Dripping Facts
A faucet dripping at a rate of one drop per second wastes 2700 gallons per year.
Dripping water faucets can be a sign of poor water quality.
Dripping faucets are harmful to your drains, plumbing system and septic system.
Updating Your Faucets
- New faucets in the bathroom or kitchen enhance the look and functionality of the room.
- When replacing a leaking faucet, quality should be your number one consideration. Think long term. Higher quality faucets may be a bit more expensive, but they will save you a great deal of frustration in the future. Good quality faucets are the best insurance against dripping faucets, loose handles, and even water damage from a leak.
- Choose a solid cartridge. We prefer ceramic cartridges because they don’t contain any washers or rubber components that will break down over time from the chlorine and other chemicals in municipal water supplies.
- Functionality is important. Consider how much you’ll be using it, along with what you will be using it for. For instance, kitchen sink faucets with large high-rise spouts are very nice for reaching over and into large pots. Pull-out spray nozzles are very nice for washing off plates or the interior of the sink. In the bathroom, a single handle faucet makes it easier to get the water temperature just right.
- In older homes, it is fairly common for the bathroom to have a three-handled tub shower faucet. If you would like to modernize the look with a single-handled faucet that doesn’t scald you whenever someone flushes the toilet, a good option is a pressure balanced single handle tub shower faucet. They can be retrofitted into an existing tub shower with three handles/holes by simply installing an attractive cover plate. There is a code stating that replacement faucets need to be pressure balanced and the best way to achieve this is by installing a single-handled control valve.
- Choose the finish carefully. Brushed nickel and rubbed bronze are the most popular finishes right now. The white residue from toothpaste and soap are much more evident on a dark background like the rubbed bronze as opposed to a grayish silver background of brushed nickel or brushed chrome. Polished brass or chrome are attractive, but they show scuffs, marks, and fingerprints much quicker than a brushed surface.
- Make sure the faucet is backed by a good manufacturer’s warranty. Almost all faucet manufacturers include a lifetime warranty on the cartridge which is important because a defective or compromised cartridge will cause the faucet to drip.
- All faucets purchased directly through Wisler Plumbing and Air have our accompanying labor warranty. If a leak ever occurs, we’ll come out to your home and take care of the leak at no charge to you.
Take advantage of our labor warranty. Contact us and we’ll set up a time to visit that’s convenient for you.