Now with self-isolation and so much extra time on our hands, thousands of do-it-yourselfers are working on the different systems in their rigs, and I’m reaching out to see if any of you have problems with the righty-tighty, lefty-loosey concept, or is it just me?
Becoming a DIYer
I think my dad was the first person to share this mantra with me. I’m sure he thought it was a helpful tip, but it has driven me nuts for the last 50 years. I grew up in a family where everyone was handy. I think that’s why I enjoy tinkering and fixing things.
Being able to tackle DIY projects was also helpful as a business owner because I spent many long hours working alongside our employees troubleshooting and fixing the machinery that was crucial to our business. Now, I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent. I have a good education and years of life experience, so why am I completely bewildered by this righty-tighty lefty-loosey DIY tip?
The only application when the slogan makes sense and the only time we don’t need it. Photo by P. Dent
Certainly, being left-handed and dyslexic hasn’t helped. But for years I’ve been reluctant to admit how frustrating and unhelpful this handyman’s mantra has been, because I believed it must be me, and for some reason, I am just not able to understand it. But now that I’m a full-time RVer with lots of extra time on my hands, I’ve taken the time to study this principle in all different types of operations, and frankly I don’t think it’s my lack of understanding that makes this saying less than helpful. I believe, in some DIY projects, it actually makes the task harder.
Of course, when I’m working on a project on a workbench right in front of me, and I’m trying to insert a screw, I can clearly see that turning the screw clockwise results in tightening the screw. I guess turning something clockwise constitutes righty-tighty, but that seems to be the limit of this tip’s usefulness, and in that situation, I don’t really need a reminder.
Where it starts to get tricky is when I’m lying on my back, with my head and half of one shoulder crammed halfway under the sink, with the edge of a shelf digging into my ribs, reaching up to a nut I can’t see, that is rusted and corroded to the bottom of the faucet fitting, when I need a useful and accurate reminder of which way to turn the nut to loosen it. And it’s in that position, that I find the righty-tighty lefty-loosey tip to actually be a detrimental mental exercise.
I hear myself thinking lefty-loosey, but then I begin to wonder, what part of this connection needs to go to the left? I try to move the wrench counterclockwise and wonder if that is “lefty.” The nut doesn’t move. Am I tightening this even further and making it impossible to ever loosen? I doubt the slogan. I doubt myself. Am I thinking about the nut correctly? After all, I am upside down. So, I try going in the opposite direction, but now it seems like I’m defying the principle.
Hose attachment in a park. Photo P. Dent
Clockwise and counterclockwise
The bolt and the nut are circular, and the only direction that even begins to make sense to me with circular objects is clockwise or counterclockwise. But even that isn’t helpful, because if I view the nut from the bottom (where turning it counterclockwise loosens it) then viewing that same nut from the other side (the top side) loosening it, would only be possible by turning it clockwise. So it depends on your physical orientation to the object being tightened or loosened.
When you attach a nut to a bolt, the bolt head may be going to the right (righty-tighty) but the nut is going in the opposite direction, it’s turning to the left. Now if I turn that whole operation around, so I’m facing the nut side of the connection, the bolt head is going left and the nut is going right to make the connection, and the reserve is true to disconnect it. Again, it all depends on your orientation to the connection.
Further complicating my understanding of this principle is my awareness that all things circular, like nuts, bolts, and hose fittings, when they are turning, actually go in both directions at the same time. I imagine a clock face and think of moving my finger around the clock in a clockwise direction. When my finger is moving from the 9 to the 3 it’s moving toward the right, but as soon as I get to the 3 and start moving my finger around the clock toward the 9 my finger is moving toward the left.
So, the righty-tighty principle depends on if I’m referencing the top of a circular object, which is easy to determine if I’m looking at a clock on the wall, but not so easy to determine if I’m feeling a nut on a hose fitting on the underside of the faucet.
Screws under slide. Photo by John (iRV2 Forums)
Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey for screws that are right in front of me makes perfect sense, but for nuts, bolts, hoses, screws on the backside of anything, and almost every other DIY project, this mantra seems to be more mental torment than a helpful reminder. I’m not sure; is my angst the product of being left-handed and dyslexic, or am I correct in thinking that there are definitely exceptions to this well-known mantra?
Does anyone else have problems using righty-tighty, lefty-loosey in your real-world DIY projects? Please comment below, and let me know if you too struggle with this concept.
Peggy Dent is an author, writer, and full-time RVer, traveling around the US and Canada. She’s traveled more than 130,000 miles in a motorhome, over the past 20 years, and is currently writing for the RV industry. You can contact her through her website at www.APenInYourHand.com
Peggy,
Great story about the seemingly ordinary. Proof again that life is so sufficiently weird that we don’t have to make stuff up. I think Dodge made cars in 60s or 70s that had lug nuts on wheels with opposite threads. More than one of us sheared those off with brute force in the wrong direction.
