutes if this works.

Information is useful. Someday, my sister and I might change her old two handle faucet. This is should do just great! With that type of valve, how do you divert the water from the faucets to the shower head? With his old one, He pulls a knob on the spout.


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