How can I get a direct stream of water out of my kitchen sprayer hose?

Question

I fill up my humidifier tanks several times a day. The tanks don't fit under my kitchen sink, so I have to fill them partially in the sink and then the last 10% with the sprayer. The sink has a flow restrictor, and of course the sprayer is inhibited by turning the water into a spray. Additionally, it's a cheap faucet where the water does not get cut off to the sink when the sprayer is engaged, so there is a half flow that goes to each.

What I would like to do is:

1. Replace the sprayer head with some other apparatus which will allow me to completely turn the flow on and off.
2. Replace the sink aerator with some other apparatus which will allow me to completely turn the flow on and off. There are some aerators on the market with this feature, but my initial research showed that at least some of them don't completely turn off the flow, and I'm not sure about the others.

update: Apparently there is a value that shuts off the sink water, it recently started working. So issue #2 has gone away.

Answer 1

Sprayers don't last forever. You can try replacing the sprayer and hose to see if that solves the problem. There could be some bad washers which are making a poor seal. This could be why you aren't getting a good flow from the sprayer.

Since you stated that the current faucet you have is a basic model, you could also invest in a replacement one. These can usually be replaced without needing very many tools. You would want to have some basic plumbing tools such as water pump pliers and an adjustable wrench. These tools will vary depending on the style of faucet you have, so you should consult with an employee at the store to see what they would recommend.

You can also try filling the humidifier in the bathtub if you have one. This is what I typically do. There is much more room underneath the spout and it fills up pretty quickly.

Answer 2

Under the sink, you probably have a shutoff valve for the cold side of the faucet. You could tee off that to a hose bib. The hose bib would have its own closure (I personally prefer the 1/4 turn ones), and you could put a short section of hose on it. You'd probably want to figure out some way of clipping the end of the hose high up in the cabinet so residual water didn't drool out after use. FWIW, plumbing measurements are baffling to the layperson (and some tradespeople that aren't plumbing specialists), so if you find someone in the plumbing aisle that knows their stuff, take advantage of that knowledge.

Answer 3

If you're not into getting a new high arc pull-out or pull-down faucet. Then, you'll need to briefly act like you did. The best option is to do nothing with the faucet's end or aerator. Yes, you can replace the aerator with an adapter that's either a Screw-on or a Snap-on for even a garden hose, but then you have to remove it & put it somewhere to use the faucet with the sink.

The best option is to replace the sprayer, so remove it from the faucet & screw a proper cap onto or a plug into (whatever you have) its outlet at the faucet.

Now, you can turn off the building's Main water supply & replace the kitchen sink's cold water shut-off with a Dual Shut-off so the Faucet & new Filler are separated & full flow.

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Then, you need a long Refrigerator Supply Line to run through your old sprayer's mounting or even just the plain hole, it depends what fits or can be drilled for a loose fit. The picture below is for a dishwasher & that'll work too of course, you really just need the hose & its attached ends.

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Finally, for your Dispenser you want a crappy old Multi-Turn style shut-off valve. So, you can turn it on slowly & gently rather than having the pressure whip it out of your hand & soak-down the place.

Answer 4

Large diameter, flexible clear tubing that'll fit snugly over your faucet head, and is long enough to reach humidifier reservoir. Measure your faucet outlets diameter, and head to the hardware store. Keep hose under the sink when not in use.