Lav Drain Lift Rod Assembly Issue

[Valleykat]

Hi. I am new to the forum. I am in the midst of a remodel of my master bath. My countertops and undermount sink were installed today. Upon inspection, I realized that the lift rod of the drain assembly is not going to have room to function properly. Hindsight tells me I should have went with a smaller sink, but it is a large countertop with only one sink and I think it would have looked funny. It is a standard, 14 X 17, a Kohler Caxton, http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?item=168202 . The faucet is a single handle Asbury by Cifial, There is not enough room between the back of the sink and the wall for the faucet to be installed in a position that the lift rod will have room to function. The problem is that the lift rod is directly in the back of the faucet and lifts out and at an angle toward the wall. The faucet in my hall bath had the lift rod on the side so it didn't present a problem.

I hope my description of my situation makes sense. Being new to the forum, I am not familiar with how to post a pic, but I have one if that would make the situation clearer.

I looked long and hard for this particular faucet, and I love it, so I don't want to look for an alternative. I had a very limited amount to choose from in single handle, polished nickel, traditional style faucets. I couldn't return it if I wanted to because I purchased it 18 months ago when we had a false start to our remodel, and it was very pricey.

I am now trying to figure out if I will just let it be and not plug the sink, or if there is a push pop-up type of drain I could use with my faucet similar to the drain in my hall bathtub. Or maybe just some type of unsightly plug like you can use in kitchen sinks to use on the rare occasion I will want to plug it?

I would appreciate your thoughts on my situation and any advice you could offer.

 

[hj]

faucet

I would have to actually be there to decide if the lift rod could be modified to work. As a last resort, there are "lift rod bezels" that mount on the countertop and the lift rod goes through them.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

Can you throw us a picture.

I've had to cut some of the rod off before when they hit the wall.
I would need to see it before I would say go.
It's tough to return a faucet with a hacked off part.

 

[Dcelite]

You can get a drain with a stopper in it. They are used when we install a wall mounted faucet. They have the style that works like a tip toe bath tub drain and there is the style that you turn a quarter turn to make go down then turn it back to make it come up. They are both attractive and are available at plumbing showrooms.

 

[Valleykat]

I don't know if this pic will help much. It demonstrates how close to the wall the faucet is, and that is before the backsplash which will take up at least an inch of space. You can see the little knob for the lift rod on the back of the faucet. I will post the faucet spec sheet which shows the lift rod configuration next.

 

[Valleykat]

This pic shows the configuration of the lift rod. See how it angles back.

 

[Valleykat]

HJ, could you elaborate on the "lift rod bezels?" I googled the term and came up dry.

dcelite, is this the sort of drain you are referring to? Ones made for vessel sinks?

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/DeNovo-Vessel-Sink-Push-pop-Drain-with-Ring/3836019/product.html?AID=10654383&PID=1609763&SID=tfc_-_9_97_091112_ece6006f03261e0b2ce19bf5df8834fd

 

[hj]

drain

Find a picture of a bidet faucet, such as Kohler's #K-9274. Most of them use the bezel I was referring to for their popup drain.

 

[Terry]

I've used a hack saw to cut those rods shorter when the faucet has been too near the wall.
They make them longer then needed sometimes.

 

[hj]

faucet

His problem is not the actuator rod, but rather the pull up knob that is hitting the backsplash because the faucet is too far back because of the sink he used.

 

[Cass]

You may have to look for a new faucet with a rod that comes striate up

 

[Valleykat]

Thanks for your suggestions.

I think I would prefer not to drill an extra hole in the countertop if it can be avoided. I talked to tech support at Cifial and they said that it could be rigged so you barely have to raise the lift rod at all to stop the drain. We can only move the faucet hole forward about 1/4" due to the edge of the undermount sink, but we will do that and see if we can jimmy the lift rod in some fashion to make it work. If not, then I will replace the drain with a push pop up type like decilite suggested. That is a much cheaper alternative than replacing the faucet which cannot be returned and was very pricey. I'll report back in a couple of weeks as to how it turned out.

Thanks again.

-Kathy

 

[Geniescience]

You can bend the lift rod. The vertical piece. To make it almost straight, instead of bent. In the diagram it appears that most of it is vertical, and I'll guess that it moves vertically or almost completely so. The faucet itself can be modified too -- it is possible to widen and straighten out the hole inside which the rod slides. That hole is not a mission-critical hole for the faucet.

These comments are meant to help you make do with the Cifial that you have bought. Call them about these ideas too.

As you know, you can cut the the horizontal piece shorter. A pipe cutter does this painlessly. This changes the angle of approach of the vertical piece, which may help your situation. The angle shown in the diagram is just for an example. Other angles work too. Like 90 degrees. I'm certain a solution can be found. It's all a matter of adjustment now.

 

[hj]

movement

The amount of movement of the lift rod depends on where it attaches to the operating rod. The further from the drain it connects the more the lift rod has to travel to go from fully closed to fully open. If you could connect to the rod right next to the drain it would take a very short movement to operate the drain, but the sink itself usually is in the way of doing that.

 

[Terry]

His problem is not the actuator rod, but rather the pull up knob that is hitting the backsplash because the faucet is too far back because of the sink he used.

Good point.
And it would only be worse after the back splash is installed.

Probably not the best faucet for that location.

 

[Doherty Plumbing]

I'd put in a different faucet as well.