Yesterday had a plumber over to tackle numerous little plumbing tasks around the house.

The kitchen sink faucet cold water has run rather slow for some time. I knew flow was restricted but wasn’t sure how. A few years ago the water main into our house broke (on the city side of the water meter). City came and fixed it, but because the pipe did break grit and sand and small rocks got into our pipes and had to be flushed out. I wondered perhaps did a small rock get jammed up in the faucet cartridge?

Nope.

Calcium build-up.

Central Texas… limestone everywhere. It happens.

But here’s the tip. The faucet is a Kohler. To replace the cartridge would cost as much if not more than buying a whole new faucet. The plumber recommended instead to buy Moen or Delta, because they’re simple: just pop the old cartridge out, put a new one in, and it costs a fraction. And the quality of the faucets are just as good.

So there you go. Your plumbing product shopping tip for the day.