Can this drip be stopped?

[uscpsycho]

I have this fancy faucet called the Luna by Graff. It is a beautiful faucet but it has a slow, constant drip that seems unsolvable. Hoping you guys might have an idea. Here is a photo of the faucet.

And this is where the valve is, up high near the top.

So here is the problem. When you shut the water off, the faucet remains full of water (like a straw if you put your finger on the end and pull it out of the cup), and thanks to gravity drops of water fall from the tip ever so slowly. So the water sits there in one spot under the faucet and the hard water/calcium is causing my sink to stain in that spot.

It's also causing the tip of the faucet to discolor because there is "standing" water there 24/7, but I assume this can come out with CLR or something like that.

It seems to me like this problem inherent to the design. They either didn't thoroughly test this design before producing it. Or they knew this would happen but decided people would put up with it to get this look. The problem is, you don't get to make an informed decision before you buy it (and it ain't cheap) because nobody tells you this is going to happen.

Anyone have suggestions for preventing this slow drip? I can't call it a leak because I have no reason to believe there's a leak. It's just stored water losing the battle with gravity.

 

[Mliu]

Are you sure the faucet valve is shutting off completely or are you just assuming that? I would run a test first: leave the faucet on and shut off the water using the angle supply stop valves.

If it continues to drip, then contact the manufacturer and discuss the problem with them.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ImOld]

Please clarify that the "valve" you mentioned is where the hot/cold control is or are there faucets elsewhere. Where do you perceive the "stored water" to be?

 

[uscpsycho]

I'm not a plumber, so I realize that what I'm calling the valve isn't the valve. What I mean is that the water supply into the faucet is up high about 2.5 feet above the water spout. So the channel from where the water enters the faucet to where it exits is always filled with water. And I know this for three reasons. When I turn the water on it immediately comes out, I don't have to wait for it to travel down the channel (that would be annoying). When I turn the water off, it immediately stops, it doesn't wait for all the water to clear out before stopping (would be even more annoying). Finally, if I put a towel on the end of the faucet while the faucet is off, it sucks a good chunk of water out. Then if I remove the cloth and do this repeatedly, it gets a good amount of water each time.

This is a wall mounted faucet so there are no angle stops. I suppose I could verify by shutting water to the whole house, but I'm fairly certain the issue is as I described it. My plumber is pretty good so if he thought there was a leak I'm sure he would have done the troubleshooting. He thinks the problem is stored water-vs-gravity, as I described. But he doesn't have a solution for this.

The stored water is in the 2.5 feet of faucet between where water enters the faucet and where it exits the faucet. Perhaps this photo from Graff's promotional photos is a better view of the faucet design.

 

[Reach4]

What is the pH of your water, if it is not city water? Green means copper.

 

[Mliu]

This is a wall mounted faucet so there are no angle stops.

If be very surprised if there are no fixture supply stops. Are you saying that the entire faucet is hard-plumbed like a shower?

 

[uscpsycho]

Yes, it is hard-plumbed like a shower. I have two other wall mounted faucets that are the same. I didn't think wall mounted faucets ever had accessible stops. Mine don't.

Copper? Is removing that going to be a problem? Should I actively stay on top of that?

I have city water and when it was tested on-site in May it was 7gr/gal. Do I have excessive copper in my water? I don't think it is related to this particular issue, but sounds like maybe it is another problem I need to address?

 

[Mliu]

I have city water and when it was tested on-site in May it was 7gr/gal. Do I have excessive copper in my water? I don't think it is related to this particular issue, but sounds like maybe it is another problem I need to address?

What Reach4 was alluding to is, if your water's Ph is low (acidic), it could be dissolving copper from your pipes.

 

[uscpsycho]

I don't want to derail the conversation about the drip, so please continue to advise if you have any ideas.

But what's the deal with this copper? I don't think 7 is low, so do I have a problem or is this just from the city water? Can I do anything about it? And what kind of maintenance should I be doing on this spout?

 

[Mliu]

But what's the deal with this copper? I don't think 7 is low, so do I have a problem or is this just from the city water?

Grains per gallon (gr/gal) is a measure of dissolved minerals in your water. You said your water was tested at 7gr/gal which is right at the edge of what's considered "moderately hard" and "hard" water. You may need to invest in a water softener system.

But you have not told us the Ph of the water. If your water is acidic and dissolving your copper piping (the fact that the mineral deposits on your fixture are stained green suggests that it is), then you have additional, possibly bigger, problems besides your water hardness and dripping fixture.

 

[uscpsycho]

Duh. You said Ph and in my head I heard hardness because it is the test result I have.

I don't know my Ph, I'll get it tested this week.

Back to the drip from the faucet. Nobody has had a suggestion so it's feeling like this is just something I'm going to have to live with. I had a feeling that would be the case because you can't stop physics

 

[Reach4]

I don't know my Ph, I'll get it tested this week.

You could ask the water department. Since you use city water, they probably keep the pH at 7 or higher.

The water pH was sort of a side thing. It is not going to cause the drip. What mliu was saying is that the water may take a while to drip out due to design, and the valve may not be leaking. Or the valve might be leaking, and that leak would stop if you shut off the incoming water.

 

[Chucky_ott]

I think you might have an air lock in that faucet. Sort of like capping off a straw full of water with your finger. Lift your finger to break vacuum and you break the airlock.

Can you remove that curved piece from the bottom of the faucet? it's probably there to give you a nice laminar flow but it's probably also causing the air lock.

 

[Jadnashua]

You may not be able to fix the issue. If it had a vacuum breaker in the design, when you shut the water off, that would open, and let all of the water flow out of the spout below it. Otherwise, as was said, it's like you put a finger over the end of a straw. It will likely seep out slowly, and faster if you help it with the towel you mentioned, but it needs air to get back into it. There are ways during the design that could have resolved that issue, but not sure any after the fact one will do it.

