Do plumbing companies think?

[gear junkie]

I've seen and heard about alot of plumbing products that are out there that have resulted in lawsuits and bad workmanship. How long and thoroughly are products tested before companies put them in service?

[MrsSeatDown]

Your radar is probably just up for plumbing products. There are issues with all products in all fields.

I am sure cars are tested and tested and they get recalls. A month after Rick got my t-bird there was a recall that the seat belt didn't work if you went above 30mph. He told me as I got back from a road trip to San Diego:eek:

Look at all the toy recalls that after much testing they realize parts come off and can be swallowed or the easy bake oven light gets too hot and kids get burned. And don't even get started on lead paint:eek:

Go to consumer reports and you will find recalls on everything!

[Herk]

I think a lot of companies are letting their accountants do the thinking. Look at Moen - a few years with the HO market and they're underdesigning everything. Parts that used to be made of steel are now plastic. Parts that seemed bulletproof are failing within a month. Teensy screws keep falling out and plastic extensions break easily. "Buy it for looks, buy it for life?" Sure, if life means the life of the faucet.

On a similar topic, I've been hunting for a part for a leaking Kohler tub valve. They stopped updating my Kohler book, Kohler has their parts online, the valve was installed about three years ago and appears to have dripped from day one - at one point the scale had covered the bath drain.

So they call me in and I try to look up parts for the thing, or even determine why it's leaking. Trying to find parts on Kohler's website when you don't know the model of the valve is a joke.

In the past, I've avoided Kohler for residential passionately - since those rubber "condoms" that they called a plumbing part - I was getting about 1 out of three that leaked from the factory. And I've got a pile of OEM Kohler valvet stems that have broken plastic seals - still in the unopened packages.

I think these guys have a lot to answer for, and I'm not letting them off the hook because there are problems with other products.

And while I'm on the subject, why is Valley still in business?

/rant

[plumberscrack]

And while I'm on the subject, why is Valley still in business?
/rant

^^^^^^^^^:D:D:D

Even when I know exactly what I'm looking for on the Kohler site it's hard to find anything. It's probably there but I just can't find it.:confused:

[Herk]

I got a part for the Kohler valve today, but I don't know if it will be the right one. It looks like this:

https://secure.dolphinplumbingsupply.com/imagemagic.php?img=images/77886.jpg&w=400&h=277&page=popup

Or, there's a blowup picture at this site (http://simplyplumbing.com/kohlerkitchen-778860.html?productid=kohlerkitchen-778860&channelid=FROOG).

But the one I need the part for is round, not cross-shaped. I also got the balancing spool for it, just in case. I'm guessing that the faucets were bought at Homey at a cheaper price than the Posi-Temps.

[DUNBAR]

Yes indeed; Kohler is a bad name for repair parts.

I had a foreign woman call me once and told me that she had all Kohler faucets/showers in her home and that she had already been in contact with Kohler, stated that they sent her the parts already to fix the problems....


Now what do you think that really meant?


That means that this woman probably didn't have the right parts, told her to call me back when she got the full rebuild for each faucet as I wouldn't even bother to touch them unless I had everything there.

And what's bothersome of those situations is that even though you get OEM parts from Kohler, when the parts leak even after the new replacements....they somehow feel that you're to blame and not the product itself.

I avoid Kohler faucets like the bubonic plague.

[oldslowchevy]

what? you don't like the "bold new look" of kohler???............................. lol

[DUNBAR]

Nah, the only bold look they have is how well they fill up my scrap brass barrel.