Pfister kitchen faucet diverter

[Peabody]

I have an old Price Pfister single-handle kitchen faucet. The original diverter finally came apart and no longer diverted. So both the spigot and the side spray flowed at the same time.

PF sent me a new diverter, but after installing it, I get low flow through the spigot. I think the possibilities are that I installed the diverter wrong, or it's defective, or it's the wrong one for my faucet, or this is PF's way of enforcing water conservation.

But I want to make sure I understand how these things work. Here's a picture:

It has two O-rings, but it doesn't look like the diverter as a while moves. The fins at the front appear to fit up against the inside of the spigot collar, which should keep it fixed in place. It looks like pressure at the back moves the center spindle forward, which lets water flow in through the sides and out through the front. But there sure isn't much space at the front for the water to flow through.

Anyway, is there a solution for this that would give me the diverter function but still have enough water flow when the sprayer isn't being used. Would a Moen or Delta diverter of this type possibly work?

[trader_4]

The most important info is missing. You have the old one, you have the new one. Are they the same or not? It's hard to imagine that Delta or Moen part is going to fit a PF better than a PF part.

[Peabody]

The new one looks generally like the old one did, which I no longer have. But as I said, the old one had broken apart, and the O-rings were super-stretched and would no longer stay in place. But I concluded it was probably the right size, although I had no way to tell if there was a difference in the pressure required to turn it on. But from memory, the original one worked better when the faucet was new in 1998 than the replacement does now. But you know, there were no regulations on water flow back then, and I think it's possible they've changed all their diverters to comply with new rules. Just guessing about that.

I was thinking it might be a good enough fit, but allow a greater water flow.

[trader_4]

Your best option at this point is probably to take it down to the local plumbing supply and see what they say. It's possible the new diverter allows less water flow out the faucet. If it's otherwise working, which I presume it is because you don't mention any other issue, I'd figure that's the way it works. One from another manufacturer probably isn't going to fit, but the guys down at the PS would probably know. You could try looking at the parts at HD, Lowes, etc too. They or the PS might have some aftermarket part that allows more water.