Tnx D B
Changing the direction of the threads from one side of the car to the other is just plain cruel. It’s almost sadistic. How many people tightened a lug nut to the point of no return before they knew they were going the wrong direction. Thanks for reading my post and for your comments.
the reason for opposite thread was to prevent loosening because the wheel on the drivers side rotates counter clockwise when driving forward.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! They were thought to be self re-tightening.
BTW, in the early 50’s, the Chrysler products had nuts (RH & LH threads), and lug bolts (also RH & LH threads) that held on the wheels.
I worked on an old Rolls Royce and had the same cituation
Reverse threads are used on spinning devices, where the direction of the spin would loosen the thread, hence it is reversed. Otherwise, you not understanding “righty tightly, lefty loosey” is nothing more than an inability to spacially position yourself to picture which is left and right. Sorry, but for most people this isn’t an issue.
Thanks Eddie, righty tighty lefty loosey has always worked for me, you just have to know beforehand if the it’s threaded backwards.
I JUST had this discussion with my husband. I have alway had a hard time with the whole concept. I thought I had it down until I mentioned to him that I was taking off a propane tank hose. He informs me that’s the only thing that’s the exception to the rule. I.Give.Up. LOL
It really isn’t that complicated it mostly always right to tighten left to loosen unless you have a left hand thread configuration which then makes it opposite.
So weather you are tightening a nut from the top or bottom it’s always the same if you are looking at what you are tightening.
If however you are looking at it from the opposite direction that you are facing, it will appear backwards but it is not.
For example tightening a nut or bolt you are looking straight at is easy. Right to tighten.
However if you have to reach around from the underside of something while still in the same position as before, it will appear you have to turn to the left to tighten but that’s not the case, you are still turning the nut or bolt to the right, you simply are looking from the opposite side
I think is all a conspiracy by Right-handed people to feel superiors.
Dave your reply is the closest explanation to the confusion I had a few weeks ago. I was trying to remove a nut off of a hose under a kitchen sink. Because it was so crammed back there, I could only do short turns with my wrench. I was starting at 12:00 pm and turning a quarter turn to 9:00 pm. That, to me, seemed like “lefty loosey”? Eventually it stopped moving and the sense of dread came over me that I had moved it in the wrong direction. So I tired the wrench at 3:00 pm and moved it to 6:00 pm and it loosened up and came off. This was completely opposite of what I thought it should be.
For me, the issue is the water connections that are female on the trailer that the male end of the hose connects to. I have to stop and think about it, because I am holding the end of the hose and turning the female connector which is not facing me. It turns the opposite direction than if I am turning the female end of the hose to connect it to a spigot.
I think you have overthought this concept. In most cases, the mantra applies but you need to consider what you are trying to do. For example, if you are disconnecting a propane bottle which direction do you turn the valve? Most of the time it is turned to the left but if you are working with a large (2.5# or larger) you will turn to the right to remove the hose from the valve.
I’ve had the same issues and I’m not dyslexic but mentally “challenged” by being married. I believe the mantra always works with right hand threaded items like screws and bolts but from the perspective of the user trying to do “something” to the connector.
You’ve made an interesting topic for this weekend and I thank you. I believe most of the left handed people in the world are only a small percentage, maybe 2%, so most things are oriented for the right handed people. For those who are left handed (both my parents were left handed and I’m ambidextrous) I think it is always a challenge. I’m waiting to see what others think of this; learning is always a challenge for some of us since we thought (at one time) we knew it all.
fortunately I am neither dyslexic or left-handed so that simple instruction works for me. I don’t know what the percentage of people are that suffer the same conditions, hopefully it’s not that many.
Yes early 60’s Chrysler had left handed lug nuts on the left side uh, sorry drivers side. If you are looking at the top of the bolt or the top of the nut Lefty loosey & righty tighty. Your hose connection for example, think of it as a female screw but you’re screwing it in by the tip righty tighty & if you could turn the hose bib or the male hose end looking into the hose opening you would turn to the left to tighten. Which is why, I think most hose ends are fixed. propane can be the opposite. It’s ok I have to stop sometimes & think but don’t overthink it. I start most bolts turning lightly to the left to engage the threads.
You hit it on the head. I have to stop and do too much thinking since this ditty was given to me. Thanks.
My view is you’re over-thing this deal, but for me it just seems natural as to which direction things go, so I don’t need to remember the slogan. However, I’ve seen plenty of mechanically inclined people go the wrong way too. So generally I think the slogan is a good one.
You can try clockwise and counterclockwise.
Left is loosen and right is tighten. It doesn’t matter whether you are upside down or not, or which side of the screw your are on.