The mineral deposits are a result of your water hardness. Green usually means there's some copper involved which could be from the pipes, or in the water supply. IF it was the water supply, you'd be likely to see those stains elsewhere.

 

[Mliu]

Let's approach this problem logically.

Manufacturers do occasionally release products to market with systemic design defects. But when they do, you'll find that many people are complaining about the same problem. One of the advantages of the internet is that it's very difficult to keep problems isolated from the public. This fixture is a high-end brand-name faucet, not some cheap knock-off from overseas, so if the faucet really did have a design flaw where the water stored in the spout was constantly dripping out, then a lot of people would be asking and complaining about it. I'm sure the outrage would be quite deafening considering that people are paying over $3,000 for this single fixture.

The assumption that the entire rectangular faucet profile is filled with water is false. I bet if you cut that faucet in half, you'd find an internal tubular waterway no more than 3/16" in diameter. Physics dictates that the water simply cannot drip out of the tube because atmospheric pressure acting on the exposed end of the water column, combined with the surface tension of the water, will keep the water in the tube indefinitely as long as the other end of the tube is sealed.

So there are two possible problems here:

1. The faucet valve is leaking, allowing supply water to continue to enter the spout after the handle is turned off.

2. There is a tiny leak in the piping between the faucet valve and the spout which is allowing air to enter the fixture. This air is breaking the vacuum that would normally hold the column of water inside the spout when the faucet is off. Of course, a small leak in the piping may also allow some water to drip from the leak path when the faucet is on. But since the piping is buried in the wall, faucets are typically not turned on for very long, and the water path in the fixture is open at the end of the spout (thus very little water pressure inside the fixture when the spout when on), the amount of water leakage may be miniscule and probably not immediately apparent, if ever.​

Note that hard water deposits in the aerator could also be wicking water from the water column in the spout, causing a drip. But that would only last until enough water drained from the end to break contact with the deposits. So if that were the problem, I would only expect to see a handful of drips shortly after turning off the water, and then it would stop.

 

[Chucky_ott]

The assumption that the entire rectangular faucet profile is filled with water is false.

I'm not sure I'd discount the initial assumption since he does state "if I put a towel on the end of the faucet while the faucet is off, it sucks a good chunk of water out. Then if I remove the cloth and do this repeatedly, it gets a good amount of water each time."

mind you, "a good chunk" is not a quantifiable measurement, not even in metric.

but as others have mentioned, first thing to try would be the shutoff valve under the sink.

If the faucet valve is closing properly, then the water that's dripping out has to be replaced by something, and that something is air. I'm trying to image how that would happen in a sealed column of water.

 

[Themp]

If there is no leak at the faucet handles(hot and cold), then the dripping has to stop after a period of time since there is only so much water trapped in the faucet. So, does it every stop, like you are gone for the weekend and come back and it is still dripping? If you determine you have no leak, then you should contact Graff. Their website does not show a part breakdown on the Luna, but you can contact them and point to this thread or just explain what is happening. My bet is that you have a leak.

 

[uscpsycho]

So here is some more information. When I said it is a slow drip, I mean it is a VERY slow drip. Like a drop an hour or less, depending on how long ago the last use was. I don't think a faucet leak is ever that slow? But that is irrelevant at this point because I confirmed there is no leak. If I stick a towel on the tip of the faucet I will eventually suck all the water out of it. And after I do, not a drip comes out even after a couple of days. So I think that eliminates a leak as the cause of the drip?

Regarding the lack of "deafaning outrage", it doesn't surprise me. I don't think Graff sells a lot of these. They are expensive, not a lot of people know they exist, and because of how they are plumbed you have to build with this faucet in mind. You can't just replace an existing faucet with this one. I'm guessing the relatively small number of people who have it don't have anywhere to complain about it; and most laypeople don't know about this website, so where would the complaints be? Also, I don't know that this slow drip would bother most people, but it bothers me because I have a contemporary corian sink with a near-flat bottom. So in my sink this slow drip just sits there in one spot under the spout, stains the corian surface and actually makes it rough so you can see/feel a dull spot. If it wasn't for the corian I may not mind this very very slow drip.

 

[HudsonDIY]

I've been watching this thread go back and forth about the physics of this faucet. Let me throw this out there. If the faucet only drops once an hour maybe the solution isn't to fix the faucet but to fix the water making the stain? It seems you may be stuck with the drip. If there wasn't anything in the water to stain the sink the problem will go away. I suspect even without the drip, by the looks of it, you're going to end up with a nasty mess at the end of this faucet and all your other faucets. No offense, but you've spent $3000.00 on a faucet but are willing to live with crappy water?

 

[Koa]

There is a break down drawing of the parts and installation instructions. It doesn’t appear to be a tube inside the faucet body.

https://www.graff-designs.com/en/catalog/bathroom/dett/322/luna-wall-mounted-lavatory-vessel-filler-w-single-control-handle/

Maybe the flow regulator could be removed or not seated properly? There is a Teflon insert (that might be the flow regulator?) that should be positioned correctly. Whatever that means. Might call manufacturer and talk to them. Maybe there is a defect on the internal wall of faucet causing water to cling to it? The aerator is removable using a key. Might trying cleaning that for debris causing water to cling. Might want to try using a car wax or sealer on the faucet or Maas polishing paste to help with buildup of deposits by aerator.

It looks like there is a plug at top of faucet that is removable. Maybe when aerator is out blow faucet out with compressed air to make sure inside is clean.

Assuming that the faucet is brass and probably unfinished on the inside, that is quite a bit of surface contact your water has an opportunity to interact with. Might be an inherent problem if not coated?

That’s all I could think of. Good luck.