Orlando, FL · Member since 2009 · 2k+ posts · 282 votes
I bought some Glacier Bay faucets for the new vanity. The instructions said "do not use plumber's putty or pipe tape on these faucets--they work by compression."
I happened to mention this to a worker in the plumbing section of Home Depot and he said it was "BS" and that I should use the putty/tape.
Has anyone else used these faucets? What did you do? Thanks.
Investor · Southeast, MI · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
I've used Glacier Bay faucets for years. Are you talking about the hot and cold on the bottom of the faucet where you put the supply lines? If so, I never put anything on them. You will need plumber's putty on the drain. I never use those pop up drains. I use the commercial grid drains. Tenants are notorious for pulling out the pop up stopper and dropping toothbrushes, hair, toothpaste caps, etc down the drain.
Glacier Bay is basically a lower quality Delta. Delta is a great product, but costs more. Glacier Bay copied all of Delta's patents when they expired. The parts are mostly interchageable.
One nice thing about Glacier Bay is that they will send you parts for free. I have a whole bunch of seats and springs and cartridges from them. You can also use those on any Delta products that you own instead of purchasing parts.
Investor · Southeast, MI · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
I've used Glacier Bay faucets for years. Are you talking about the hot and cold on the bottom of the faucet where you put the supply lines? If so, I never put anything on them. You will need plumber's putty on the drain. I never use those pop up drains. I use the commercial grid drains. Tenants are notorious for pulling out the pop up stopper and dropping toothbrushes, hair, toothpaste caps, etc down the drain.
Glacier Bay is basically a lower quality Delta. Delta is a great product, but costs more. Glacier Bay copied all of Delta's patents when they expired. The parts are mostly interchageable.
One nice thing about Glacier Bay is that they will send you parts for free. I have a whole bunch of seats and springs and cartridges from them. You can also use those on any Delta products that you own instead of purchasing parts.
Property Manager · DeLand FL · Member since 2012 · 860 posts · 243 votes
13y
Have used them many times and never had any issues. As Rob said though, you need to clarify where you are talking about using the putty and tape.
I would also be very careful about taking advice from chain store workers, I know a few that really know their stuff and have heard others giving out advice that made me scratch my head and go "what????"
Contractor · Bakersfield, CA · Member since 2012 · 67 posts · 13 votes
13y
There are a few areas that can require tape or Putty. The first is the intake from the supply lines, some people put tape on those threads, but you shouldn't need to because most supply lines are going to have rubber washers in them. The second is the pop-up (drain) some faucets come with rubber washers and say those are good enough, I have never tried using just the washer, but it seems like bad science to me. I trust the tried and trued way. the last is the base of the faucet against the sink. some faucets now are coming with base plates that have a rubber ring and you are not supposed to need to use putty, again, I don't trust it. I chose to use putty. I am a General contractor and chose to use this method because it is proven and doesn't cost any extra. But technically you don't need the putty, its up to you.
Investor · Southeast, MI · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
I usually put silicone down between the faucet and the sink. As far as hooking up the supply lines, I don't use anything on either end of those. They have rubber compression washers that work fine. I always use braided supply lines. The cheaper plastic opes are junk. On the pop up drain, you should use plumber's putty. As I mentioned above, I use grid drains which I also put plumber's putty on.
I buy a lot of Glacier Bay faucets. For kitchens, I always use the single handle with no sprayer, $36.72 at HD. For bathrooms, I use the "teapot" ones. It's the faucet with the white handles. They cost around $25. They make ones that are less expensive, but the insides are all plastic so I avoid them.