# T&S Faucet abuse



## Hack (Oct 2, 2011)

Does anyone know if they make a possitive stop for a T&S faucet? We have a customer at a restruant who's employes keep ruining stems and I cant seem to make them understand that you cant crank down on them. And warranty replacement on them stems is high.


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

They make ceramic's that replace the old style.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Even with the ceramic disc stems they tear up the stem and handles. I have a place where the T&S faucets are a month and half old and they stripped 8 handles already. I do not know what T&S is doing different, but the quality of the handles seems very sub par. 

I have told these guys they need to change out all the T&S in all their locations to Chicago, and spec out Chicago faucets for future builds.


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

SewerRatz said:


> Even with the ceramic disc stems they tear up the stem and handles. I have a place where the T&S faucets are a month and half old and they stripped 8 handles already. I do not know what T&S is doing different, but the quality of the handles seems very sub par.
> 
> I have told these guys they need to change out all the T&S in all their locations to Chicago, and spec out Chicago faucets for future builds.


I agree, I think the pot metal they make them out of is even pottier...is that a word?


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Titan Plumbing said:


> I agree, I think the pot metal they make them out of is even pottier...is that a word?


No...


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

At least I asked...


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Titan Plumbing said:


> At least I asked...


Lol


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Titan Plumbing said:


> I agree, I think the pot metal they make them out of is even pottier...is that a word?


It is if you're pottie training a toddler.:laughing:


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## Titletownplumbr (Feb 16, 2011)

SewerRatz said:


> Even with the ceramic disc stems they tear up the stem and handles. I have a place where the T&S faucets are a month and half old and they stripped 8 handles already. I do not know what T&S is doing different, but the quality of the handles seems very sub par.
> 
> I have told these guys they need to change out all the T&S in all their locations to Chicago, and spec out Chicago faucets for future builds.


Exactly, T&S is a waste of time, always disliked working on their garbage, Chicago is a no brainer in commercial applications.


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## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

T & S faucets have always treated me well, good product and at a fair price.


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

Have you all seen t & S's economy line called Equip?

Now there's some junk.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Anyone deal with a faucet called Encore? I have ran across these on bar sinks. The cartridge reminds me of T&S.


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

SewerRatz said:


> Anyone deal with a faucet called Encore? I have ran across these on bar sinks. The cartridge reminds me of T&S.


If its the one I'm picturing in my head, t&s stems and barrels will work in it.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Colgar said:


> If its the one I'm picturing in my head, t&s stems and barrels will work in it.


The bonnet cap has a black plastic ring or cover on the top with the name of the manufacture on it.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

SewerRatz said:


> Anyone deal with a faucet called Encore? I have ran across these on bar sinks. The cartridge reminds me of T&S.


the only place I have run into is those pieces of junk is Red Lobster restaurants. They come with some of the bar/kitchen equipment from the manufacturer. Usually it's impossible to get to them to swap out unless you have a couple of hours to tear the equipment apart and then put it back together, so it means an overnight job. Just for a POS faucet, AAARRRGGHHH.


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## Dun' Right (Sep 27, 2010)

I've never been a huge fan of T & S stuff. Installed a few chicago's. 

Fisher all the way! I'm a diehard Fisher fan. If only we had a good Fisher rep in the KC area. Last time I checked there is a new rep in town, haven't used them yet. We'll see. 

Some of the Fisher faucets I've seen have been abused in every way you could imagine, and somehow, they are always fixable, and last for a long long time. 

The last Fisher rep we had in kc was horrible. They had no clue what anything was (they sold commercial pots and pans primarily) and they also kept no records of their stock. They were called Griffco (I think)

Whenever I needed something, they just sent me back to the stock room and let me find what I needed. They usually had it, and if they didn't they could get it quick. They have since went out of business. (don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing)

Sounds like I need to do some investigating before I need a rinse spray/commerical faucet. 

I guess what I'm saying is..If I can GET Fisher, that's all I use. Hopefully the new rep is worth a damn. 

(Can y'all tell I like Fisher? :thumbup: )


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## Dun' Right (Sep 27, 2010)

http://www.fisher-mfg.com/

If you can get them, they are the best money can buy IMO


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Fisher makes bullet proof lever drains with a ball valve design. That is the only thing they make good. Their faucets have as many issues as T&S.



Dun' Right said:


> Some of the Fisher faucets I've seen have been abused in every way you could imagine, and somehow, they are always fixable, and last for a long long time.


