So it’s been 15 years or so and the grime and scale build up on the faucet got to the point of no return. The old Delta faucet that has done really well over the years was very hard to move and after Replacing the seals a couple of times, it was time for something fun.
Not to mention when you have 2 dirty hands, it’s just easier and cleaner to tap the faucet with your forearm to turn it on.
Does it Fit ?
We basically started looking to what would fit. There is an existing single hole for our faucet and was the simple design we were looking for when the counter was originally installed. Most faucets will come with the cover plate (as this one), but the single covering leaves a sleek look.
Also being a fan of Delta throughout the years, we started by the brand name. I’m not a fan of Moen or Kohler as much. Moen seems tough to find parts and Kohler the parts seem so intricate (at least in my experience).
Old Faucet gusset and supply connections
I have to give it to Delta on this Essa faucet, as I didn’t even need a basin wrench. The connectors from the old faucet were basically a snap ring which I was able to remove by hand.
Once I pulled the old faucet through, loosening the nut from the gusset was a piece of cake. I had the old tool that the original Delta faucet came with along with the new tool from the Essa faucet. Fortunately there was no scale build up or rot and it came off easily.
With this new faucet, the end pieces that tie into the supply lines already have nuts and gaskets built in, so there is no copper compression fitting to be concerned about. The old fittings came off with a little effort with a wrench and I was able to pull the old supply extensions.
I installed the hot and cold supply lines (color coded) and snugged them up with a wrench. At this point, I ran the water just to check for leaks and purge the line from the factory (A recommendation that Delta had in the manual).
After that, you just need to connect the spout hose to the gusset and clip it on with the standard Delta clips that come in the package. This is very straight forward and easy to install.
“Powering” the Faucet
The package comes with a battery holder and a set of 6 AA Duracells (not for resale type). It is a simple plastic sleeve that can also accept 6 C batteries as well with the included adapter.
Prior to buying the faucet, we noted a number of Amazon reviews ranging with battery lifespan from 1 to 6 months. Since the kitchen faucet is pretty much a major appliance, I could live with a 6 month window which we have hit without showing signs of any failure. (We are past 6 months already)
I also bought the A/C power adapter but I am still waiting for the original batteries to go.
How does it function ?
Like with anything else, there is a little learning curve to using the faucet. At first, you have to just get .
The handle is pretty straight forward. Push it upward for cold and down for hot. Moving it towards the right will control the flow.
The touch part is very responsive. Just tap the faucet body and it will turn on to the last setting you had it on (cold, warm or hot with the flow control). The handle is like any normal handle and can still be used without the touch control.
There are little nuances here and there where you may inadvertently turn the faucet on or off, but you do get use to them. After a week, it became rather normal. I really like it that if both of your hands are dirty or you’ve been handling raw chicken, you simply just tap it with your forearm.
Little Perks
So a neat little thing that I didn’t realize when we bought the faucet is that there is a little LED light at the base of the faucet. This turns blue, purple and red to indicate what the water temperature. It actually is convenient when the kitchen is busy and the last person had it blazing hot for washing dishes. You can see it ahead of time before dipping your hands in. Or vice versa, you can wait for it to warm up if you want hot water.
ColdWarmHot
A little bit overkill, but now we are use to this little feature.
So if you are looing for a new faucet, really give this Delta Essa faucet a good look. It is a well built unit and was easy to install. If we had the hole in the counter top, we would probably look into the glass washer. Another little thing that just makes life a little easier.
