Watts 116101 Standard Faucet with Air Gap, Brushed Nickel

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Price: $34.07 $33.25   

Product Feature

• Air Gap faucet to meet plumbing codes for reverse osmosis units
• Meets all low lead NSF requirements
• Multiple colors available for custom kitchens
• Fits all under counter reverse osmosis water filter systems
• Uses 1/4" Supply Tube

Product Description

Standard auxiliary faucet for water filtration devices. Touch 'N Flow spring loaded handle for one touch water dispensing. Faucets are designed for functional ease and extended life.Air Gap faucet to meet plumbing codes for reverse osmosis unitsMeets all low lead NSF requirementsMultiple colors available for custom kitchensFits all under counter reverse osmosis water filter systemsUses 1/4' Supply Tube

Watts 116101 Standard Faucet with Air Gap, Brushed Nickel Review

BEFORE YOU PURCHASE--if your old faucet is just leaking or making noise, see "maintenance" below.

QUALITY
The faucet is good quality. I used it to replace an identical one which had operated flawlessly for 20 years.

STYLE
The design is very convenient: The lever has three positions, 1) UP = open (conveniently for filling a pot), 2) closed, 3) DOWN = press-open, which is convenient for filling a glass---even with the hand you are holding the glass. Many more expensive faucets are "crank open" / "crank shut. The "giraffe neck" rotates 360 degrees, and so, if installed at the corner of a sink (or elsewhere), can fill a pot placed on the counter.

WHAT'S INCLUDED / WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
Included: the faucet itself, hardware to install in the counter-top, and fittings to attach the blue tube to the faucet. NOT INCLUDED: any fittings to attach the 3 water tubes to the filters, drain, etc.

SUPPLIED INSTRUCTIONS
NO MEANINGFUL INSTRUCTIONS are included, and are incomplete for this faucet. The instructions printed on the box are for several different types of faucets, do NOT show you how to attach the blue tube, and do not helpfully identify the red and black tubes. If I had tried to install the faucet following the "instructions" I would have installed it wrong. Solution: Install the faucet according to the instructions which came with your water filter system, exactly as your previous faucet was installed.

INSTALLATION SUGGESTIONS
Note that you can install it as shown on the photo, or reversed with the lever toward the sink (which I think is more convenient).

Turn off the water supply to the water filter which is attached to the faucet you are replacing; open the old faucet an let it drain until no more water comes out (the same steps you'd take for replacing filters).

Blue tube: attach to the "stud" on the bottom of the faucet with the supplied fittings (nylon ferrule and compression nut)
Red tube: pre-attached, "brine input"
Black tube: pre-attached, "brine output"--i.e., waste water line to your kitchen sink drain-line

You will probably have to remove part of your osmosis system to gain access. When disconnecting your old system, label each connection you disconnect on both sides. Use a 2" to 3" strip of painter's tape and fold it over in half to make a tab to write on (and use a permanent marker). Number the connections 1, 2, 3, etc. Remember to label BOTH sides of the connection with the SAME number (1 connects to 1, 2 connects to 2, 3 connects to 3, etc.). Disconnect as few water lines as you can. As a backup, take closeup photos with your digital camera of every connection which you plan to disconnect AFTER labeling and BEFORE disconnecting.

Preparing for installation of the new faucet. Assemble the spacer, washer, and nut on the faucet (leave about 1/2" for the thickness of your counter). Install the blue line on the faucet using the supplied hardware (a nylon ferrule and a compression nut). It is a good idea to install the fittings on the other ends of the tubes at this point (you will probably have to reuse them from your old faucet connections).

Lower the tubes through the hole in your counter-top, until the new faucet is in place. Decide on which direction you want the lever to point. From underneath, slide the "split washer" in place between the counter-top and the spacer, and tighten the nut. (You should have the right size box wrench ready--space and visibility are likely to be very tight, and it is hard to determine what the right size is blindly. Alternatively, you can use a deep socket wrench (if you have one of the right size), and install the blue tube later. Many faucet installation kits include such a socket--this one doesn't). Note that the space may be very right---pliers or an adjustable wrench probably won't work.

Attach the blue and red tubes to your filter system and the black tube to your sink drain. It is best not to cut the red or blue tubes, even if they are too long, because their length provides easier access to the system for maintenance (you can move the tank and/or filters temporarily without disconnecting the lines). However the black drain tub should probably be cut so the waste water flows straight to the drain, without a dip in which the waste water can collect. Ideally, the black waste line should be as short and as steep as possible. Important: if you must cut a blue or red tube, cut it with a very sharp blade (such as a utility knife with a new sharp blade), absolutely perpendicular.

FIXING LEAKS AFTER NEW INSTALLATIONS--see also "maintenance" below
After installing the new faucet, you should monitor the system for at least 12 hours for leaks--they can develop slowly. If there is a leak you can't find, tie strips of paper kitchen towels around the tubes and place paper towels at other strategic points; check after about 15 minutes and the source of the leak should be obvious.

