Posted on 02/05/2024 6:08:41 AM PST by Paul R.
As a follow up to my thread* discussing (among other things) wimpy kitchen faucet flow rates, I stumbled across this single temperature (almost always cold water) faucet at my local Menards:
https://www.menards.com/main/kitchen/kitchen-faucets/plumb-works-reg-single-handle-drinking-water-faucet/5146ss/p-1444429309019-c-8509.htm
That's more like it, as the faucet has a flow rating of 4.94 gallons per minute (18.7 liters per minute) at 60 psi. Now, that's getting somewhere!
Somewhere on Amazon I found a somewhat similar unit from so "never-heard-of-'em" Chinese brand, said faucet rated at 6.something"gallons per minute. Unfortunately I did not save the item to my Amazon "list" or cart "save for later", and now I can't find the darn thing!!
However, I'm more comfortable buying the faucet locally from Menards, as I believe this is Menards' house brand, has a lifetime limited warranty, and problems or parts needs should be a little easier to deal with than an "no-name" seller on Amazon. (Granted SOME such sellers on Amazon have been responsive when problems arise, some are not.)
So, we have a couple "pros" (flow rate, local seller).
Cons:
Menards' house brand, ok, yeah, that's still not a great quality / durability indicator.
It's single temperature, so it'd have to be added alongside the present (brand new) faucet. But... I don't have a good place to mount this, unless I bore a hole through the left-rear-top of the cast iron sink itself, or, use the existing hole for the sprayer. Then we have no sprayer, unless... I "could" bore a hole in the Formica-over-wood countertop to the rear-left of the sink for the "fast" faucet. Overhang of the sink would be minimal, though, less than an inch.
Better might be to put this faucet where the spray hose goes, and put the sprayer in the new hole in the Formica-over-wood countertop to the rear-left of the sink. That leaves the sprayer hose a bit short reaching the right side of the (double) sink though. (It's already barely long enough.) So, I might have to figure out something for a longer sprayer hose.
I dropped by Menards and looked at the faucet: There is no aerator and no provision for one, and the orifice / exit is only about 1/4" ID, maybe 5/16" inch. At anything over 1 GPM or so, this thing is REALLY going to fire the water out in a hard stream. At this sort of GPM you really need an exit more like 3/4". The idea is not to have a water-knife! I could probably Frankenstein an adaptor on the end and give up a bit of faucet height.
Hmmm...
*Previous thread: https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4214530/posts
I imagine a commercial faucet is way out of my price range, in any case. :-(
Of the above mounting options, boring a new hole through the top of the cast iron sink might be "ok" IF I can prevent corrosion problems. Thoughts on preventing such corrosion problems?
(The sink is I believe either ceramic coated cast iron, or, very heavy stamped steel with a ceramic finish. Definitely it is not stainless steel, as it already has modest rust problems on some of the outer bottom surface from moisture leaking from the old (hot+cold) faucet.)
Thanks, All!
Edit: “At a GPM around 3-5, you really need an exit more like 3/4”.”
Have you already hooked up a valve to the cold water pipe and seen that you can get the flow you want? It would be a shame to do all this just to get the same flow.
I am on a well and have realized that I need to make seasonal adjustment to the regulator to get flow and proper shut-off. If the toilet in the laundry room is filling, you can forget about substantial flow from the kitchen sink, too.
A little adjustment in the pressure from the pump should
make a correction. That may require a new/larger pump.
I have had it with Chinese plumbing crap at Menards.
Many faucets have flow restrictors that you can take off. My kitchen guy asked me if I wanted it off and I said yes. It seemed to double the flow rate.
Exactly. There were small (1/4", maybe 5/16") neoprene or poly-something o-rings in our two new Delta shower setups. The plumber just popped them out. Doubled the flow. You also have to occasionally check the faucet filters for debris.
Here in CaCaLand it is state law that no faucet (except commercial) can deliver >2.2gpm. This was a “drought prevention” thingie some years ago.
Yah see, even tho you pay for the water (and the $$$ to support the water systems) you are too stupid to be counted on to watch the pot you are trying to fill in the sink. Might waste a bit.
