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I installed some new "fancy" faucet, and am quite happy with it, except it lacks an aerator, and water easily splashes out of the sink. Obviously, this faucet is calling for an aerator. Unfortunately, the manufacturer doesn't sell aerators for this model, and my local hardware store doesn't carry any that would fit the rectangular end of the faucet (see picture below).

Short of replacing the faucet, how would you deal with this? Can I build myself a custom aerator? If so, how?

Faucet with square end

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  • Well it is a bit unconventional.. but if you cant mount it at the end.. mount it somewhere after the tap nozzle.. is the whole thing square? It wont work like it "should" but it will help.. Or find two small round ones. and get the shape of the square, set them in epoxy and squeeze them in to the end. I have not seen square ones.. except in expensive fountain installations....
    – Piotr Kula
    Commented Jan 31, 2012 at 12:05
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    Never mind i saw the whole thing now.. best bet is making a custom one out of a really big round one or a set of smaller round ones.. bummer.
    – Piotr Kula
    Commented Jan 31, 2012 at 12:08
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    My guess is that you won't want an aerator, part of the design is to allow the water to flow unobstructed. However, a pressure reducing valve may be useful to reduce the water pressure entering the fixture. It does mention in the details that it has a "2.2 GPM flow rate limitation", not sure if this is limited by the fixture itself, or has to be restricted by the plumbing before the fixture.
    – Tester101
    Commented Jan 31, 2012 at 13:10
  • I'm having the same issue - I'd be really interested in hearing if you ever found a solution?
    – shiny_boson
    Commented Jul 12, 2017 at 11:03
  • @shiny_boson Unfortunately, I haven't found a satisfactory solution, and have learnt to leave with it :).
    – avernet
    Commented Jul 12, 2017 at 20:51

4 Answers 4

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I found a company named Neoperl that makes a rectangular aerator which is what I believe you need:

Aerator Image

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  • Good find! This looks more like a company that would sell their products to faucet manufacturers, but you never know, so I sent them an email.
    – avernet
    Commented Feb 21, 2012 at 6:08
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I'm a bit concerned that maybe the manufacturer tried, but never got a good aerator working on that shape spout. If you want to try, first take apart a typical aerator and see how it works. There's usually several stainless steel screens stacked on top of eachother. Plus, there's a plastic flow-evener. You can buy stainless steel screen on eBay in big chunks, so that's not a problem. You'd cut them all in the same shape, but some cut on a diagonal. You just need to figure out the grid size for the screen, which you can look-up on wikipedia. You might get a rectangular bit of plastic and drill holes in it to make the flow-evener (creativity required here) and you would need a picture frame shaped object that would be the last bit to go in. That would hold the stainless steel screens you cut and your plastic flow-evener assembly. Probably your biggest problem will be having a way to introduce the assembly into the spout so you can insert it and remove it, but not have it pop off when the water gets turned on. If you don't mind drilling holes in your spout, you could get some small stainless steel screws to hold the assembly in place.

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My suggestion might be cheapest and simplest of all. Turn the tap on full blast.

Now reach under the sink, and adjust both shut-off valves evenly until the pressure is low enough to stop the splash-over.

Done.

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    This may also cause noise to come from the shut off valve. You can get the save effect by not turning your hose on all the way. You end up with a whistle noise. Find the right tool for the job.
    – Tim Meers
    Commented Feb 22, 2012 at 14:52
  • May. It's worth a try and it's what I'd do first.
    – isherwood
    Commented Jan 29, 2019 at 20:15
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Purchase a heavy-duty stainless steel cooking strainer, cut and remove the mesh and cut a 3" strip, fold in half and insert into the end of the square faucet. This is going to do the job of the aerator.

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