Angled faucet with narrow portable dishwasher quick connect problems
December 7, 2016 9:00 PM Subscribe
We recently got a portable dishwasher for our apartment. (We love it!)
The thing that we don't love is that on our kitchen faucet the water comes out at an angle, and when combined with the quick connect aerator that came with the dishwasher it tends to spray water over our countertops instead of down into the sink. Is there anything we can do to fix this?
If there's not a different aerator compatible with our dishwasher (Kenmore 14652) we can get, is there something that we can connect to the quick connect when the dishwasher isn't hooked up that would let us redirect the flow downward (I'm envisioning some sort of pivoting nozzle)?
There's a picture of the angled faucet with the quick connect here.
I believe the old aerator was lower flow and had a wider opening so it didn't have this problem, but with the new one the water comes out in a much narrower stream at higher speed and the shape seems to lend itself to some spray coming out of the main stream and hitting the countertop (the main stream itself hits most of the way up the side of the sink basin).
I've turned the water pressure to the faucet down quite a bit using the knobs under the sink which has helped somewhat.
We can of course ask our landlord about replacing the faucet but wanted to ask here first in case there was an easier solution.
Thanks!
If there's not a different aerator compatible with our dishwasher (Kenmore 14652) we can get, is there something that we can connect to the quick connect when the dishwasher isn't hooked up that would let us redirect the flow downward (I'm envisioning some sort of pivoting nozzle)?
There's a picture of the angled faucet with the quick connect here.
I believe the old aerator was lower flow and had a wider opening so it didn't have this problem, but with the new one the water comes out in a much narrower stream at higher speed and the shape seems to lend itself to some spray coming out of the main stream and hitting the countertop (the main stream itself hits most of the way up the side of the sink basin).
I've turned the water pressure to the faucet down quite a bit using the knobs under the sink which has helped somewhat.
We can of course ask our landlord about replacing the faucet but wanted to ask here first in case there was an easier solution.
Thanks!
Would it be too much of a pain to just attach the quick-connect adapter whenever you want to run the dishwasher?
posted by Thorzdad at 8:17 AM on December 8, 2016
posted by Thorzdad at 8:17 AM on December 8, 2016
Yeah - Thorzdad has it. I don't think that quick connect adapter is meant to stay in place when you're not connecting the dishwasher. We never left it there -- we kept it in the soap dish next to the sink. And when we left it in place by accident, the next sink user got a big spraying surprise.
I don't think you want to turn down the water pressure to the faucet -- that'll make it take EVEN LONGER to run the dishwasher, and may not provide optimum amounts of water on the schedule that the cycles run on.
posted by vitabellosi at 8:41 AM on December 8, 2016
I don't think you want to turn down the water pressure to the faucet -- that'll make it take EVEN LONGER to run the dishwasher, and may not provide optimum amounts of water on the schedule that the cycles run on.
posted by vitabellosi at 8:41 AM on December 8, 2016
Best answer: The adapter is designed to just be left on all the time; the threads on a tap aren't really designed for repeated use (they are fine, shallow and usually the adapter is stainless steel which risks galling with repeated threading).
This sort of double jointed tap adapter might mitigate the problem if your D/W adapter will fit in place of the end aerator. It will allow you to direct the flow down and it will get you closer to the sink reducing splash.
Does your D/W adapter have a flow regulator? You can try inserting one.
Reducing the flow in your tap won't affect the efficacy of your dishwasher as they all (with the exception of some ancient top loaders) have water level switches. The cycle might take a minute or two longer but your dishes will still get clean.
posted by Mitheral at 9:51 AM on December 8, 2016
This sort of double jointed tap adapter might mitigate the problem if your D/W adapter will fit in place of the end aerator. It will allow you to direct the flow down and it will get you closer to the sink reducing splash.
Does your D/W adapter have a flow regulator? You can try inserting one.
Reducing the flow in your tap won't affect the efficacy of your dishwasher as they all (with the exception of some ancient top loaders) have water level switches. The cycle might take a minute or two longer but your dishes will still get clean.
posted by Mitheral at 9:51 AM on December 8, 2016
Best answer: A short section of tubing that is placed on the faucet the the dishwasher is not in use would serve to direct the water flow downward. Get the right inside diameter for a snug fit. I don't believe that it would be anything but utilitarian looking, though.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 10:00 AM on December 8, 2016
posted by Midnight Skulker at 10:00 AM on December 8, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks everybody for the input so far. The double-jointed tap adapter looks like exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of. That one doesn't permit swapping out the end aerator but I'll look around and see if I can find one that can.
As a temporary solution we may try the section of tubing.
Also thanks for the heads up about the shutoff valves not being designed to be left partially open. That's really unfortunate because it really helps.
posted by unus sum at 9:30 PM on December 8, 2016
As a temporary solution we may try the section of tubing.
Also thanks for the heads up about the shutoff valves not being designed to be left partially open. That's really unfortunate because it really helps.
posted by unus sum at 9:30 PM on December 8, 2016
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posted by rockindata at 5:36 AM on December 8, 2016