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!

Leave a Comment

110 Comments

  • We have made an effort to be more eco friendly in our home by recycling more. We have also replaced outdated appliances with energy star certified appliances to reduce electricity consumption.

  • Some eco-friendly changes we made in our home to save water and energy are: we replaced our old light bulbs with new eco friendly ones, we have an HE washer/dryer, we wash our clothes with cold water & hang them outside on the clothes line to dry and taking shorter showers and have replaced some old appliances for new energy-efficient ones!

  • We use eco friendly products and have changed our light bulbs that uses less energy and more efficiency.

  • We have a low flush toilet and I use a rain barrel to catch water for my garden.We wash
    our laundry in cold water and we have the new energy efficient machines.We also use the
    new energy efficient light bulbs throughout the house.

  • The main thing we have done is switch to energy efficient light bulbs and using cold water to do our laundry.

  • Hello,

    My name is Sid. I wanted to write this email to compliment you on your great looking website Thiswestcoastmommy.com. While I was reviewing your wonderful site, I thought that you would be a perfect partner for our affiliate program. I would like to invite you to join our affiliate program and start earning generous commissions today.

    FontanaShowers provide contemporary bathroom fixtures, contemporary showers, hydromassage bathtubs, LED shower head & shower system, commercial sensor faucets, vanities, timeless design modern technology and highest quality. FontanaShowers takes great pride in the quality of its customer service, offering secure payments, a no-quibble top quality guarantee and free delivery on all orders with up to the minute tracking. I am sure your customers will love our products.

    As an honored affiliate partner, you will earn a generous 7.5% Per Sale with 180 Days cookie tracking period.

    To review details and to join our affiliate program, please check:
    https://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantID=83869

    I look forward to sending you loads of commission. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me; I am here to assist you.

    Best regards,
    Sid Samel
    Affiliate Program Manager
    fontanashowers.com

  • Hello,

    I had sent you an invitation email earlier but didn’t hear back from you. I wanted to follow-up to see if you got my invitation email to join our affiliate program.

    FontanaShowers provide contemporary bathroom fixtures, contemporary showers, hydromassage bathtubs, LED shower head & shower system, commercial sensor faucets, vanities, timeless design modern technology and highest quality. FontanaShowers takes great pride in the quality of its customer service, offering secure payments, a no-quibble top quality guarantee and free delivery on all orders with up to the minute tracking. I am sure your customers will love our products.

    As an honored affiliate partner, you will earn a generous 7.5% Per Sale with 180 Days cookie tracking period.

    To review details and to join our affiliate program, please check:
    https://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantID=83869

    I look forward to sending you loads of commission. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me; I am here to assist you.

    Best regards,
    Sid Samel
    Affiliate Program Manager
    fontanashowers.com