I have the Euro model at both sinks. I love it. I didn't know which model to get so I talked to customer service. She had both and neither stood out better than the other. Basically it's whatever you get used to. I decided on the euro model since it would be less noticeable. I may install another one for my bathroom sink since I keep kicking the kick plate trying to turn on the faucet.

Different European feet????

I'm thinking "European feet" = something perfectly styled in butter-soft leather with clever detailing and maybe a peek-a-boo cut-out over the toes?

But now back to plumbing ... what I'd like to know from TM users is whether the water flow is completely stopped when tapped into the off or pause position, or whether it just reduces to a tiny trickle.

I have a kitchen faucet aerator now (Conservastore sells them) that has a litte lever that you can use to reduce the flow to a tiny trickle. This is v. useful in my house where the trip from the water heater to the faucet is long and exposed to (even though insulated) extreme cold in the winter. If one simply turns the flow off, then it cools a great deal in the pipes and you must waste some water getting the HW back to temp, even if the interruption is as short as 30 secs. But the trickle works to keep the water warm on re-start. But, the max flow on this otherwise useful thing is only 1 gpm which means filling a pasta pot is a tedious business. I've wondered if the TM might make me happier (though 300 bucks poorer, alas) since I like turning the water off -or nearly off - frequently when doing dishes by hand.

The little gadget I have now, BTW, has worked perfectly for more than 25 years, with only occasional removal for de-scaling. Can't complain about that.

TIA,
L

liriodendron, since a trickle flow also wastes water, you might consider an under sink on-demand pump. You install a button to turn it on. Press the button, it cycles water from the hot water line to the cold (wasting zero water since it just cycles in your house pipes) and automatically turns off when the hot water reaches the faucet.

Perfect for your situation.

One brand is the Chile Pepper pump

The Tapmaster will turn it off completely I'm afraid, with no adjustments. It's either off or what you have it set for at the faucet. Going from trickle to full on on might require some creative equipment mangling.

...coulda sworn it was under $200 a few years ago....

From their website:

Our cabinet door models are ideal for washrooms where short bursts of water to wash hands and brush teeth are all that is needed, while our Euro models are ideal for kitchens where you may need to turn the water on and leave it running when both hands are dirty or occupied.

I don't have one, but I infer that the conventional requires you to "hold the trigger," while the Euro is "push on/push off"?

Here is a link that might be useful: Tapmaster residential

They also have one with a different shaped pedal which is what I've had before. The kickplate model is their original I think (at least for GW kitchens). I THINK the euro is the same except for the pedal...I think I'm too much of a klutz to have the whole cabinet door be an on switch...

this looks like their list of products:

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.tapmaster.ca/catalog

The price has gone up...a lot! The last time I looked, it was $285 at Conserv-A-Store (and not that long ago!) Even with the coupon, it's still over $10 more than it was! I see the recession hasn't affected them!

Yes, Fori, it was even less than that a few years ago...

Angie....the two different types of activators for the Euro Tapmasters are

(1) Models 1770 & 1771: water stays on as long as you press the lever (i.e., "momentary") and

(2) Models 1775 & 1776: water stays on until you press the lever again to turn it off (I.e., "locking")

Angie, unless something has changed, I think they're trying to make a differentiation between ease of use profiles.

As I understand it, if you push the plate in and up, or something like that, it locks open, just like the Euro stick locks when you push it all the way to the side.

I have a two sided Euro. That is, there are two controllers for one sink, on the front and side of the island. They didn't have it at ConservaStore when I bought it, though.

Fori,

I like the Euro. I chose it because the sides of my feet are strong but my toes are ultra sensitive. You can press the Euro in to get hold for on water, not just push it to the side. Locking it to the side takes a lot of pressure. What I didn't realize when I bought it is that I would have preferred operating it with my left foot, but in both positions it's where one would want to use one's right. Occasionally, it has been awkward enough that I think I should have gotten the plate. Most of the time, I'm very happy with what I have. :)

So you don't get that little stick stuck between your toes...? Is it worth a whopping 5% to have to learn something new? ha.

Zartemis,

That's a very interesting idea, but I don't think it would work for me with my peculiar plumbing situation, alas.

I'm not terribly concerned about the tiny amount of water wasted by the keep-warm trickle, far more is lost due to cooling when the line is shut off.

I shouldn't fuss over this as my new kitchen plan will have both of the kitchen sinks practically overhead of the water heater. Right now our shower and bathroom sink are in this position (but on the other side of a wall in a different room) and there is never any gap in the hot water flow for them. It's just in the present kitchen that is so far away where this annoying "problem" occurs.

