A few years back I bought a German made lavatory faucet made by Dornbracht.

A few days ago the "pull rod" broke, the horizontal piece that the pop up rod is linked to with a joint.



This pull rod is different in that the ball size is different then most, and the cap that seals the ball to the drain tail piece has a unique thread. I have a dozen various pull rods and drains from various brands such as Kohler, Moen, Delta, Brasstech etc...and none of them fit.

I then contacted the manufacturer about parts. To get this pull rod replacement part, just that metal rod with a ball, is $47, and it's a special order from Germany that takes 3 weeks minimum. There is no warranty either.

I think if it's Kohler, Moen or Pfister this would have been a free replacement part. I think I paid close to $300 for this faucet, so I guess I might as well replace the entire faucet if parts are impractical to replace. I hate to do this because it's a pedestal sink and it's probably very difficult to replace it in place.

? Can you simply replace the drain assembly ?

[www.plumbingsupply.com]

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Sum, I'm with Bernabeu, IF you love that faucet THEN I would tend to just buy a drain assembly like a vessel sink drain. Lessen learned on what brand not to buy?

p.s. I do love pricey German Grohe and have never had any issues like you just experienced and what I installed at my own home.

I have never had luck replacing a whole pop up assembly on an installed pedestal sink. Every time, I've had to pull the sink to replace the assembly. You might want to bite the bullet and pay what they want for that rod.
Usually, just on principle, I would'nt pay their outrageous price, but in this case, I would through gritted teeth.

I don't think I can replace the drain assembly, virtually no room to loosen or tighten even with a basin wrench...unless I remove the hot and cold as well as the brass tee connecting the hoses from below, and by then I might as well put in a brand new faucet.

Yes just on principle I am inclined to change out the whole faucet. It's not just the money but also the minimum of three weeks of wait. What if the next thing to break is one of the handle cartridges? That will be what $150 and a month of wait?

Vic I have Grohe fixtures too so far I haven't had a need to repair one so I don't know if their parts are warrantied or readily available. But I have dealt with Delta (shower valve cartridges), Moen and Pfister (tub spouts), Kohler (utility faucet and canister flush valve) and they all just sent me replacement parts immediately.

sum, big box store carries a rod set up with different size balls.
it may or may not work.
use the existing fastening nut.
[www.homedepot.com]

Sum, do you know the OEM number for the ball rod?

Packy the big box universal kit ball sizes do not fit. Which prompted me to look at may be a different ball plus a matching cap may work but the threads are different. I will probably just replace the faucet.

steve, they sent me a PDF file with the parts for my faucet which is the Madison series.

the part number is identified as the sixth on the list below 093109042ff. My understanding is that the "ff" at the tail end is the finish like chrome or brushed nickel or bronze etc...not even sure why there is a finish choice on that part because the only thing exposed is the VERTICAL pull rod which has a knob on the top side.

You need #5, 6, & 7 for sure.

That part should be called "ball rod", not pull rod. I called a "windy city shoppe" that sells it cheaper than you stated, but they said 2-3 week lead time.

steve, thank you for checking into this. Yes, that's another reason I didn't want to special order it because I am not sure the parts list is right.

I pulled another Dorn Bracht faucet parts list and it called that same part (different faucet) a "bar".

I don't understand why that part would be made with a finish selection, and the price seems to suggest it may actually be the vertical pull-rod which does have a finished knob. I don't want to pay $45 wait three weeks and find out they sold me the pull-rod. The technical support at Dorn Bracht is not the most responsive and doesn't respond to specific questions other than provide parts list and prices.

Dorn Bracht is the german equivalent of delta.
decent quality at affordable price.

don't you just love a company who makes that rod out of steel/iron?
they have to know it will rust out in a few years and still they don't give a crap.

Sum, the couple of websites I've seen listing this part called it ball rod.

This post was deleted by Plbg as abhikhurana violated our rules of no advertising.



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ball rod seems much more intuitive. Bar or pull rod not so much.

If you have a friend with a lathe, a rod with a larger ball could be turned down to the diameter you need. I would probably try to do it with the ball rod in my drill press and using sand paper.

sum,


just a thought:

find a blank rubber 'washer' which fits under the 'ball lever cap'

eliminate the 'pop-up' action completely

insert a bar sink basket strainer into the drain with some silicone and/or epoxy

eg.

assuming it can be done 'neatly' - voila, problem be gone



the tenant can use a stopper if THEY want a sinkful of water

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



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