It’s a Male thing, in the DNA.
Correct… unless you are dealing with a flammable gas connection, like propane, in which case it is backward for a reason! That way you cannot hook up an oxygen line to a gas line.
If at first, you don’t succeed… try the other way. Not a big deal.
The left right thing is only challenging to me when driving! Tell me to turn right and I literally have to wave my hand in front of my face to figure out which way that is. Less so with tools and screws. Those crazy lug nuts and propane bottles trip me up sometimes. I think I read that men were better at spacial thinking, being able to rotate things around in their head to look at it upside down and backwards. You’ll have to research that one. I’ve met a number of women who had more tools than me and could fix things I couldn’t so don’t throw me under the bus, I’m not looking for a fight! Good read!
Thank you for your response. After reading all the reader responses, I’ve accepted the fact that I’m just never going to get this, but that’s ok. I’ve gotten through almost 70 years and haven’t split open a knuckle yet. I came darn close one time, when I broke a craftsman socket in an attempt to loosen a nut on a telephone cable connection in an underground man hole. Like I said, I’ve been using tools forever but this righty-tighty thing is my nemesis. It will probably be on my tombstone. “Here lies a woman who never understood righty-tightly, leftie-looney. Learn from her mistake.”
OMG! Peggy, you are WAAAAAY overthinking this! Please forgive if this sounds like “mansplaining.” BUT. If you think of the object you are tightening TO as STATIONARY, and the object you are tightening WITH is FREE-TURNING, the saying makes more sense. UNLESS, LOL, you are tightening something that’s moving, like a sawblade. In that case you want to tighten the object in the OPPOSITE direction of the object’s movement. Thus the term “left hand threads.” And yes 😱 there are exceptions!
JustdontgettooUPtight!
LOL!
I too am left handed dyslexic, but never had these issues. Think I might need a nap now.
I had a good LOL when I read “left-handed and dyslexic”
As a left-handed and dyslexic engineer for over 45 years, I really FEEL your pain. Still to this day I sometimes have to stop and think about it 🙂
Drivers side lug nuts on my diesel chassis are clockwise to loosen. Two characters at the tire store spent 20 minutes trying to remove the first wheel. Then the same two took an hour to try to change the tire. I bought 6 new tires. They gave up after 5 hours and 4 of 6 mounted. When I called a competent tire service the “pro” actually mounted the two inside rear tires in less than an hour in my driveway at home. It makes great sense to go with someone who actually knows what he is doing.
Both my wife and I are left-handed and while I think that is an advantage. Few right-handed people can do much with their left hand but left-handed folks are always somewhat ambidextrous. I’ve been in that “upside down, under the sink, with a shelf in my ribs trying to loosen an unseen rusted bolt” more often than I care to think. Worse, when I think counter-clockwise vs. clockwise, I find myself wondering if I’m looking at the face of the clock or standing behind the clock. Great article and both my wife and I can relate to the problem.
When I was studying Mechanical Engineering in college, I learned the right-hand rule. Take your right hand, point your thumb the direction that you want the thing your turning to go, and if you wrap your fingers, they indicate the direction to turn the threaded device (nut, bolt, fitting, whatever). For left-handed threads (such as on a propane tank) use the left hand. Always works.
The vehicles with the left hand threads on the driver’s side were marked with an “L” stamped into the face of the stud and it was not just Chrysler, it was many rear axle assemblies used across several vehicle manufacturers.
A little tip on the propane, on fuel gas connections that are left hand threads you will notice little notches cut into the nut which indicates a left hand thread.
PS : you will find that a toilet trip lever is usually a left hand thread as well.
For almost 70 years now I have preached clockwise increases pressure (like increasing time) and that righty tighty makes no sense. Are you saying turn the top of the nut to the right or the bottom of the nut.
The toilet–yes! I have one which is a right handed thread and it is constantly coming loose.
I feel your pain. I fight the battle EVERY time with the black water hose connection.
In addition to Chrysler Corporation, Rolls Royce also used the R & L studs (at least in the 60s) to avoid the potential of a wheel coming off.
I’m left handed and mildly dyslexic, too (I think the two go together pretty often). I’ve given some thought to why threads turn the way they do. I think it’s a matter of shoulder joint mechanics. I can get exert more clockwise turning force with my right arm, but I can generate more counterclockwise force with my left arm. Since most people are right-handed, it makes sense that fastener threads would be designed to make tight connections easier for the majority. Connections for flammable gas were reversed to prevent accidental loosening.
Ok, but this is not a problem of dyslexia. What it is, is that some people have a picture for every word in the English language. When a word is spoken, a corresponding picture is played in your brain that helps describe the meaning of the word. The problem with left and right is that it is variable depending on which way you are facing. There is no way to picture left or right correctly every time. As such, it is often pictured backwards. On a sailboat, we have Port or Starboard. This are actual sides of the boat and do not change depending on which way you are facing. As a result, this type of person never gets confused as to which direction is port, and which direction is starboard.
