How many new water faucets leak when brand new?

[Straydog]

A retirement house we built got several brand-new, out of the box, faucets (one for kitchen, hot & cold levers), several for baths & sinks. The kitchen unit developed a leak after 1-1/2 years. We could "fix" the leak by wiggleing the lever arm into some fairly sensitive position! As time went by, this got more difficult to do.

In an attempt to fix this, a trip to the hardware store showed a large number of these new and very very complex plastic inserts. None of the ones at the store matched what I had (and, I was out of warranty, no manual, no receipt situation).

Another faucet (bathtub, also new) is also leaking. Can't do any wiggling at all to stop it. Still another faucet is leaking about one drop every ten minutes.

All of the above are Pfister faucets. (their motto: pforever [I say: fooey])

Now, in talking with a friend, he tells me he has a new sink faucet only 3 years old and it's leaking. He took his apart, went to the store, got a new _insert_ and he says guess what, it leaks. Brand new insert! He returned it for a refund. Then he goes to one of the big box home improvement places, buys a new faucet, and, guess what, it leaks. I didn't ask him the brand.

Now, is this coincidence or are the manufacturers making defective products these days (in addition to all that stuff that breaks down sometime just after the warranty expires)?

Oh, yes, I did get a new faucet, and it looks like it drips about one drip per 10-15 minutes (I suppose this is the new technical specification of what the definition is of "faucet turned off"?).

And, this time I read the warranty, which requires that you save the coupon, save the original receipt, and something else that makes life difficult, and you have to send in the parts, too.

[mrsgator88]

I work next door to a plumbing supplier who is also open to the public. In his opinion, any faucet under $600 is junk and won't last more than a few years. Really he said that. That appears to be your case though.

Go to a plumbing supply house to get your insert replaced, and talk with them about your other problems, they'll be able to help more than a hardware store. Otherwise you might have to bite the bullet and get a plumber.

S

[trader4]

I've bought faucets ranging from Moen to Glacier Bay (HD Cheapo). I've never had one leak right out of the box. Nor have any developed leaks for very long periods of time, like 10 years+. Most of the faucets in my current home are now 18 years old. I did replace the kitchen sink faucet (Groeh) at about 14 years, because the spray section was shot and I didn;'t like the design. Also, about the same time had one ASTD bath sink faucet that was dripping. It was a cheapo, and didn't look that great, so replaced it with the Glacier Bay, which looks great and works fine.

The OP's failing faucets are under warranty. If they leaked out of the box, I would have taken them back. Now, I'd contact the manufacturer. Many times they will send out free parts, even if not under warranty. To have this experience, IMO, is very unusual.

[mrsgator88]

I didn't mean to imply that you HAD to buy a $600 faucet. I've never spent more than $50 on a faucet and probably never will. No leaks yet either!

S

[Doug Miller]

[tale of multiple leaky faucets snipped]

All those leaks, and you're wondering if his pressure is too *low*? My first thought is that the pressure is way too *high*.

To the OP: If you have a private well, check the settings on your pressure switch. If the system's running at much over 60psi, reduce the cut-off pressure to 60 and see if that makes a difference. If you're on city water, call the water company and ask what their supply pressure is. If it's much over 60psi, consider installing a pressure reducer. You can buy these at any home center or hardware store for around $40, and installation should take less than an hour.

[Rudy]

I guess this might convince you in future to save your instructions, manual and receipts. Many of these name brand faucets (not the cheapie India, no name ones) come with 5 yr or lifetime warrantees but you have no receipt.

BTW, We ve built 2 retirement homes with AMSTD, DELTA and PF faucets. None have leaked after 6 years.

R

[Joey]

Doug,

The newer washerless porcelin faucets require a certain amount of pressure to work correctly. Lower pressure weakens the seal. It's not like the old days you're thinking about.

J

[hallerb]

Remember the feds no require all faucets to leak under high pressure like a freezing situation to prevent burst pipes.

some leaks might be caused by this requirement

[Straydog]

OK, thanks for your comments.

[Straydog]

Thanks for your comments. I was wondering if there was a pressure specification, or band, within which you must operate the faucet. A lot of this stuff coming out today seems to have requirements, considerations, caveats, whatever. However, I do have a well and the pressure switch (has its own gauge, too) is set around 45 lbs.