Giveaways Reviews

I Finally Updated My Bathroom with a WaterSense Certified Faucet

Our house is around 20 years old now, and that means a lot of the original fixtures are in need of repairs and even replacement. We did the roof last summer, and I’m pretty sure we’ll need to replace the furnace this fall. Sigh.

Recently, we noticed the original bathroom faucets starting to fail. First the pop-up drains broke off, then the faucets started to leak, and then one of them just stopped working. No water at all. Now I suppose we could replace the cartridge and the drain rod, but honestly the faucets that came with the house just aren’t that attractive.

Our old, broken faucet needed to be replaced.

Dated-looking is putting it kindly. To me this was an opportunity to update the faucet with something more modern.

It’s not just how they look though. Older faucets use more water, and that means wasted water as well as a higher water bill. I’ve been wanting to replace all our faucets with modern water saving fixtures like the EPA WaterSense certified faucets made by American Standard because they limit the water flow to a maximum of 1.5 gallons (5.7 litres) per minute.

When they heard we were in the market for a new faucet, American Standard kindly sent us one of their WaterSense faucets with their unique Speed Connect pop-up drain to replace our old, broken, and wasteful fixture. We received this Fluent Centreset Faucet in chrome.

The American Standard Fluent Centreset Faucet is easy to clean, looks elegant, and features child-friendly handles.

So last weekend we pulled out the old faucet and the broken drain. If you’ve never done this before, don’t forget to turn off the water first, and expect it to be really gross in there. Make sure you’ve got a bucket, rags, and some paper towels on hand for the worst of the gunk.

Keep a bucket, rags, and paper towels on hand when you remove the old faucet.

Once the old parts are out, you can start putting in the shiny new faucet. Like any pop-up drain, the assembly goes in the drain hole and then you screw on the drain flange to secure it.

The Speed Connect pop-up drain is noticeably easier and quicker to install.

But here’s where things can go one of two ways. On a typical faucet the pop-up drain assembly consists of the drain itself and a pivot ball rod that you install on the side of the drain with a ball washer and a pivot nut. The pivot ball rod then has to be adjusted and clipped to a separate extension rod attached to the lift rod (the part you pull to open and close the drain). If it sounds confusing, that’s because it kind of is.

In comparison, our American Standard Speed Connect faucet had only 4 parts (compared to the typical 14), so it took noticeably less time to install the drain. All hubby had to do was screw the faucet’s cable connector into the side. The entire installation of the faucet and the drain took about 20 minutes from start to finish and required a flat head screwdriver and adjustable wrench.

Speed Connect pop-up drain

Images courtesy of American Standard.

In real life terms, the Speed Connect feature meant a quicker install and less time lying under the sink with the edge of the cupboard digging into hubby’s back.

The American Standard Speed Connect pop-up drain means less time lying under the sink.

And here’s the final result!

The American Standard Fluent Centreset Faucet is easy to clean, looks elegant, and features child-friendly handles.

I’m really happy with our new faucet! It looks elegant, it’s easier to clean without that recessed edge under the spout, and the handles are so much more child-friendly. With this new faucet, Kay can now turn the water on and off independently. She’s so proud of herself, and it’s definitely a bonus for me that I don’t have to drop everything to turn the water on for her every time she has to wash her hands.

now I can turn on the tap

The Fluent Centreset Faucet comes in chrome, satin nickel, and rubbed bronze finishes to match any bathroom decor. Available at Amazon, Home Depot, and other home improvement stores.

Win a WaterSense Certified Faucet!

Win an American Standard WaterSense Certified Faucet (CAN, 6/11)

Are you planning to update your washroom too? I’m excited to be able to offer one of my readers their own WaterSense certified American Standard faucet! The winner can choose one of these four models (retail value ranges from $239 to $425 CAD):

Enter in the giveaway widget below. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada, 18+. All entries will be verified.

Click here to check out my other open giveaways on my GIVEAWAY PAGE!

Disclosure: I received a sample item for review. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ. This post contains affiliate links. This West Coast Mommy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you. This income helps pay for the operating costs of my website – thank you for your support!

