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Designing a wall mount kitchen faucet, feedback?

User
last year

Hello Houzz, I want to share a project that I've been working on for a few years. A bit of my insight came from reading these forums, so first I want to appreciate all the comments and helpful information you share here on these boards.


My project is a wall mount kitchen faucet that has all the features of a conventional deck mount: Single mounting body, single lever handle, pull down hose, and gooseneck spout. I finally got to the point where I have a functioning prototype and I'm pretty encouraged by the results.


The idea came about when I lived in a house from the late 1940's that had a chrome wall mount unit above the sink. I fell in love with the qualities of a wall mount faucet: Simple clean look, easy to wipe counter behind sink, gives faucet an independent feel as it isn't tied to the counter. After extensive research I could not find a new wall mount unit that offered the features available on deck mounts. Of course there are plenty of wall mount faucets, but they are pretty limited in their features, usually resorting to some goofy system for getting the job done (I'm thinking about those pull down sprayers that are suspended by a giant spring, aka - restaurant dishwasher faucet)


I began this project by creating rough sketches on paper and making models out of clay and rigid foam, then I moved on to learning CAD to create models for photoshop renderings and got serious with graph paper. I even shared those here about a year ago, and received a chilly response. Once I had some plans, I learned that a local university had a Prototype Development Lab and I collaborated with them to produce a functional prototype based on my designs.


The prototype is made out of brass. I built a mock-up kitchen sink by pouring a concrete countertop, tiling the backsplash and installing a "window ledge" to show how a wall mount faucet is compatible with a window above the sink. The photos show the results and I tested it with running water, but there are a few details that might come up as questions.


1) The design of the prototype exterior is very simple, we decided to focus on the inner workings rather than aesthetics, the style of the faucet could be taken in many directions as there is a lot of bulk taken up by the boxy shape that can be removed for an elegant design. Please don't get hung up on how it currently looks, the goal was a proof of concept.


2) The faucet is installed from the front and access to the wall cavity is only necessary under the sink, no need to open the wall up unless there was a stud directly behind the faucet location.


3) There is no hard plumbing in the walls necessary. Supply lines run from the faucet to shut off valves under the sink, which can be plumbed up through the floor into the cabinet. This means that even though there are lines carrying water through the wall cavity, the PEX or Copper lines do not have to be run in the exterior walls.


I consider this a significant step toward bringing wall mount faucets into use again, our technology has changed quite a bit since they were mainstream and I see a window of renewal for them. I am open to any comments, critiques - whatever you want to throw out, and can answer any questions you might have. Thanks for looking!








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