Kitchen Sink Faucets

[Bird]

Oh well, off topic I guess, but reading the thread "NEED A NEW TOILET" and seeing brands of Kohler, Eljer, American Standard, etc. reminded me that I'm gettin' too old for some of these fancy gadgets. When I was inspecting this house we just bought, I noticed that the American Standard kitchen sink faucet had two outlets for the water; one "normal" size stream through a strainer and the other a pencil sized stream in front of that. Now I figured out that it was for filtered water and I've never seen so many water lines under a sink. Fortunately, the filter had a name and phone number on it. Now some of you more "modern" folks may be familiar with the American Standard F20 Clear Tap faucets, but I sure wasn't. So I called the phone number on the filter to ask how often to change it or how you tell when it needs changing. "The digital display will tell you when to change it." What digital display? "Well, if the digital display isn't working, the battery must be dead." Battery? What battery? Where? "On the bottom side of the faucet at the front end." Hmmm, I also finally found where to download the 17 page manual, bought new filters, replaced the 3 volt watch battery, and everything works fine. Now it's an impressive system, but I think some things are just fancier than they need to be. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[tracdoc]

LOL... Next thing, you're going to find is that you have to hook your faucet to your laptop via the USB port once a month to download hardness, sediment and mineral values. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RedRocker]

Be sure the uplink GPS antenna is in working order too!!

 

[GaryM]

How often do you need to change the magnetic softener? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[_RaT_]

....and more importantly, be sure the compensator is not only operating but adjusted correctly for your pressure. You might even see if its not to late to get the extended warranty. Anymore, you need a degree to work on these things. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[frank_f15]

Bird i had a simlar water set up when i still had well water,(not quite as fancy but similar.) keep tract of how the system performs over a period of time, seems like all these auto reminders are set to get u to buy new filters BEFORE you actually need them. it is like printers for computer, the printers are cheap but the ink is where they make the $$$$ same with water systems, but it realy depends on the water condition.

 

[meledward23]

Battery ?

That thing is an antique. It isnt hard wired into the electrical circuit and home automation system. You know where you can be typind on the Tractor forum from the seat of your Big Blue New Holland and (WiFI Broadband internet from your tablet PC) and turn the water on in the bathtub at a preset temperature?

Of course, I find hollering for the wife to turn the faucet to be almost as reliable. She ingores me, and the computer system is always crashing (Windows error or something /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif)

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( set to get u to buy new filters BEFORE you actually need them )</font>

Frank, the filters are $20 each at Home Depot and the lady I talked to said they last about 3 months. The little digital display counts down from 90 (supposedly, at least). Now I don't think my wife has caught onto using the filtered water instead of the plain water to make coffee so it's been 9 days since I changed the filter and it still shows "90". Now the thing that still isn't clear to me from the manual is whether it simply counts days or whether it meters the water. The manual says to "reset" the digital display when you change the filter by pressing on the battery case with a fingernail or a dime. I thought maybe putting a new battery in took care of the resetting, but maybe not. I just now went and pressed on the battery case with a dime and it flashed "88" then returned to "90". So now I'll see tomorrow or the next day whether it starts counting down. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[frank_f15]

Bird , i am not going to say what system you have, but i found that if the only thing going thro the filters is your drinking water, i would imagine that they would lasta lot longer than 3 mo!!! starting with new filters, you will know what the water tasts like i would not change them till the clarity and taste of your drinking water degrages. would be interesting to see just what you are trying to filter out.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( would be interesting to see just what you are trying to filter out. )</font>

Frank, the fact is that I see nothing wrong with the unfiltered water just as it comes from the city; tastes OK to me. But if you go to ClearTap.com, there's a picture of it and click on "Filtration Performance" in the lower left corner, you'll see what it's supposed to filter out; not that we have any of that in our water to be filtered out. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I have done a little more reading and see the filter is supposedly changed after filtering about 250 gallons of water. I also see one place where they list the price at $425 (a lot more than I would pay for it). /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bird]

Well, I'm learning more about this fancy kitchen faucet. We've been here nearly two months and the filtered water outlet is dripping; a drop about every 3 seconds. Now it's supposed to have a "lifetime warranty" for the original purchaser. Of course I don't qualify and don't know how old it is. Fortunately, I have the manual with an exploded view of the parts; never seen so many little parts in any kind of water dispenser, so I'm not even sure what parts I need. OK, I called American Standard and the lady tells me I need the "manifold kit" and the "cartridge and seals" and gave me the number of a local plumbing supply house. They don't have the parts but say they can have them by 4:30 p.m. today, so I'll go by in the morning and get them for $105.46. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif I've never paid that much for a complete faucet. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Sure hope I can get that thing apart and back together and have it work without leaking, or I'll be like Rat getting what he paid for with that truck transmission. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[slowrev]

Bird,
You might want to consider putting a cheap filter in the line prior to your faucet filter to protect it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ben

 

[kevincook]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Bird i had a simlar water set up when i still had well water,(not quite as fancy but similar.) keep tract of how the system performs over a period of time, seems like all these auto reminders are set to get u to buy new filters BEFORE you actually need them. it is like printers for computer, the printers are cheap but the ink is where they make the $$$$ same with water systems, but it realy depends on the water condition. )</font>

Things are getting a little ridiculous sometimes. My printer wouldn't print last week because the ink cartridges had expired. They were still printing fine and still had ink in them but HP decided that I hadn't been spending enough on ink so they just disabled them /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Batteries in a faucet??? Who thinks these things up anyway? I like gadgets too but there is also alot of elegance in simplicity. Bird, is that the wireless model also? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[GaryM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Batteries in a faucet??? Who thinks these things up anyway? I like gadgets too but there is also alot of elegance in simplicity. Bird, is that the wireless model also? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

I think he has the model that has the Ethernet plug on the back. He'll need to run a Cat5e cable to the nearest PC, running Win XP Professional of course, in order to track filter life. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

OK, so I mentioned that the faucet was dripping. Then yesterday afternoon I noticed the digital display was not working again. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif So it lasted almost exactly one month. A new battery today fixed that, but I've got a question. The manual calls for a "CR1220 litium watch battery". The batteries I got at Walmart are "1220 lithium watch batteries" but say nothing about that "CR". Is that important? Or did I just get a defective battery last month?

And I changed out that $105 worth of parts this morning; mostly plastic, of course, and the manifold was actually broken. Since I didn't know what I was doing, and I spent a bit of time thoroughly cleaning everything, it took me the better part of 2 hours. I'm sure I could do it again in 10 or 15 minutes, but with the price of parts, I sure hope I never have to do that.

 

[GaryM]

The battery, cell actually, is the same CR1220 is what one manufacturer calls it. 1220 is the same cell. I'm sure suprised it didn't last longer. Maybe they'll give you a new one?

 

[Bird]

Gary, I assumed the batteries would be the same, but didn't know for sure and haven't found any explanation of any difference on the Internet. Of course the first battery worked for nearly a month, but I didn't check its voltage before installing it, and I didn't pay any attention to the expiration date on the packaging. When it quit working, according to my voltmeter it had 2.3 volts and the new one shows 3.2 volts and had an expiration date on the package of 2008. Of course they only cost $3, including sales tax, at Walmart so I didn't ask about any "warranty".