Although the fittings are designed to install without plumber's thread tape, or plumber's paste, if after reasonably tightening them, they still leak, then plumber's pipe tape or paste will help. You can use "Plumber's Goop" on the threads rather than traditional plumber's pipe paste. For Goop to work best, the fittings should be dry before you assemble them. Eclectic Products Inc 3.7Oz Plumbing Goop 150011 Thread Tape & Paste

If that fails, you can use a blob of "Plumber's Goop" on the outside of the fitting as a sealant to stop the leak. In the latter case, you MUST allow the "Plumber's Goop" to harden for at least TWO FULL days before turning on the water to the filter/faucet. Plumber's Goop used this way can be reinforced by embedding unwaxed dental floss in the wet glue. I sometimes use Goop as a backup on fittings that are NOT leaking, but using Goop this way can make the connection difficult or impossible to disassemble at some later time.

NOTE that a tiny leak in any part of your kitchen plumbing can easily cause hundreds (even thousands) of dollars worth of damage. A leak detector is strongly recommended. Zircon Leak Alert Electronic Water Detector, 1-Pack Such a detector warned of a leak in my hot-water-heater cabinet before irreparable damage was done.

ROUTINE NOISE
In normal operation the air-gap causes a dripping noise (usually for about 5 to 15-minutes immediately after using a quantity of water from your reverse osmosis system). If the water supplies an ice-maker, you can hear the dripping at other times. According to the Watt company, most of that noise is actually the waste water splashing into the pool of waste water in the elbow below your sink---so (according to Watt), a heavy nylon fishing line in the black waste water line leading into your sink drain and down to the elbow can minimize the noise, providing a path for the waste water to flow, but I have not tried that, because the noise doesn't bother me. Theoretically, a sink strainer in the closed position should completely muffle the sound (but I use a simple screen instead which catches more stuff). Besides, the dripping sound is a good way to monitor that the system is working properly.

MAINTENANCE
After about 6 months of use, the black waste-water tube can become clogged with a bacterial mat. If you pay attention, there is an odd choking gurgling sound when the tube is almost clogged. When it is clogged, the waste water will leak from the faucet itself out onto your counter. Note that it is actually designed to do this, which is why instructions usually specify mounting the faucet at the edge of a sink (assuming that most of the overflow will flow into the sink). The solution is to regularly clean the black waste-water tube. The best way I've found is with an 18" length of "weed-whacker" cord. Detach the black tube from your sink waste-line, and feed the "weed-whacker cord" into the tube and scrub it out. If you've had a root-canal procedure, you know how it's done. Note that the bacterial mat is a very nasty sludge---have an old cloth towel handy to catch the gunk. I recently purchased a "beer line brush" Draft Beer Line Hose Cleaning Brush: 3/16" diameter, which works well---the 1/4" diameter model might work better.

Since physically cleaning out the gunk the last time, I've been squirting a few drops of Clorox into the air-gap hole (in the faucet housing) about once a month. The following bottle, which works well for this purpose is $3 at the Container Store Nalgene Plastic Drop Bottle. A Beachcombers! 1/2 Oz & 1oz Soft Squeeze Fine Metal Tip Moroccan Blunt Needle Syringe Type Body Art Henna Tattoo Applicators, 5 Tips 4 Bottles would probably be even better. Note that on faucet and similar models, the air gap is beneath the lever, opposite the giraffe neck. For access, pull the giraffe neck up, and slide the lever forward (in the direction of the giraffe neck). The "air gap" is the hole which contains the black plastic insert (leave the plastic insert alone, it is the tiny "faucet" where the the red water line discharges into the air gap). To reassemble, push the lever backward (in the direction of the air gap), so that the legs slide under the "T", and then push the girafe neck back into place. In the more recent models (those which are domed cylinders without the flat sides), the air gap is accessible, a hole on the back side---perhaps for the very purpose of making the air gap easier to sanitize.

LEAKING (see also "maintenance")
If the faucet leaks ONLY when you are using it (usually after 10 years or so off use), then the problem may be the o-ring seals of the "giraffe neck". You can just pull the "giraffe neck" straight up, and replace the o-rings. LIGHTLY lubricate the new o-rings with silicon grease. Permatex 22058 Dielectric Tune-up Grease - 3 oz. It is a good idea to dab a little bit of the silicon grease where the lever rubs against the giraffe neck to minimize wear---and for noticeable smoother operation. If you don't happen to have a tube of silicon grease, buy one---it is terrific for rejuvenating any rubber items and for improving electrical connections---even fixing computer problems.

DON'T PANIC
Yes that nasty sewage-like sludge in the waste line is scary stuff---but the "air gap" is a separate system with only shares the faucet structure---the good water supply is entirely separate from the "air gap" system. What about the possibility of the "contamination" growing it's way into your reverse-osmosis filter?---"theoretically" it shouldn't get past the air gap---but you could install an "inline check valve" in the red tube to minimize the possibility. If your reverse-osmosis waste-water line did not drain into your sink-waste pipe, then your reverse-osmosis waste water line could not get contaminated by the sludge growing in the elbow in the sink-waste pipe, and would not make even "routine" noise---hint.

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