Fancy Kitchen Faucet Leak - 3 Water Sources - One Mounting Hole
#1
Fancy Kitchen Faucet Leak - 3 Water Sources - One Mounting Hole
The previous owners of this home installed a fancy marble kitchen counter with a relatively new (but junky) faucet and sink. Unfortunately, they never anticipated anyone ever wanting to drink anything but nasty partially purified city river water from tap so they only put one hole in the marble for the faucet they installed. We decided to try to preserve the one hole setup and find a faucet that provided both tap and purified drinking lines all in one setup. We ended up finding this little fella on eBay back in Aug of 2015. The link of course is to eBay where I sourced the faucet. This is the photo of that product:
After four years of service the faucet finally sprung a small drip leak from the rear of the faucet that sometimes just quits as mysteriously as it starts. This is where the leak appears to be coming from:
I'm looking for advice on how to approach fixing this leak. The faucet is a no-name brand and it didn't come with a very good manual with a parts break-down of the interior where this leak is located. Anyone have experience with one of these?
Side note: I found it peculiar that none of the major faucet manufacturers provide a minimalist design like this so I ended up putting in a feature request with Moen and Delta about the time I bought it from eBay.
After four years of service the faucet finally sprung a small drip leak from the rear of the faucet that sometimes just quits as mysteriously as it starts. This is where the leak appears to be coming from:
I'm looking for advice on how to approach fixing this leak. The faucet is a no-name brand and it didn't come with a very good manual with a parts break-down of the interior where this leak is located. Anyone have experience with one of these?
Side note: I found it peculiar that none of the major faucet manufacturers provide a minimalist design like this so I ended up putting in a feature request with Moen and Delta about the time I bought it from eBay.
#2
That's going to be a tough one. The only link I found sent me to Alibaba products of China. I doubt contacting them will yield any results at all. Have you tried contacting the ebay seller to see if they can offer any help ?
#3
Member
Took a look on Amazon.com and there are several of this type.
One is made by Aimadi
Perhaps trying to track that down may get you some info on how to take it apart and how it works.
Or maybee another manufacturer has some tech info.
One is made by Aimadi
Perhaps trying to track that down may get you some info on how to take it apart and how it works.
Or maybee another manufacturer has some tech info.
#4
Group Moderator
Hopefully the leak is just a O ring that needs replacing. If you can't identify the manufacturer you may have to disassemble the faucet and measure the O ring and order a replacement. Luckily O rings are very common so finding the appropriate size should be easy.
As for why the major brands don't produce a faucet like that I can understand. Something so tall and spindly especially with a commercial style spring sprayer is just asking for trouble. That's a lot of tall faucet on a small base which puts high loads on all the parts. Add in the multiple rotating seals and unless it's of the highest quality I can see that longevity could be a problem.
As for why the major brands don't produce a faucet like that I can understand. Something so tall and spindly especially with a commercial style spring sprayer is just asking for trouble. That's a lot of tall faucet on a small base which puts high loads on all the parts. Add in the multiple rotating seals and unless it's of the highest quality I can see that longevity could be a problem.
#5
With respect to PD's comment. I would suggest you deep six that faucet and contact a stone mason to cut new holes and buy a new well known brand (Moen, AM Std. Delta). You'll most likely never have another problem and if you do it will be lifetime warranty and all standard fittings.
And a stone mason will not be that expensive. Cal a stone countertop dealer and they will do it or they may have a guy they will know who will do it on the side.
When I had to have my granite countertop top cut to accommodate my new fridge, the place I bought the countertop gave me a name who does this small stuff on the QT.
And a stone mason will not be that expensive. Cal a stone countertop dealer and they will do it or they may have a guy they will know who will do it on the side.
When I had to have my granite countertop top cut to accommodate my new fridge, the place I bought the countertop gave me a name who does this small stuff on the QT.
#6
@pjmax I'm working on getting the ebay seller to respond to my question now. They read my question on the 2nd and will probably take a bit, if ever to respond. Meanwhile I'll see about getting some additional pictures of what might be the entry point. Might have to wait for the weekend since work has been terrible the past month.
@manden That's not a bad idea. I'll try that and see if that gets me anywhere. I'll also have to dig around in the basement and see if I can locate the packaging this unit came in and maybe there might be documentation in there. Not sure where I left that thing...
Pilot Dane and Norm201 I hear what you're saying and that a more common brand would probably be much easier to maintain due to having a more reasonable design and commonly available parts. We initially didn't want to cut into the marble because we didn't want it to be wrecked. Part of that reason is because around here I don't see much by way of highly skilled craftsman. This is mostly because I pretty much live in a rural area where the nearest reasonably big city is 2ish hours away where someone with specialized skills for this likely resides. I suppose I haven't been fair and tried to search for someone to do this and mainly just banking on past bad experiences and one recent one where a local tailor ruined my son's coat in replacing the zipper by using glue and misaligning the teeth. Different trade I know, but its something quite common around here as far as I've seen. If the repair attempt of this faucet gives me too much trouble I'll do my best to seek out help with cutting the stone. I didn't think about trying to locate a countertop dealer. That is an excellent idea and helps me avoid self-proclaimed experts that muddy the search.
@manden That's not a bad idea. I'll try that and see if that gets me anywhere. I'll also have to dig around in the basement and see if I can locate the packaging this unit came in and maybe there might be documentation in there. Not sure where I left that thing...