 T&S abused is always fixable, thing is to put in a faucet that can handle the abuse. Like a Chicago Faucet. Look at Chicago's Quaturn cartridge, the design is nearly a hundred years old. Only time I ever end up repairing a Chicago faucet is due to normal wear and tear.


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

I'm with Ron. We tried Fisher in MCDS and they went over like a lead balloon. We have used their rotary drains with great success, too.


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## Dun' Right (Sep 27, 2010)

Sounds like I need to look into Chicago, and see where I can buy them around here. Only put in a few of them when customer supplied. 

I still say fisher is awesome.  Besides the PITA of getting them, I've had no problems with them, other than putting a new stem washer on every now and then.


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

We don't see a bunch of Chicago around here, but what we do see if definitely quality. I've used some lav faucets that weigh about 50 lbs each...LOL


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## HOMER (Jun 5, 2011)

another great use for a Chicago deck mount kitchen faucet is for a thin guage stainless steel sink.
Chicago deck plate is a solid brick of brass that will stabilize the SS sink when bolted down.

had a SS sink that even with a Delta 100 and the rubber gasket,still leaked between sink and faucet.
puttied in a Chicago deck mount K-faucet....
problem solved..
Chicago makes the best wall mount kitchen faucets.

the ceramic stems are backward compatible with the older stuff
spouts are easy to repair.

New T/S out here in lead free LA LA is stainless steel and not to sturdy.
new Chicago here is still solid brass ,just manufactured with "0" lead


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Dun' Right said:


> I've never been a huge fan of T & S stuff. Installed a few chicago's.
> 
> Fisher all the way! I'm a diehard Fisher fan. If only we had a good Fisher rep in the KC area. Last time I checked there is a new rep in town, haven't used them yet. We'll see.
> 
> ...



At least they are American made! However, they only have 1 Illinois dealer. I will stick with Chicago for now, even if some of their stuff is Chinese, now.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

422 plumber said:


> At least they are American made! However, they only have 1 Illinois dealer. I will stick with Chicago for now, even if some of their stuff is Chinese, now.


I dunno about that, last Fisher I had to fix the parts had a label on it "made in Taiwan" As for Chicago, you mean made in Japan, and that is the Gerbit brand. If you stick to the traditional brand that uses the old style Quaturn cartridges, them are still made in the USA.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

SewerRatz said:


> I dunno about that, last Fisher I had to fix the parts had a label on it "made in Taiwan" As for Chicago, you mean made in Japan, and that is the Gerbit brand. If you stick to the traditional brand that uses the old style Quaturn cartridges, them are still made in the USA.


Sorry, Ron. I have installed Chicago 897's made in China.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

422 plumber said:


> Sorry, Ron. I have installed Chicago 897's made in China.


Just looked at their website, Chicago Faucets is part of the Buy American Act. with 95% of their line made in the USA. So I guess the 897 falls into the 5%. And according to their list of what models are mad in the USA the 897's did not make the list. Guess you need to come of a little more cash for the made in the USA models.

Here is their PDF file about them being in the Buy American Act, and a list of over 1700 models that qualify. http://www.chicagofaucet.com/pdf/BAAProductListing.pdf

As for Fisher been all over their website, no where does it say their faucets are made in the USA or that they are part of the Buy American act. Like I said before I had to repair many Fisher faucets and the parts labels all said "Made in Taiwan" and these parts where shipped direct to me from Fisher since the local suppler here did not have what I needed in stock.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

SewerRatz said:


> Just looked at their website, Chicago Faucets is part of the Buy American Act. with 95% of their line made in the USA. So I guess the 897 falls into the 5%. And according to their list of what models are mad in the USA the 897's did not make the list. Guess you need to come of a little more cash for the made in the USA models.
> 
> Here is their PDF file about them being in the Buy American Act, and a list of over 1700 models that qualify. http://www.chicagofaucet.com/pdf/BAAProductListing.pdf
> 
> As for Fisher been all over their website, no where does it say their faucets are made in the USA or that they are part of the Buy American act. Like I said before I had to repair many Fisher faucets and the parts labels all said "Made in Taiwan" and these parts where shipped direct to me from Fisher since the local suppler here did not have what I needed in stock.


