Brand new kitchen faucet...and saving water, too?

American Classic Modern Satin Nickel Spiral Pull-down
Kitchen Faucet purchased on Overstock

A few weeks ago, our old kitchen faucet died.

It had been in our house since the 2nd incarnation of our kitchen (we're now on number 3). Here's what it looked like the first day it was installed, back in 2006.

Sorry it's not the best shot. I'm sure you can understand that in 2006, I didn't think I'd be blogging, much less writing about a kitchen faucet.

But I think you get the idea -- it was a slightly above builder-grade faucet from Home Depot. And it was okay. Never great, but it was good enough to make a re-appearance when we really remodeled our kitchen. Here it was in our current kitchen:

 

Again, not a great photo but I actually have an excuse. Scott pulled the faucet out and started replacing it while I was putting the kids to bed at 8:30 at night. Who does that? And then, at 8:50 we realized we needed a longer supply hose and he had to run to Lowe's before the 9pm closing time. He didn't make it. So we went without water in the kitchen for a day. Not really much of a hardship, actually. But the not having a before photo? That's kind of a bummer. Anyway...

I'd been thinking about replacing the faucet for a while now, so when it was handled a bit too roughly and then wouldn't turn off, I knew it wasn't worth fixing. Scott got it back up and running (loosely) for a few day, just long enough to receive our new faucet. It wouldn't have lasted much longer.

When the old faucet busted, I found this new one on Overstock, which I'd actually eyed in the past but it had been sold out (and now is sold out again). Overstock has become my go-to source for plumbing fixtures. They usually have a decent selection at a good price, and I know from experience that their returns (even on plumbing fixtures) are zero hassle. At $118, the new faucet didn't break the bank, especially when compared to other spiral pull-down faucets.  I loved the traditional design of it (since most of the pull-downs I'd seen were very modern looking). What I loved most was the satin nickel finish. I knew from having a polished chrome finish on the old faucet, I definitely wanted satin.

And it is soooo much easier to keep clean. I am really, really happy with it.

But here's one thing I didn't know I was in for. The water pressure!

Seriously, the first time we turned it on, water splattered all over our kitchen. And, I don't know this for a fact so maybe take it with a grain of salt, but I think we're actually using less water.

Crazy, right?

Here is my logic on this one. At full pressure, the same amount of water comes through both the old faucet and the new one. The new one must have a super-powered aerator on it which is what gives it the crazy pressure (read more about aerators here). Because the new one gives us so much more power in the sink, we spend less time rinsing dishes and cleaning out the sink.

Less time rinsing using the same amount of water per second = less water used.

Am I right? Clearly, I am not an expert. But, when I started using this faucet and put all of the clues together, it seemed like we were probably using less water. And, when you live in the high desert, in a drought, something like taking 5 seconds to rinse a plate instead of 8 seconds really adds up. 

At worst, the faucet is using the same amount of water per second, but we're spending less time using it. At best, the aerator is a super-charged one that creates a more powerful stream while using less water, so we're using fewer gallons per second and spending less time with the faucet on. Sounds like a win-win to me.

What do you think? Am I on to something? Could replacing your faucet help you do dishes more efficiently and make your kitchen look better, too?