OK, OK, I get it about Price Pfister..
Yes, I know. I know. I was warned.
I have installed two Price Pfister faucets in the last month. Both of them had to be removed and replaced because of low flow. Even after following the installation and flushing instructions and with the aerator removed, they were only supplying barely one gallon per minute with both hot and cold wide open. In both cases I could get about four gallons a minute from one of the supply lines.
One was a single handle faucet, one was a two handle faucet. Both were purchased at Lowes and both were under $100. Both said in the instructions that they met “FTC flow requirements of 2.2 gpm” (or maybe 2.3??). The first we replaced with another of the same model and it was better but I’m not convinced that it was truely adequate. The customer was happy so I didn’t measure. Got the heck out.
The second one was replaced with a Moen. A huge difference in flow. I notice that the Moen meets the same ANSI etc but doesn’t mention FTC flow rates.
It would be nice if that info was on the boxes instead of inside the instructions in small print.
So much I’ve read on this board that I’ve accepted, but I didn’t take all of the Price Pfister warnings to heart. Not that I was choosing the faucet, but from now on when faucet comes up, I will tell the customer that I will not install Price Pfister unless the customer agrees in writing that they will pay for another install if the Price Pfister isn’t satisfactory.
I won’t let Price Pfister cost me any more money.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
Edited 11/16/2002 10:36:47 AM ET by Rich Beckman
Replies
another day, another price pfisterer.
Sorry Rich, I had a bad experience once with a customer supplied PP faucet. They paid for the change over but with what a cpl plumbers told me, no more usa la PP. I'm thinking faucets quickly illustrate the "you get what you pay for" syndrome. Tho some are over priced, seldom do you pay less and get more.
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Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Rich,
It probably will meet the flow requirements at 80 PSI, lol. I use only Moen and occasionally Delta but only if the cusomer insists. Most Deltas I have installed leak out of the top seal out of the box. DanT
>Most Deltas I have installed leak out of the top seal out of the box.
But you have to take it out of the box. The top seal on the box is only tape, and the box itself is only cardboard...they're bound to leak. 'Course, I'm not a plumber, so maybe I'm missing something.
Needed to install a tub right now. Live in a small town with one so-so lumberyard/homecenter.All they carry is PP and Delta, so of course they are always out of Delta products when you need them.
Bought a tub drain kit and a tub/shower faucet. The lousey instructions refered to the chrome drain flange, it wasn't there. Go back to lumberyard, they say it is white plastic now (What an improvement). Go and install the damm plastic drain.
Now I am ready to install the faucet and there are no instructions or warreenty cards. I start to do the install with out them. I am trying to figure out what size holes todrill in the tub when I slowly realize I am spending too much time figuring out stuff that should be on the instructions. 2nd return trip to lumber yard. Opened at least 6 pp faucet kits and no instructions in any of them. I ask the lumber yard clerk to call the PP 800 help # and have them fax the instructions to the lumberyard for me. Of course they don't have the instructions, they say they are only availble on their web site. I give up for the day.
Next morning I go to their web site and it's closed, under construction, zip. Now I am pissed. Call the 800# and tell some disinterested "customer service" agent the problem I am having. The only solution they had was to talk with the regional sale rep and maybe he has a copy. But i have to be a lincensed plumbing contractor. After getting the 3rd degree about weather I am a plumbing contractor or not , I finally convince them that I am (I'm not). I call the rep and tell him what I need . I get it faxed to me 2 minutes later.
Of course I drilled the faucet control hole too small and had to saw it out larger.
NO MORE PP
Funny, as many customer complaints I have had about the Deltas being ugly it didn't occure to me it was the box they objected to. Huh, well ok I'll start unpacking the dang things before installation but what do you do with the packing, tape and all that stuff if you don't install it? DanT
Use it as shims under the cabinets holding the faucets!
Use it up,
wear it out,
make it do,
or do without!
[Just kidding on the shims!]
I plumbing contractor here installed a PP faucet that the owner bought at HD. It was in about the 10th floor of a high rise. The valve had either already had a crack or developed one within a week after installation.
The owner's were not home when it flooded their condo and two condos under it. The owners sued the plumber, HD, and PP.
It cost the plumber tens of thousands of dollars in legal costs defending themselves since they contended (correctly) that the owner supplied the faucet - they just installed it.
The plumber lost. PP and the plumber's insurance carried paid the damages to all three condos. It didn't cost HD or the owner a dime.
Go figure.
Consequently, no licensed plumber here will install owner purchased and supplied faucets - or piping and fittings.
The public slits their own throats. Over 20 years ago when I asked a retired GC why he thought our industry had so many incompetent and just plain sleazy contractors. He replied: "That's because the public has run most of the good & honest ones out of business."
Me thinks he was right then and still applies now.
In my limited experience with Price Pfister I have never had any luck, they mind as well change the name to Price Sh*ty
Guess I goofed too. After buying this house, which as a plumber friend commented of walking into the kitchen, "wow, that's a really nice $1000 sink, why did they put a $10 plastic faucet on it?"
It never worked well, so replaced w/ a PP. Always had really low flow from the faucet. I always thought it was a flaw, I guess it's just a PP feature.
Guess some day I'll replace it w/ a Moen, had great luck with their stuff. Still, it was a big improvement over the kmart special it replaced.