I just based that on their saying their factory and headquarters was in California.
I just looked a Chicago 305 box on my truck and it said made of US and imported parts, assembled in US.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Just because a product is BAA compliant, doesn't mean it's made here. I bought Wade roof drains for a stimulus job and I could not find American made cast roof drains. However if they are made overseas and shipped here, then painted, and assembled, and if that is enough of a percentage, they qualify.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

422 plumber said:


> I just based that on their saying their factory and headquarters was in California.
> I just looked a Chicago 305 box on my truck and it said made of US and imported parts, assembled in US.


 Well the same can be said with Chicago Faucets since they are based in Des Plaines, IL, has a foundry & Manufacturing in Milwaukee, WI, Assembly & Distribution in Michigan City, IN, and Components/Assemblies in Elyria ,OH. Here is a a little blurb from the PDF link I provided in the last post.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

There is very little that can be called American made. Most factories use hundreds of vendors to get the components for their assembly lines. A lot is imported. I guess it's true world wide. Wherever the factory is located, they will almost always use imported items to make their finished product. Very few places make all the components that go into their finished product.


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## Faust (Feb 20, 2010)

We typically run into Encore brand spray faucets in Superstore's and Wal-Mart here, we typically replace them with T and S, haven't had too many issues with T and S, in regards to people stripping them @[email protected], usually the employees get rough with the flexible spray assembly and break the riser off lol


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

Just had to rebuild two T&S faucets that are only 2 months old. Can't wait for them to tell me to replace this junk with a Chicago faucet.


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## masterk (Jun 20, 2008)

I have a sub shop that I replace the steams at least one a year and washers at least 3 times a year. The owners always want to blame the product, I told them that their food prep-lady jambs the faucets off every time. I have watched her do it with the owner standing next to me. So after 8 years they open a second location. I rebuilt the faucet at this location 18 months ago and have not been back since. Now the owner realizes it is his workers abuse and I continue to make the repairs.


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## DesertOkie (Jul 15, 2011)

SewerRatz said:


> Just had to rebuild two T&S faucets that are only 2 months old. Can't wait for them to tell me to replace this junk with a Chicago faucet.


Are the Chicago dipper well faucets any good?


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

DesertOkie said:


> Are the Chicago dipper well faucets any good?


Never seen a Chicago Faucet dipper well faucet. Their glass fillers are very good, along with many other of their products. All that I have installed only needs normal service from wear and tear many years after it has been installed.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

DesertOkie said:


> Are the Chicago dipper well faucets any good?


Yes,
because they use the regular qua-turn cartridge, which I replace with a ceramic. Frickin' bulletproof. T&S and Franklin just don't stand up to the abuse.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

422 plumber said:


> Yes,
> because they use the regular qua-turn cartridge, which I replace with a ceramic. Frickin' bulletproof. T&S and Franklin just don't stand up to the abuse.


 You happen to have the model number of the dipper well faucet? This way I can suggest to the places I do a replacement.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Ron,
I don't see it in their catalog. It wasn't really a dipwell faucet. Just a single lav spigot with a cross handle on top. I installed it because I was sick of the T&S dipwell faucet. I ended up putting in a ceramic stem unit and a lever handle, I haven't been called back in over 2 years, as opposed to about every 3 months.


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## janevb (Oct 18, 2011)

*No positive stop - but...*

I think T&S can supply a Teflon seat washer that should take care of this issue. Or they could use 1/4-turn which T&S and Chicago both offer.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

janevb said:


> I think T&S can supply a Teflon seat washer that should take care of this issue. Or they could use 1/4-turn which T&S and Chicago both offer.


 First let me direct you to the part of this forum called Introductions http://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/ you will get a lot more respect from the users of this forum if you post an intro.

Second, the issues I have with T&S is their handles strip out way to easy which in turn damages the stem, so I end up replacing the handle and stem on a regular basis. I have a place that has six locations, the older locations (around six years old) they do not seem to have an issue with the stems or handles. But the newer locations (2 years old and newer) its been an ongoing problem, meaning T&S did something to the way they make the handles which cause them to be easily stripped.


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## janevb (Oct 18, 2011)

*No positive stop - but...*

T&S must have fixed that problem because the ones I've installed in the past 6 months have been fine. And, you're right, Chicago makes good products too.


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

janevb said:


> T&S must have fixed that problem because the ones I've installed in the past 6 months have been fine. And, you're right, Chicago makes good products too.


 Ihave posted in this thread, that I have repaired T&S faucets that where less than 2 months old.


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## janevb (Oct 18, 2011)

*Ya know what....?*

Ya know what, SewerRatz? I think you must be working for Chicago Faucets.


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