Franke tap water droplets query

[colin_]

I have just had a Franke Athena kitchen mixer tap fitted. After turning it off there is a small drop on the spout.

If I remove this then another one will form at some point later (and times between drops appear to get longer)

This morning there was no drop there so I thought it must just be water retained in the neck that was coming out over time but, after 20 minutes without the taps being used, another drop had formed.

All the taps I have in the past did not do this and as Franke is a costlier solution I would not have expected it to do so either.

Is this normal operation for a Franke tap (and if so why?)

If not then I shall have confidence in contacting Franke to sort it.

Thanks

 

[John.g]

No not normal if the tap is actually dripping, I have one of those for > 13 years with no drips, however if you have very high mains pressure, say > 5bar, then you may get a drip.

 

[colin_]

No not normal if the tap is actually dripping, I have one of those for > 13 years with no drips, however if you have very high mains pressure, say > 5bar, then you may get a drip.

Hi

Thanks for the reply.

I do not have high mains pressure.

It is not like drips I have had in the past where you get a drip then a couple of seconds a drip again.

After the first couple it appears to be around half an hour or so before another one has formed (hence wondering if this was a "feature" of the Frankie tap as water retained in the spout was being released) but I personally expected none to be there at all.

I will have to monitor at the weekend to get more facts (when the tap is not in use of course).

 

[colin_]

Is there anybody else who has a Frankie tap that can say how theirs behaves, thanks in advance?

 

[Ben-gee]

After running a bit of water, rapidly tap the end of the spout - this should release a fair bit of water ( the volume from the top of the curve of the spout to the end) - tap it a bit more until no more water comes out.
Now monitor it, if no water comes out the valves are fine - if it starts dripping then at least one is letting by.

If you unscrew the aerator from the spout this experiment is easier.

 

[colin_]

After running a bit of water, rapidly tap the end of the spout - this should release a fair bit of water ( the volume from the top of the curve of the spout to the end) - tap it a bit more until no more water comes out.
Now monitor it, if no water comes out the valves are fine - if it starts dripping then at least one is letting by.

If you unscrew the aerator from the spout this experiment is easier.

Thanks, I tried this with the tap as is and after the couple of drops no water comes out until after ~ 1 hour when a new droplet forms. Over 5 hours there is a very small amount of water (say one small droplet an hour), perhaps this is just water trapped in the spout?

 

[Ben-gee]

Thanks, I tried this with the tap as is and after the couple of drops no water comes out until after ~ 1 hour when a new droplet forms.

Then you didn’t do as I described. It releases not just a couple of drops but the whole volume from the end of the spout to the top of the spout ( ie a quarter circle of spout!).

Once you got released all of this any drops are only due to a valve passing. What you describe above could well be just water releasing from the spout.

 

[colin_]

Then you didn’t do as I described. It releases not just a couple of drops but the whole volume from the end of the spout to the top of the spout ( ie a quarter circle of spout!).

Once you got released all of this any drops are only due to a valve passing. What you describe above could well be just water releasing from the spout.

Removing the aerator causes water left in the spout to be released.

What you are suggesting appears to be the case (the water left with the aerator releasing over a period of time- equivalent of say 4 small drops in 6 hours).

The original concern was that all the (cheaper) taps I have had never did this so original thought was something was coming through but I suppose older units were slightly better built/quality.

Thanks for your input on getting to the bottom of this.