pasadena_commut
Well-Known Member
Our kitchen sink has a delta #70 ball in it. This thing has been a major PITA and has been rebuilt at least 10 times in the last 30 years. I would replace it but its bottom is up a long narrow channel behind the sink, and is nearly impossible to see or reach, and the sink is tiled in.
Anyway, it has thrown a new curve. The handle "off" position is no longer straight forward, that is, perpendicular to the base of the faucet. Instead it is rotated about 15 degrees counter clockwise as viewed from the top. Somehow or other it still works, although the "full hot" now seems to have some cold mixed in, as it is not nearly as hot as what comes out of the garage sink, about 10 feet away. The handle was removed, and the plastic piece with the bullet shaped cutout that the ball lever moves in has rotated a corresponding amount. How??? The thing has little plastic feet which lock into the brass of the faucet. My guess is that those have snapped off. Or do these faucets have some new to me failure mode which allows the brass base to somehow move?
As an extra added bonus when the handle came off underneath was a colony of I don't know what bug. They were tiny, tiny, tiny, and ran around with great vigor when unexpectedly exposed to the light. The only animal I know of close to that size which moves similarly are red mites, but these bugs were black, and smaller.
I have had very mixed luck with repair kits for this beast. Even the Delta's RP77738 kit would sometimes not work, or work long, on a fresh install. Danco worked better last time, but other times not. Maybe this is just the usual "quality varies" of all such Chinese made parts.
Anyway, it has thrown a new curve. The handle "off" position is no longer straight forward, that is, perpendicular to the base of the faucet. Instead it is rotated about 15 degrees counter clockwise as viewed from the top. Somehow or other it still works, although the "full hot" now seems to have some cold mixed in, as it is not nearly as hot as what comes out of the garage sink, about 10 feet away. The handle was removed, and the plastic piece with the bullet shaped cutout that the ball lever moves in has rotated a corresponding amount. How??? The thing has little plastic feet which lock into the brass of the faucet. My guess is that those have snapped off. Or do these faucets have some new to me failure mode which allows the brass base to somehow move?
As an extra added bonus when the handle came off underneath was a colony of I don't know what bug. They were tiny, tiny, tiny, and ran around with great vigor when unexpectedly exposed to the light. The only animal I know of close to that size which moves similarly are red mites, but these bugs were black, and smaller.
I have had very mixed luck with repair kits for this beast. Even the Delta's RP77738 kit would sometimes not work, or work long, on a fresh install. Danco worked better last time, but other times not. Maybe this is just the usual "quality varies" of all such Chinese made parts.