# Why does my faucet handle get hot?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-faucet-handle-get-hot/591414>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 4, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-faucet-handle-get-hot/591414 "2011-08-04T02:46:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SparkleLilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SparkleLilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparkleLilly)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-faucet-handle-get-hot/591414/1 "2011-08-04T02:46:04Z")

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I’ve been trying to Google a plumbing problem with no luck. When we turn on our shower downstairs, it works just as one would expect. However, if you touch the hot water handle a few minutes later, it is BURNING hot. Not the water, the actual handle what turns on the water. What’s up with that?

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-faucet-handle-get-hot/591414/2 "2011-08-04T02:50:50Z")

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You’re talking about the same handle in said shower, right? (I ask because you specified which shower as if you were going to mention a different handle in another part of the house getting hot).

I would just chalk it up to conduction. The valve stem is probably brass and conducting heat up to the handle. Does the cold water handle get cold?

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**Author:** ![SparkleLilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SparkleLilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparkleLilly)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-faucet-handle-get-hot/591414/3 "2011-08-04T02:54:59Z")

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Yes, same shower. Perhaps I should change this thing? The cold gets colder, but that doesn’t matter, as it doesn’t BURN LIKE FIRE.

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-faucet-handle-get-hot/591414/4 "2011-08-04T02:57:32Z")

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In that case it’s probably just the way the handles/valve stems are set up. Instead of swapping out the entire thing, you could just go to Home Depot/Lowes or a plumbing store and get a set of plastic handles to swap out for the metal ones that I assume are on there.