Interestingly, when spotting someone who is driving on an off road course, we never say turn left or right, we always say turn passenger or turn driver. There is no confusion on which direction is passenger, and which direction is driver.
At the race track, the corner workers are taught to say “drivers left” or “drivers right” which sounded redundant to me. Then along came an imported car with the driver on the right side of the car as most boats do. Then the “drivers left” and “drivers right” made more sense. It is the left-handed threads that give everyone trouble. The gas grill connection to the propane tank is a common one. Some under hood A/C connections are also left-handed.
Don’t over complicate the issue. Use the clock if you are not right and lefty aware like me. Righty tighty or lefty loosy is the same as clock it on and back it off by backing up the clock. I have met several people who really found that saying difficult especially the dyselic (sp) . But they all find the clock reference to work for them. They use the clock all the time so it is more in line with their thinking.
Oh by the way left hand lug nuts on cars almost always have an “L” stamped in the end of the studs.
I am not dyslexic or left handed. But the upside down, in the dark, with something poking me in the back, and with my arm snaked through a hole almost never results in starting to turn things the correct way. I had to laugh at the several comments that talked about clockwise and counter clockwise. What do the millennials do? Of course, they would not be stumped for long.
Thank you. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks “righty tighty lefty loosey” makes no sense. It’s not a matter of overthinking. On the contrary, it takes overthinking to understand how someone can see “left” and “right” when something is just moving around in circles.
Clockwise tightens a bolt, nut or screw you are facing “looking directly at” UNLESS you are “giving a reach a round”. In other words working from the back side, (you can’t see it, only feel it), then you would turn it counterclockwise to tighten. Say you are bolting sheet metal wall to an upright stud; you drill the hole (clockwise), insert the bolt & while you’re tightening clockwise from the outside, someone inside is tightening clockwise also but if you could see through the sheet metal wall it would appear to you he’s turning (tightening) counterclockwise.
Now who’s on first?
Peggy, I agree with your article.
Those that say it’s “no problem” are the mechanically advantaged and don’t understand the confusion many of us have.
For a normal right-hand thread, whatever component (nut, bolt, screw, etc.) you’re turning will move away from the face you’re looking at when turned clockwise. If it tightens when you’re looking at it, then “righty-tighty” makes sense. Otherwise it doesn’t. But thinking of the part moving toward you or away from you as you watch it turn might be more helpful. Away from you -> clockwise. Toward you -> counterclockwise.
Some people just shouldn’t DIY…
Generally, when it comes to flammable gasses such as propane or acetylene, the threads are left handed as a safety precaution to prevent accidental use via whatever means i.e. installing regulators for oxy/acetylene cutting. Propane is similar in this fashion. some older tanks or larger than 20# tanks have the inside threads and are left handed. E aide, again it is a flammable gas. It was only recently that the “consumer” LARGE bbq thread configuration came to be to alleviate the reverse thread confusion everyday folks had when using a 20# tank
For right hand threads (most are) wrap (or imagine that you have) your right hand around the fastener, if you turn the fastener in the direction your fingers are pointing, your thumb will point in the direction of motion. To move a fastener in a desired direction, point in that direction with your thumb, and rotate the fastener in the direction that your fingers point to.
For left hand threads, use the left hand.
This is like having to turn a map upside down in an attempt at orientation. Unfortunately, the best way for both these challenges is to train the mind to rotate objects mentally.
YES! Brilliant. I go thru this (I’m a lefty, but not dyslexic, and more ambidextrous than most) whenever someone says clockwise and counterclockwise when you’re choosing the direction of the ceiling fan for cold/warm. Clockwise from above? Or below? 🙂 And usually the directions just say “switch to change direction.” Which way? Thanks for this. I’m sharing.
I agree! I just had to tighten two PVC fittings under the sink and one went to the right to tighten and one to the left. I now actually google how to tighten/loosen things because that “righty tighty, lefty loosey” mantra does not work for me, at least, half the time.
Hey Guys/Gals, this” righty-tighty, lefty-loosey ” phrase sounds to me as something you’d tell a young child, if you really wanted to confuse them. I use clockwise/counterclockwise , but does the younger generations even know what that is? ( By the way, I’m 82 & not trying to offend anyone, just set in my ways)
I’m left handed and agree with some others that you are over thinking it. Having extensive experience working on all sorts of machinery many times I’ve had to fasten or unfasten the object sight unseen because of its location. Whether lying on my back reaching into a machine or reaching into a dark cavity. Ignoring the small percentage of reverse threaded items, righty tighty left loosey has always worked for me.