Faucet corrosion

We have a somewhat new set of faucets for our bathroom. They were decent, this one: https://www.us.kohler.com/us/linwood-4-centerset-bathroom-sink-faucet/productDetail/sink-faucets/815600.htm in oil rubbed bronze.

Tunawife does a sinus rinse at least once per day with saline, and she is not as fastidious as I am. This the base plate has corroded pretty badly, with the green bubbling all around getting pretty bad. I can probably take the base plate off and wirewheel that off. What do I do next? The base metal is likely different than the handles and spout, as the baseplate alone seems to be corroding. How do I match the finish? I have tried the oil-rubbed paint with great prep on our shower handle, and it did not last.  I can't seem to find the part number for just the plate and it appears to be discontinued. I will get some pictures of the corroded piece for information.

I would call Kohler customer service.

I have been amazed by their response to some of my customer's issues.  There is a reason to buy Kohler I guess.

A chance the faucet itself is brass.  and the base is steel...  Your base may be getting attacked by what we call "salt water termites."

Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) said:

I would call Kohler customer service.

I have been amazed by their response to some of my customer's issues.  There is a reason to buy Kohler I guess.

A chance the faucet itself is brass.  and the base is steel...  Your base may be getting attacked by what we call "salt water termites."

I called, they were unhelpful. No warranty, no spare parts, uhhhh try rinsing with vinegar next time.

Thanks for trying though.

Our new house was all Moen faucets 22 for years ago.  We have hard water + a water softener and the hard water and calcium is brutal to fixtures.  Lifetime warranty gave us new product but you had to argue it out.  Five kitchen faucets but the last one was newer.  We kept a log under the sink   

I've learned if I'm changing out a faucet only new ones go back.  
 

I don't know how to fix what you have but I can tell you that I put Pfister faucets in my bathrooms when I redid them a few years ago. They claim to have a lifetime warranty and I believe it. I had a seal go out in a handle and they sent a replacement asap. Then I had the same type issue you described on the faucet part. They sent an entire new assembly. All I did was send them a picture of it and a picture of the receipt (the receipt was optional but I had it so I sent it). I wasn't happy with the price originally but the warranty has made it worth the $$.

We have gotten parts and whole new faucets from Moen on more than one occasion.  Well worth the price if its your house.

That's crazy. We have super hard water here. The filters on the sinks need a vinegar bath about once a year, but even with whatever cheap stuff they put in for the renovation after almost 5 years, nothing like that.

BTW Kudos to your wife if she's doing a Nettie pot daily. 

I have sinus issues and lose interest by day 2 of the saline rinse when I should put in more effort.  

Datsun310Guy said:

BTW Kudos to your wife if she's doing a Nettie pot daily. 

I have sinus issues and lose interest by day 2 of the saline rinse when I should put in more effort.  

Yeah, see the rant thread. It's not a Netti pot, it's a supercharged version. It's a squeeze bottle. It's pressurized and wow does it flow some water up there. I've used it before just to see, and it's impressive.

In reply to tuna55 :

we have the exact same faucets in both bathrooms with hard well water. NEver had that type of issue. I think we put them in around 2009?

bobzilla said:

In reply to tuna55 :

we have the exact same faucets in both bathrooms with hard well water. NEver had that type of issue. I think we put them in around 2009?

It's not hard water, it's splashing saline water.

I think for your use case scenario you need a high quality stainless fixture.  Anything else will just rust too, basically a marine environment. 

Sonic said:

I think for your use case scenario you need a high quality stainless fixture.  Anything else will just rust too, basically a marine environment. 

Most Stainless steel rusts readily when constantly exposed to saltwater also, not to mention she would not buy the aesthetic.

I suppose I could develop a faucet made from super austenitic stainless, and then somehow finish it to her liking, but now we're talking about $1,000 faucet.

I'd suggest making her use that thing outside or in a laundry tub or the shower and just replacing the faucet, but I suspect that would fly like a lead balloon. 

Weird thought, but are there acrylic or resin or some sort of material that won't react to salt faucets available for under $challengecar ?

I have a squeezy bottle saline wash.   I use mine in the shower.  No issues.  Like this,  but what I'd do is buy a lifetime finish faucet and then just get new ones. 

Looks like you're not the only one to have this problem. 
 

some people suggest CLR. 

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2311633/oil-rubbed-bronze-faucets-love-or-regret

Fueled by Caffeine said:

Looks like you're not the only one to have this problem. 
 

some people suggest CLR. 

 

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2311633/oil-rubbed-bronze-faucets-love-or-regret

We've tried CLR, that just made it wetter briefly

With all of the other stuff in the rant thread, this would put me over the edge. Is it that hard to clean up after yourself? Not trying to hit a nerve, but this would drive me crazy. 

Steve_Jones said:

With all of the other stuff in the rant thread, this would put me over the edge. Is it that hard to clean up after yourself? Not trying to hit a nerve, but this would drive me crazy. 

Indeed it does. You're overlooking something important. Nobody cares if I am driven crazy. 

In reply to tuna55 :

I can see that, and honestly hope one day you will care. I know you're a man of faith, and are trying to do the right thing, but being a martyr for people who do not appreciate it is not the right thing either. There are plenty of bible verses like Timothy 5:8

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

I'd apply that to your wife at this point.

Steve_Jones said:

In reply to tuna55 :

I can see that, and honestly hope one day you will care. I know you're a man of faith, and are trying to do the right thing, but being a martyr for people who do not appreciate it is not the right thing either. There are plenty of bible verses like Timothy 5:8

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

I'd apply that to your wife at this point.

 

Nah, she homeschools the four kids, runs errands, brings them to dance, lessons, gym, band, and always has a hot home cooked meal ready. It's not that bad. 

In reply to tuna55 :

It gets back to the love languages. She is doing X,Y,and Z for you. Why can't you be happy? If you look at my reply in the rant thread you said you are doing X,Y, and Z for her and I asked are those the things she wants you to do, or is there something else. You're in a very tough spot, but it takes 2 to make it work. Obviously I'm only hearing your side, but it won't change unless you both want it. 

In reply to Steve_Jones :

She doesn't seem to have any and can't verbalize any. I have a bunch, but most are not happening and the willingness isn't there to make them happen. I can't make her.