Kitchen faucets: how do different brands rank?

I'd trust the HD guy if he can show you his plumber's license and will give you a written guarantee to replace and install for free any faucet he recommends that doesn't work out.

Stick with Delta/Peerless, Moen, Kohler, American Standard, and Pfister because parts for them are available everywhere, they have lifetime warranties, and their warranty service is very good, although Pfister charges for shipping.

Stainless steel is the best material for faucet bodies, but any metal body (brass, zinc) plated with chrome, nickel, gold, etc. should last a long time. Try to avoid plastic bodies because they flex a lot more and the plating doesn't stick nearly as well, making the plating more prone to peeling off.

Faucet valves are usually either ceramic disks, Delta ball, or Moen cartridge. They're all good and long-lasting, but I wouldn't use a Moen where the whole faucet can't be removed easily, such as from a shower/bathtub, because Moen cartridges become very hard to remove when they seize from mineral build-up or one of their rubber seals wedges. Fortunately many newer Moens don't use that cartridge but have ceramic disk cartridges (not interchangeable with the old ones). Delta ball valves are easy and cheap to fix, but try to use genuine Delta seals because they seem to last much longer. Delta also uses ceramic disk cartridges for some models.

Reply to
larrymoencurly
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It's probably not the fault of the faucet, rather the result of a piece of debris trapped at the mating surfaces of the valve seat. Frequently the debris can be dislodged by rapidly opening the faucet to full open and then full closed several times.

Reply to
Gordon Shumway

Danze is the "Designer" line for Delta. If you like the styles they are clearing out that would be a real bargain.

Reply to
Gordon Shumway

might just need the packing nut tightene a bit.

I am old, and have been using deltas for near 40 years, without a problem.

I have replaced the little rubber cups and springs a few time and a ball after 30 years.

our water is very hard and causes wear of washers.

but thats not deltas fault

Reply to
bob haller

People blame the faucet for other problem. When I moved to this house, Delta rubber cups lasted 12 to 18 months. I put a water filter in the main line and they lasted 25 years.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

How about Chicago Faucets?

Reply to
Todd

Ed Pawlowski wrote: ...

interesting, we have a water filter in the line and the rubber cups wore out within a few years.

i tried to replace them and the faucet leaked worse with the replacement parts than with the old ones in so they are still in there. now i can stop the drip by putting the faucet up to the left a little, but it is gradually getting worse again.

i also tried replacing the ball with a better one while also replacing the springs and cups but that didn't help at all and it was much worse.

either there is a trick to it all or my guaranteed compatible replacement parts aren't ...

does coating any of these with a heavy grease help?

i don't know what washers someone is speaking of. there's no washers in the delta ball faucet we have. it is just the ball and some springs, rubber cups and the plastic cap with o-rings which holds down the ball and presses it against the cups/springs and then the outer screwed down ring which keeps it all in place.

some day i will either be trying to get the leak stopped again or replace the whole thing with another device entirely. it is the main sink which gets used

20-100 times a day. the other sink which also gets a lot of use was replaced at the same time and it has never leaked or needed new cups or springs, but it is not the same design. i think they may have just had a bad batch or the person who did the initial install made an error of some sort.

i'm not a plumber so i can't say much else. :) (haha, not like that will stop me rattling on anyways sometimes :) :) :) )

songbird

Reply to
songbird

Don't know much about them.. The styles they have are not what I'd use so never looked into them. They have an industrial/commercial look to them.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Hi, Some times you can already damage the new parts during install. process. If you look at the cup with magnifying glass, you may see why faucet leaks. Only thing I replaced is plastic cheap diverter valve for vege. spray with bronze one when house was new 20 years ago. Parts store clerk told me about the weak valve ahead.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

"Frequently the debris can be dislodged by rapidly opening the faucet to full open and then full closed several times. "

That is how we have been operating this thing for the past 13 months of the two years since installation! It also 'groans' briefly when moving the handle.

Do you think we got a knock-off Delta?

BTW to those who mentioned water hardness: we live in SW CT and our pool dealer confirmed ours is some of the SOFTest water east of the Mississippi.

Reply to
thekmanrocks

I'd avoid Moen. They make quality faucets, but they're out to steal your wallet when the day comes to repair a drip. Their replacement cartridges cost almost as much as the initial cost of the faucet.

ALl faucets will eventually need repair. Some sooner than you'd imagine, if your water is high in minerals or contains a little "grit", which can originate from a well, or calcium deposits that break loose from the pipes and get into the faucet, which damages O-rings, plastic parts, end even metal parts.

