# wide spread lavatory faucets



## Plasticman (Oct 14, 2008)

I don't mean to knock any companys products but I will take my chances. Has anyone hooked up a Delta mini widespread lavatory faucet lately?
These things have to be the most agravating things I have ever encountered. I have a builder who uses mostly granite or marble lav tops and these faucets that they specify to use are such a pain in the .
The spout part is the most difficult to tighten from underneath the cabinet. I have even ground down my basin wrench to make it flatter to try to get it between the base of the unit and the fastening nut which did not help. I only ruined a good Rigid basin wrench.
I wish Delta had this faucet up their ....


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

Not here Delta is not common where I'm at, Moen is thou, there easy to install.


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## JCsPlumbing (Jul 1, 2008)

Plasticman said:


> I don't mean to knock any companys products but I will take my chances. Has anyone hooked up a Delta mini widespread lavatory faucet lately?
> These things have to be the most agravating things I have ever encountered. I have a builder who uses mostly granite or marble lav tops and these faucets that they specify to use are such a pain in the .
> The spout part is the most difficult to tighten from underneath the cabinet. I have even ground down my basin wrench to make it flatter to try to get it between the base of the unit and the fastening nut which did not help. I only ruined a good Rigid basin wrench.
> I wish Delta had this faucet up their ....


Been awhile. Is this the one with the connecting bar underneath? I recall them being an aggravating SOB. I got no special tools or tricks to offer you either. Seen the thick granite aggravation also combined with the cabinetmaker screwing you with supports in the way. 

The Moens with the little umbrellas are pretty user friendly.

Anyone that designs anything that must be field installed should have a test room with various situations one might run into where the designer MUST install it in all these ways in my opinion.

J.C.


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## Plasticman (Oct 14, 2008)

I agree JC. If they had to install 4 or 5 of these in the same house then they would see just how we had to earn our money that day for sure. Yes, it is the one with the connecting bar.Sometimes I think I should e-mail the company to complain


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## Ron (Jun 12, 2008)

JCsPlumbing said:


> The Moens with the little umbrellas are pretty user friendly.
> 
> 
> J.C.



Installed one yesterday in 15 min or less, very user friendly, and I did not even have to look at the pictures.


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## WestCoastPlumber (Jun 17, 2008)

I have found Grohe widespreads are "user friendly" widesrpeads like California Faucets are problems fromt he start with pieces missing, defective leaking spout o-rings, just a few to mention, and not only that, the average cost of one of these faucets, around $700 for what? PROBLEMS!!


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## gusty60 (Oct 21, 2008)

JCsPlumbing said:


> Been awhile. Is this the one with the connecting bar underneath? I recall them being an aggravating SOB. I got no special tools or tricks to offer you either. Seen the thick granite aggravation also combined with the cabinetmaker screwing you with supports in the way.
> 
> The Moens with the little umbrellas are pretty user friendly.
> 
> ...


 I strongly agree:thumbsup:


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## Wethead (Oct 13, 2008)

Delta.....who buys delta?......


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## rombo (Jul 17, 2008)

I could install moen wide spreads blindfolded if I had too.


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## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

Installed this baby a few days ago and I still don't know who made it.


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## user4 (Jun 12, 2008)

para1 said:


> Installed this baby a few days ago and I still don't know who made it.


It was made in Italy and sold under the J. Sherle name thirty years ago.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

Plasticman said:


> I don't mean to knock any companys products but I will take my chances. Has anyone hooked up a Delta mini widespread lavatory faucet lately?
> These things have to be the most agravating things I have ever encountered. I have a builder who uses mostly granite or marble lav tops and these faucets that they specify to use are such a pain in the .
> The spout part is the most difficult to tighten from underneath the cabinet. I have even ground down my basin wrench to make it flatter to try to get it between the base of the unit and the fastening nut which did not help. I only ruined a good Rigid basin wrench.
> I wish Delta had this faucet up their ....


 

Thanksgiving eve, customer called me up, told me he's finished and can't go no further, just get over here and 





 

He had disconnected one of those mini widespread faucets and moved it to a granite cabinet sink.

He had the hot and cold reversed, I couldn't get the handles to eyebrow the sink bowl. 

So, he took it all apart since he was a pro and taking it apart and putting it together. :laughing: I watched while I got paid at $105/hour. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Once he got it in, everything is moving and the idiot plumber who first installed it, didn't use the rubbers underneath for tension for the hold down nuts. He used in a pinch some flat foam padding for inside of tool boxes but it wasn't working well.

He said the faucet constantly turned, lost its settings all the time on the pedestal sink.

But I used SS flexies for the water lines and cut the trap arm flush with the solvent weld connector at the wall, used a cut straight piece off a rubber P-trap he bought and used the 1-1/2" tubular straight piece as a coupling. He thought that was slick that I knew that would work. :thumbsup: In a pinch, thanksgiving eve? I can make anything work.

Anyhow, that white vinyl connecting tubes on those Delta's on an 8" spread is horrible, they work a lot better on a 12" spread. Those connections are too close together @ 8". 

Thick rubber washers that match the fender washers on that faucet is the true fix on a granite install. Something has to offer an ability to tension that faucet down, otherwise it'll never work at staying stationary.


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## Plasticman (Oct 14, 2008)

solvent weld connector? You mean trap adaptor? Thats what we call them anyhow.


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## plumbingpaul (Sep 18, 2008)

I prefer moen over delta but have installed a few delta myself and its always a battle with those flippin things!


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## PipemanNYC (Nov 21, 2008)

i Try to get to the granite first and install the faucet .. then ill set the granite on the vanity myself .. so much easier then fussing with the nuts underneath with basin wrench,, Kohler came out with a faucet that makes up from the top with a phillip screwdriver.. But i havnt seen that in a while.. Wonder if they stopped making them.


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## gusty60 (Oct 21, 2008)

para1 said:


> Installed this baby a few days ago and I still don't know who made it.


 Looks like ya installed two babies.:icon_rolleyes:


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## Plasticman (Oct 14, 2008)

used to think that most plumbers used Moen because with some of their low paid or don't give a crap helplers making the mistake of reversing hot and cold, you could simply reverse the cartridge. For years Delta faucets were not reverseable like that until the new pressure balanced faucets were born. To this day I still do not like Moen roman rough in valves because you have to cut the copper lines to fit to the spout and solder them. With Delta, you just bend the flex line to the spout tee. But the newer Delta faucets I have seen lately suck hind t*t. And for Heavens sake don't use B&K. That crap is next to nothing like Price Phister from Lowes


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## Wethead (Oct 13, 2008)

plumbingpaul said:


> I prefer moen over delta but have installed a few delta myself and its always a battle with those flippin things!


Agreed, I personally hate Delta, I used to work for a shop and that's all they used on these track homes, nothing but Delta cheapo's


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