Features and Benefits of Eclipse Faucets Presented Live

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Tom Robinson

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Why Does the Head on My Eclipse Faucet not stay in the Neck?

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Tom Robinson

I received a call this week from a customer of one of our fabricators. The head on his KPS3030M Hampton faucet would not stay in neck of the faucet. I asked him to look under the sink and to see if there was a spring on the hose. When he told me there was no spring I knew the faucet had been installed incorrectly. I talked with his “plumber” and sent out new parts. I asked them to call me while they were installing the faucet so I can help them install it correctly.

Many faucets have a weight system to help with the head and hose retraction. The weight systems come in two styles; a weight fixed to the hose or a donut shaped weight that slides on the hose. The fixed weight will restrict the hose because the weight needs to be installed at the bottom on the hose when the head is in the neck. When the head is pulled out you can only use half the hose because the weight hits the bottom of the faucet. The donut shaped weights can hang up on valves and other plumbing. Both will bang on the piping and if a large box is stored under the sink the weight hits or rests on the box and will not help with retraction of the hose and head or with holding the head in the neck.

The Eclipse spring retraction system will allow nearly all of the hose to be extended, will work around the piping and will work even if a box pushes the hose out of the vertical. The spring system does need to be installed correctly. As you can see on the drawing the hose needs to come out of the faucet, through the figure eight shaped piece called a Spring Holder then through the hose, back through the Spring Holder and attach to the faucet. The spring holder keeps tension on the spring. It is best to check that the hose is not twisted. Sometimes during installation or use the hose and spring system can become twisted. This can be corrected by turning the hose until the twist is removed.

If you have any questions about your Eclipse faucet or sink please contact us at [email protected].

Posted in Faucet Installation, Home Improvement, Kitchen, Plumbing, Sink/Faucet Care | Tagged Eclipse faucet, faucet head, faucet head hangs down, faucet head will not stay in neck, faucet hose, faucet hose weight, faucet repair, faucet warranty, faucet weight | Comments Off

Why is My Stainless Steel Sink Rusting?

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Tom Robinson

About once a quarter I get a call from a consumer telling me their sink is rusting. To date I have never had a sink that was rusting.

In other articles on this blog you will find more technical explanations on why stainless steel sinks do not rust. The truth is if there is rust in the sink it is likely coming from some other source outside the sink.

I once received a call from a consumer who told me his sink was rusting. I asked him to describe the rust. He told me it was half moon shape. I asked him if it was the size of a tin can and was it possible he left a dog or cat food can in the wet sink and it deposited rust on the sink. Cans, particularly pet food cans, if left in the sink will leave a rust ring in a sink. This is surface rust and can usually be easily cleaned with stainless steel cleaners like Barkeepers Friend.

If there are small pin point rust spots in the sink it usually comes from iron in the water supply. If the sink is not wiped dry the water dries and leaves behind the iron that then rusts. These spots can be removed with a cleaner but will return if an iron filter is not installed on the water supply.

There can also be small steel residue from grinding processes in the factory or at the fabrication shop. A thorough cleaning will solve this problem permanently.

Some dish soaps particularly if left in stainless steel soap dispensers can cause a rust colored residue. This looks particularly bad and appears to be rust but it is easily cleaned. Changing dish soap brands often clears the problem.

And sometimes it has nothing to do with the sink at all. I received a call from a customer about a sink with rust in Wisconsin. When I visited the customer I said it looked like someone was cleaning a carburetor in this sink. The wife replied that that was impossible but the husband suddenly disappeared.

Another time I got a call about a rusty sink. When I visited the consumer there appeared to be and orange color stain in the sink but it did not appear to me to be rust. I asked her when this started. I was trying to determine if the stain was there when the sink was first installed or appeared some time later. The consumer said “It does not happen all the time.”

I asked her when it happened. She looked at me very sincerely and said, “Every time I make spaghetti.”

I gave her a half can of cleanser and told her if she used it every time she made spaghetti it would take care of the problem.

Water supply, cat food cans, dish soap, or spaghetti it is likely not the sink. If you have an issue contact me and I will try to help….. even if it is not a sink we sold you.

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What is Stainless Steel

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Tom Robinson

Simple definition from the American Heritage Dictionary.

stainless steel n. Any of various steels alloyed with at least 10 percent chromium and sometimes containing other elements and that are resistant to corrosion or rusting associated with exposure to water and moist air.

Here is another more technical article

Why is Stainless Steel Stainless?

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How to Buy the Cheapest Granite Countertop

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Tom Robinson

Cheap Granite Countertops

Don’t ask for insurance. Paying for insurance is expensive and once your top is in you cannot see your contractors insurance policy in the top. If one of the workmen get hurt they can sue you as the homeowner if the contractor cannot cover the claim. If the installer damages your house and disappears there will be no insurance company to stand behind you. Covering these risks cost money so do not ask for an insurance certificate.
Don’t visit the shop where your countertop will be built. Well equipped shops that are clean and efficient are expensive. The cheapest contractors work out of garages, storage warehouses or even fabricate in your driveway where they do not have to pay rent or for expensive equipment to do the job right.
Find out if your contractor has a land line for a phone number or works strictly off a cell phone. Guys who run an office and plan to be around for the long haul like when you need warranty work will have an office and a permanent phone number. The cheap guys will have a cell phone only that can be changed at a moment’s notice and no office or location where you can find them when you need warranty work.
Don’t ask for references.
Don’t approve the slabs that will actually used in the in your project. Slabs will be different depending on the lot number and when they were quarried. Getting slabs that match is expensive. Let the contractor find you the cheapest slabs.
Pay for you slabs at the slab supplier. This will save the middle man charges. It also means the contractor is cut off for credit reasons at the supplier but what do you care if the contractor has credit problems. You won’t have warranty problems.
Don’t ask what grade of granite you are getting. Premium and Commercial grade slabs even if they have the same name can be very different. Having countertops with uniform color and free of blemishes is expensive.
Don’t ask which direction the veining in the slab will run or where the seams will be. Properly seamed countertops and countertops where the direction of the veining is properly planned are much more expensive.
Let the contractor pick the edge finish and put wax on the edges instead of polishing them. Polishing edges takes expensive equipment and a lot of time. Waxing is cheap and you clean it off so you can get the dull natural just sawed look.
Make sure you get a “free” sink. Don’t ask it if it meets building code or who will handle the warranty. The very cheapest sinks have no manufacturers name on them so you cannot track down the manufacturer if the contractor disappears. But it was free.

This article is, of course, written with tongue firmly planted in cheek. It is difficult to be a legitimate granite countertop fabricator when their are pretenders do all the above and more to create countertops that are cheap. You do not want those countertops in your home!