In addition, each has 1-2 check valves inside them to prevent the same stupid home citizen from leaving a faucet (i.e., one of those on a hose) in a dirty pot. Can’t have that ‘cause if the water pressure from the city were to suddenly cut out your hose could siphon dirty water back into the city pipes.
It is these CaCaLand laws that “lead the nation” in forcing manufacturers to sell only the stupid crappola to the stupid citizens.
Just imagine what Gavin Newsom is gonna be able to force DIRECTLY upon all citizens when he is installed into the WHouse in Nov.
the trick is to find the flow restrictor and remove it ... google your specific model with the additional words flow and restrictor ... you can do this BEFORE you buy a given model ...
btw, never buy cheap crap faucets ... even brand names like Delta have low-end plastic ones that are crap ... and i’ve given up on Delta anyway as they almost never honor their so-called “lifetime” warranty ...
recently, i’ve moved to Moen faucets ... oh, and i’m not a fan of faucets that have batteries and electronics for “automatic on/off sensing’ ... after all, how well have you seen those work in commercial and retail stores ...
Without knowing the flow rate and pressure of your water supply you may be chasing ghosts.
Pressure is only 45 psi when the well pump is full, but (I discussed this in the original thread) testing shows that increasing to 55 psi has only minor effect. (There are ways to limit flow rate from a pressure limited source to less than the increase expected from “simple” calculation based on a pressure increase, but my entry level fluid mechanics class was over 45 years ago and I’ve forgotten much of it...)
Flow from the well to the sink is excellent. 3/4” PEX piping runs all the way to the point where the water goes into the (short - deliberately so on my part, many years back) feed tubes that go up into the faucet. Back when I replaced all the old copper pipe / leaded copper solder supply side plumbing in the house (what a project!!) after putting in the new piping I flushed the lines with the faucet aerator removed (to avoid clogging from debris in the lines) from the old faucet* and flow was great! I’m not sure how great, but it was “considerable”.
*Manufactured B4 the EPA regs.
Even the faucet I just replaced (which replaced the “old” faucet discussed above, after the original EPA water flow regs were instated — it had developed an unrepairable leak right through the side of the lower spout!) had ~ double the flow rate** to what I have now, if I removed the aerator of the old faucet. Removing the aerator of the new faucet has only a small effect on flow rate.
**I sometimes fill gallon jugs with warm water to give our little flock of chickens a “treat” in cold weather, and have been doing that for ~20 years, so I also have an easy “rate of fill” “reference” for “hot plus cold” running “full blast”. :-)
This faucet is primarily stainless steel and brass, where it counts, with a (mostly) plastic diverter and cartridges (some metal and ceramic in those).
Tuscany did, to try to placate me, send me a replacement diverter and hot and cold "cartridges" (the gradual on/off valves.)
Studying the whole thing, my conclusion is that there are several points of flow restriction, each of which has a modest effect, but added together a large effect. Some are essentially un-modifiable, like those cartridges.
It'd be very interesting but fruitless to know if EPA at some point imposed design requirements to defeat people who'd try to mod a faucet for higher flow.
Tuscany's customer service has been quick to get back to me and as helpful as I suspect they can be (send parts, etc.), but the CS Dept. can't supply alternate parts as none exist.
I repeat again: Does anyone know of an alternate faucet with a flow rate > 4 GPM in a modest* price range? A “drinking water faucet” to add beside the existing faucet is acceptable.
(Not “the cheapest”, but not over $100 either. The budget is quite limited, but a couple extra hours of work, yeah, that’s ok!)
:-)
Huh, maybe I should look for a “laundry faucet”?
Thanks!
All the “laundry faucets” I found in a brief search are supplied from the wall or from above. No go...)
“but added together, a large effect.”
(comma added!)
See my post “11”. Thanks.
No sh**...!
See my post “11”. Thanks.
Maybe buy a vintage faucet from eBay that was manufactured before all the flow control ones hit the market?
Well, I did find this!
Reviewers seem to like the flow rate. No side spray though...
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