Memo to my rationalizing self: Got to move the kitchen because of that water trickle loss. Do it, now!

L.

Lirio: I don't understand how it could be physically possible for a continuous trickle to waste less energy or water than would stopping the flow most of the time (and consequently having to occasionally run the water until it gets hot). It would be simple enough to time how long it takes to fill a bucket using your trickle trick, and calculate how much water goes down your sink in a day.
I think we both agree that a kitchen that eliminates the long, cold piping run is the best solution!

Partly because of this issue, I installed a tankless hot water heater, which I was able to place in the basement directly under the kitchen sink and upstairs bathroom lines. The old tanked water heater needed to be clear on the other side of the house because of the flue location.

Hey!! I was just coming to start a thread about Tapmasters! I decided that I really want one. I can't believe how expensive they are, but the faucet works hard in my house. I'd love to buy mine now with the sale.

Is it alright with you Fori if I ask some questions here? I'll ask them anyway and you tell me if you'd like me to stop hijacking. :-)

OK. So I'm really stupid. Or really tired. Or both. I really don't understand how to pick the right model. I looked at the website for a while one night, but couldn't make heads or tails. I was going to throw myself at your mercy to explain it to me like I'm a first-grader. I only know that I want to be able to turn the water on with another part of my body other than a slimy hand.

Which model does what? How do I choose? Thanks!

I think it takes a little more effort to learn the Euro level (smaller area) but we're talking maybe a day. When I have house guests that can't learn how to use it I just pushed the lever to the side and leave it "on" and I have a normal faucet. I bought the Euro because I wanted something smaller but neither sink can be seen from another room.

I have model 1775. If you don't push the lever all the way to the side it works only while pushed (momentary). Push the lever all the way to the side (more effort) and it locks in the on position. Push it back to center and it's off. 95% of the time it's used in the momentary position. My big feet (with big shoes) sometimes push the lever into the "on" position when I don't want it. No one else in my family including my DH has that problem. I think it's my feet. It sounds more complicated than it is.

breezy, i have the tapmaster that gives you hot, cold or warm water model 1756. not all of them give you the option. purchased at conservastore.

kateskouros: how do you like the 1756 model? Do you use the different temperatures often?

Nope, Fori, the stick doesn't bother the toes, though it's sometimes convenient to operate it in the "thong" position. :)

Worth 5%? Probably not. Especially for what is going to be your "old" kitchen. Depends on the look you might want for your new kitchen if and when. If you don't have sightlines where you don't want the plate -- and you probably don't if you're keeping it as a galley -- and like the movement for using the old style, why change? I'm not sure that $15 makes a huge difference to most people's budget, but it's really about which one appeals to you most.

Hm.. How wide is the plate? If it's more than 6" it could save you from repositioning your foot. :) Maybe.

We installed the Euro model # 1775 in our kitchen reno and have been using it for a couple of months now.

I cannot say enough good things about it. DH says we could have saved all the cost of the reno by just installing that one thing and I would still be over the moon.

When we first got it, we found the little wand of the Euro style seemed uncomfortable with bare feet. But within a couple of days, either we got used to it or it loosened up a bit. Not an issue.

I would not get the momentary model. Being able to kick it all the way over to lock it on means that you can have water running to fill a big pot while you move around the kitchen. It also means you can set it so the faucet works normally for guests who aren't into Tapmasters.

I usually set the flow for medium stream, tepid. Our faucet is a Kohler Forte with a large single lever, so it's easy to push it slightly to adjust if necessary.

I like the look of the Euro. Completely unobtrusive. People don't notice it at all.

One thing to think about: Most people probably install the 'stick' in the centerline of the sink. We moved it slightly to the right, which is more comfortable and natural when we stand at the sink...we tap it with the right foot.

Best thing ever!!! And I owe it all to this forum.....

I studied the conservastore website last night. They made the product differences much more understandable to me than the Tapmaster site which is where I had done my initial research. I get it now.

Based on everyone's comments and wanting it to look unobtrusive, I'm ordering the 1755. Like seaduck suggested, I'll mount it just to the right of center.

Thanks for letting me hijack, Fori!

No problem, no hijack. :)

I'll probably get the kickplate like I had before. It's certainly compatible with MY bare feet and I honestly don't care how my toekick looks (although I did get it in white for my white kitchen).

The only problem I ever had with it turned out to be caused by a loose crayon.

Fori, hope you don't mind if I ask a few follow-on questions about the tapmaster? is it easy to install? or did you find you need to use a professional? i want to get one for use now in my old kitchen (which would mean a DIY install), but then take it out and move it to my next kitchen (in 1 year, knock on wood), would this be a difficult or time consuming task?