Pilot Dane and Norm201 I hear what you're saying and that a more common brand would probably be much easier to maintain due to having a more reasonable design and commonly available parts. We initially didn't want to cut into the marble because we didn't want it to be wrecked. Part of that reason is because around here I don't see much by way of highly skilled craftsman. This is mostly because I pretty much live in a rural area where the nearest reasonably big city is 2ish hours away where someone with specialized skills for this likely resides. I suppose I haven't been fair and tried to search for someone to do this and mainly just banking on past bad experiences and one recent one where a local tailor ruined my son's coat in replacing the zipper by using glue and misaligning the teeth. Different trade I know, but its something quite common around here as far as I've seen. If the repair attempt of this faucet gives me too much trouble I'll do my best to seek out help with cutting the stone. I didn't think about trying to locate a countertop dealer. That is an excellent idea and helps me avoid self-proclaimed experts that muddy the search.
#7
Group Moderator
I am in the same boat. I live quite far out. It makes picking quality, reliable components even more important because obtaining parts and skilled labor is extremely difficult.
#8
Member
Cutting the counter top would be the last thing I would do.
Odds are that it is an O ring that needs replacing (just a guess on my part) so even if you cannot get it from the manufacturer finding a replacement should not be that hard. The problem is figuring how to take it apart.
You bought it because you like the looks and I agree with you so for me the aggravation is worth it.
If that ends up being a no go I would look for a replacement faucet. (from a know manufacturer) the problem here is getting one that hits your sinks correctly.
Who knows this unit may also have a lifetime warranty like many know North American brands.
Odds are that it is an O ring that needs replacing (just a guess on my part) so even if you cannot get it from the manufacturer finding a replacement should not be that hard. The problem is figuring how to take it apart.
You bought it because you like the looks and I agree with you so for me the aggravation is worth it.
If that ends up being a no go I would look for a replacement faucet. (from a know manufacturer) the problem here is getting one that hits your sinks correctly.
Who knows this unit may also have a lifetime warranty like many know North American brands.
#9
I gave up on the hand held units for that very reason. They are nice to have but I find as you pull and spray around with those units they always spring a leak. Probably an O ring, but they are usually a real pain to take apart, and when you are done, get ready for it to happen again in a couple years time.
I now use a regular faucet where the spout just swivels left and right and I install one of those cheap swivel aerators for around $5, that screw on the spout end. The black/chrome ones look OK and it allows you to direct the water wherever you want it in the sink, but when it fails from leaking, like they all do, I throw it in the garbage and install another one for $5. I tend to need to do this maybe once every two years or so.
As I said, the seals in those things don't tend to hold up well to the push and pull that is rendered upon them, so I gave up on them a long time ago. They look nice, but don't really last. Just my experience however.
I now use a regular faucet where the spout just swivels left and right and I install one of those cheap swivel aerators for around $5, that screw on the spout end. The black/chrome ones look OK and it allows you to direct the water wherever you want it in the sink, but when it fails from leaking, like they all do, I throw it in the garbage and install another one for $5. I tend to need to do this maybe once every two years or so.
As I said, the seals in those things don't tend to hold up well to the push and pull that is rendered upon them, so I gave up on them a long time ago. They look nice, but don't really last. Just my experience however.
#10
If you have to opt for a name brand faucet, never fear, there are plenty of models that only require the one hole so no need to violate the high end counter top you have. Here is what Delta has to offer.
https://www.deltafaucet.com/kitchen
https://www.deltafaucet.com/kitchen
#11
I'll gather more intel this weekend when I can get some hand-on time with analyzing the faucet. I'll gather photos and see if I can approach some disassembly. I have a digital micrometer for taking measurements of the o-ring should I be able to yank it out without additional help on tear-down.
CasualJoe I failed to mention that the main reason I have this 3 way faucet is that I'm running Cold/Hot tap and the third water line is reverse osmosis for drinking water. I'd love to go with a single hole Delta model, but they don't provide anything that adds the reverse osmosis line that I've found. Same goes for any major faucet brand which is why I put in a feature request some years ago hoping they would fill that market. The sprayer is really not necessary, but it does add to the value by way of functionality.
CasualJoe I failed to mention that the main reason I have this 3 way faucet is that I'm running Cold/Hot tap and the third water line is reverse osmosis for drinking water. I'd love to go with a single hole Delta model, but they don't provide anything that adds the reverse osmosis line that I've found. Same goes for any major faucet brand which is why I put in a feature request some years ago hoping they would fill that market. The sprayer is really not necessary, but it does add to the value by way of functionality.
#12
After many attempts to contact the seller on eBay to acquire some support for parts and/or documentation we opted not to disturb the sink until I was able to figure out an alternative product or approach to solve this. It took up until Oct. 2020 when I finally took action. I had the parts ready and waiting for some time, but other things got in my way such as one pandemic underway, a lateral change in jobs at work, new puppy in the family, and various other home and car repairs taking priority. We decided to drill a new hole in the countertop using a 1-3/8" diamond core bit and an angle grinder. This was definitely a test of my nerves as I feared I would have screwed this up badly, but it turned out pretty good with only a slight noticeable issue with the angle of the core not being exactly 90 degrees.
We left the existing hole where it was located and found a fancy pants Delta faucet for hot and cold potable water and put a new reverse osmosis faucet in the newly drilled hole.
We left the existing hole where it was located and found a fancy pants Delta faucet for hot and cold potable water and put a new reverse osmosis faucet in the newly drilled hole.
Norm201
voted this post useful.