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110 Comments

  • we bath our daughters together now instead of separate (the youngest could only be at a certain height of water), we wash in cold water and we make sure to turn taps off while brushing our teeth

  • We changed our toilets to low flush, changed our shower heads to low water use. We updated our washing machine and dishwasher. We Mulch like crazy in our yard and it sure makes a difference. Thank you for the Wonderful giveaway. We are planning to renovate our bathroom this Fall so I really found your article helpful 🙂

  • We live on a well so we’re always conservative with out water.. the lack of water pressure helps with that lol. I’m also crazy about keeping the electrical bill down, so nothing is turned on unless we’re using it. Lights are to be turned off when leaving a room, and I only use major appliance during off peak hours.

  • we have low flow toilets aswell as a shower timer . It seems to be working great for saving water

  • We have the newer HE energy saving washer and dryer set.We also changed all
    the light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs and we have low flush toilets in our home.
    We made lots of changes to preserve water and energy.I collect water in a rain barrel
    to help me with watering the garden.

  • Our toilets are water savers, We keep water in the frige so as not to have the tap running as much.

  • We use energy saving lightbulbs and water efficient shower attachments. We try not to be wasteful in general and use too much electricity or water.

  • we put slow flow water tap in the kitchen and bathroom and recycle boxes in the kitchen and a smaller one in the upstairs hall ,

  • SO far I have gotten my light bulbs to a better standard and have made sure all windows are properly sealed and have had the watertank wrapped.
    @tisonlyme143

  • I replaced most of our light bulbs with LED bulbs. I replaced the lights in the garden with solar LEDs.

    We already recycle, compost, and try to use reusable grocery and produce bags. We already have an HE washer, cloth diaper, and use the clothesline for laundry seasonally. We do use a dishwasher but only run it when it’s full.

    I try to keep the temperature a little lower in the winter (and just wear a sweater!) and a little higher in the summer (and just wear shorts!).

  • To save water and energy, I only run the laundry machine when i have a full load, and i use cold water.

  • We turn off lights and appliances, electronics when not in use and we use fluorescent light bulbs.

  • We shower instead of bathe, turn the taps off while washing hands / brushing teeth, have a water efficient shower head and toilet… 🙂

  • When replacing appliances, we bought energy efficient models, we use the appropriate light bulbs and of course, turn everything off when not in use, shorter showers etc.

  • We have a leaky faucet and I put a bucket under to catch the water and give our pets water and water potted plants!!!

  • I make sure lights are always off when leaving a room; as well as looking at natural light verses having the lights on.. Water is turned off when brushing teeth until needed rather than running constantly

  • so glad it’s summer and I can use my rain barrel now. I use it to water plants, of course, but I also wash my hair with it, it makes it so soft! Also gave the dog a bath the other day. I also put weights in the back of the toilets to save water, they are old and HUGE, not like the new ones.

  • I recycle my fish tank water to water my plants. Some of my plants are chlorine sensitive , so the fish tank water.

  • We only flush our toilet when really needed-and we out a bucket in our tub to catch the water while we are waiting for it to get warm-we then use the water in the bucket to flush the toilet

  • We have energy saving appliances, a water saving shower head, & try not to use the washer/dryer in peak times but I feel it’s not enough. My daughter learns about this so much in school & is constantly nagging at me about water usage, etc. And she IS the next generation so i should make it a priority!

  • We put aerators on all the faucets. When washing our hands we never use the faucet at full pressure, you only need a small stream to come out. The shower head was changed to a low flow type. Our old toilet was changed a few years ago to a push button model so you use the small button for liquid waste and the large for solid waste.

  • we are on a well so we have always been water concious, the first thing I did when I moved in was to install low flow toilets and shower head

  • We use soap that comes from a pump as I find The Kids use less and require less water to rinse afterwards.

    Beautiful faucet! We’re updating our bathroom and this would be perfect.

    Besos, Sarah
    Journeys of The Zoo

  • I have installed low flow filters on my shower and all of the taps in my apartment. I also try to collect rainwater rather than using tap water for my plants. I also have a low water use toilet. Every bit counts!

  • We added low flow toilets and faucets. I have also added a rain barrel to water the gardens with.

  • We have a big rain barrel for watering the plants in the yard in the spring and summer and have a high efficiency furnace now for fall and winter.

  • We switched all our light bulbs to LED ones, we have a low flow shower head, and we have been using a (make shift) rain barrel to collect the rain water for watering our plants.

  • Most recently I have tweaked our water softener to use less salt & I try to only use the A/C at night time when it isn’t fighting with the outside temp (i.e. runs a lot less)