I remember the days when any faucet could be repaired by buying two

10cent washers, and after 20 or 30 years you may need to buy two new seats at $1 each. Those days are gone. Now you buy a whole cartridge, which some are difficult to remove and assemble. Not only does it take much more time to repair, but they cost damn near as much as a new faucet. These companies know how to steal your money, and Moen seems to be one of the worst.

Not too long ago, I had to replace a single handle bathtub unit (Moen). Taking it apart was a nightmare, then they wanted almost as much as a new faucet to buy their cartridge kit. (about $50). I removed it, and tossed it in the metal recycling bin. Then I went shopping for a new faucet. I found out no one even makes plain washer type faucets anymore. Since I dont use the shower, I just bought two spigots intended to be used outdoors for a garden hose, and installed them above my tub. They work fine, and cost me around $5 each. If they start to drip, I'll just need a pair of washers.

There is no reason that many of these new faucets need to be built so complicated and costly. All a faucet does is turn water on or off. A plain old washer has worked for centuries. All these new faucets are is a glorified means to turn water on and off, with a fancy look to them. For me, looks are not important, and I actually like the look of my brass spigots, which I spray painted the red handle blue for the cold water, since I could not find one with a blue handle in the store.

Reply to
Jerry.Tan

Get them for free with lifetime warranty.

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If this faucet should ever develop a leak or drip during the Warranty Period, Moen will FREE OF CHARGE provide the parts necessary to put the faucet back in good working condition and will replace FREE OF CHARGE any part or finish that proves defective in material and manufacturing workmanship, under normal installation, use and service. Replacement parts may be obtained by calling 1-800-289-6636 (Canada 1-800-465-6130), or by writing to Moen Incorporated, 25300 Al Moen Drive, North OImsted, OH 44070-8022.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

snipped-for-privacy@spamblocked.com:

Goos show with those outdoor faucets inside the house, LOL! I get your fru stration.

Speaking of K.I.S.S., I'm in the icecream case at the supermarket last week looking for a half-gallon of plain vanilla or vanilla-half-chocolate. I s ays to the frozen clerk: Remember back when you could have any flavor of ic e cream as long as it was choc, strawberry, or vanilla? Yuppie soccer mom lady next to me gave me a snobby look as she retrieved a "Rocky Road" block ing my view of the plain vanilla I was looking for. LOL Even ice cream i s over complicated today. :)

Reply to
thekmanrocks

Grease won't help it seal better and will wash away in a few days, even if it's waterproof plumber's grease.

Delta has made their balls out of brass, plastic, and stainless steel, and the latter seem to be troublefree, at least if they're genuine Delta. Did you install the springs correctly, with the narrower end going into the cup? Because if the wider end goes into the cup, it won't be able to slide freely inside its bore.

Did you overtighten the cups with the big threaded ring on top? That will make the cups will wear much faster and even make them shed tiny chips. It's best to tighten the ring just barely so the faucet spout doesn't drip, opening and closing the faucet each time. Then tighten the ring another 1/16 turn at a time until the leaks around the ball stem stop when you move the stem. However when you move the stem it's perfectly normal for a thin film of water to appear at the top of the ball, but it will completely evaporate in less than a second.

It's best to use only genuine Delta sealing cups, or at least cups made of the same Delrin plastic instead of rubber. I had Walmart brand cups wear out in months, while Delta cups almost always last

5+ years, except when I inserted a coil spring backwards.
Reply to
larrymoencurly

I was not aware of this. Thanks!

Kind of makes me wonder why they sell the cartridges in the stores then??? But I suppose most people dont know about the warranty. My Moen came with the house. I dont have a warranty card. I wonder if they would still honor it? I dont intend to replace my spigots, they work fine, and I kind of like being able to hook a garden hose to them if I want hot water to wash my car in summer. But I'll dig the thing out of the recycle bin if I can get a free cartridge.

Reply to
Jerry.Tan

Faucets installed when the house is built often don't have the same warranty as faucets bought in retail stores, and at our old house, the Moens put in by the builder were covered for only 2 years, as I learned from Moen when I phoned them about a bathtub faucet that was over 20 years old, but they sent a free cartridge anyway, maybe because I had a @!&/*# of a time trying to remove the stuck cartridge. Moen said that if the customer didn't have a receipt, they normally went by a letter and number date code stamped near the end of the metal stem. Last year, I simply filled out a "contact us" form at Moen's website and included a photo of the old cartridge (o-ring broke) but admitted I didn't have proof of purchase, but they gave me a new cartridge anyway. Moen doesn't have warranty cards, but you can register purchases at their website.

Reply to
larrymoencurly

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