It is like a washer, but hard plastic - at least in the low-end faucets I buy. Unscrew the aerator, pull out the hard plastic ring, rescrew. If it leaks try pipe tape and rescrew. Ta Da!

From FAQ at a faucet site:

Q: Why does my new faucet have reduced flow? My old faucet had plenty of volume.

A: Please keep in mind that all new faucets since 1994 are restricted to conserve water per EPA code mandates. Older faucets had no restrictions.

(I believe the maximum flow output on any faucet is limited to 2.2 gpm.)

I finally got around to measuring the flow rate from my faucet. I'm only getting 1 1/4 gallons per minute. And this remains the same with the aerator, with the aerator removed, or with the faucet set to spray. The only thing I haven't tried is removing the nozzle altogether.

This is only half of the supposed rate for the faucet.

I posted a query about this on the plumbing forum, but they aren't very responsive over there. Anybody here have an ideal what to do next?

Did to check to make sure that your shut off valves are all the way open?

I have the same problem with my California Faucet at the beach. I tried removing whatever was in there, but no change. I've removed flow regulators from other fixtures and had good results, so I'm just assuming it's a rubbish faucet; the tub filler from the same company is also pitiful. I'm replacing them this summer. I'm going to move my KWC faucet from the kichen at home down to the beach and see if it makes a difference. If you find a solution, please post to keep us updated. Thanks.

You may have a bum faucet. That's what happened to me. I bought a Mico faucet ($350) at Expo. It was gorgeous. The plumber put it in and all that came out was a dribble. The plumber insisted the flow restrictor was the issue. We played around with the flow restrictor but still the volume was lower than the specs. I hired another plumber who came in, took the faucet apart (the first guy never looked that closely) and voila! Inside none of the holes lined up! It was a bum faucet. I called Mico Customer Service. They were really good and worked things out with Expo so I got a full refund. I was still out the $110 bucks I spent on the second (smart) plumber, but at least I got my problem solved.

What honks me off about the flow restrictors is that they are designed assuming that a person has city water and city water pressure. I have a well with the pressure set from 30 to 50 psi and the flow from my new kitchen faucet is truely anemic. If it even 1 gallon a minute I'd be suprised.

The worst part is often if I'm filling a large stock pot, I'll get tired of waiting and go start getting others things ready, and then eventually turn around and see the pot is now filled and overflowing, wasting much more water than if the faucet had a decent flow rate.

Several years ago we replaced our 40 year old galvanized plumbing with all copper. The change in water pressure was amazing, even with restrictors. If you have old pipes, be sure to check the strainers in the faucets. Ours used to get small rocks in them from all the corrosion in the galvanized pipes, thereby restricting the flow too. When the water is turned off to install new plumbing, then turned back on, the sudden burst of pressure in the pipes sometimes knocks off more corrosion to mess up your strainers.

My house isn't *that* old - ~23 years.

And yes, the valves are wide open.

I sent a query to Brizo and, surprise, got a response in an hour or two:

"I am sorry to hear that you are having a problem with your Brizo faucet. Based on your problem description, you may need a new hose assembly or a new sprayer assembly. First unscrew the sprayer assembly from the hose assembly and check this area for debris. Also run the water through the hose by itself. If the pressure is weak coming out of the hose assembly, then you will need a new hose assembly. If the pressure is fine, then you may need a new sprayer assembly if it appears to be blocking the water flow."

So I guess I have more homework to do. I don't have good plumbing tools to work on finished stuff without marring it, so will see what I can do. Hopefully I can at least get the head off.

After the response from Brizo I removed the spray head and measured the flow rate without it. It was essentially the same. I wrote back to Brizo and already received another response:

"Again, I am sorry to hear that you are having a problem with your Brizo faucet. I have ordered the new hose assembly for you. You should receive them in 7-10 business days. Your current hose assembly probably has a weak spot in it that is blocking the water flow."

Reading between the lines, it sounds like this must be a known problem.

On the bright side, I seem to be getting incredibly good customer service from Brizo.

Well, I received the new hose and installed it. It made absolutely no difference. I informed them, and got a new response:

"I am sorry to hear that you are still having a problem with your faucet. I have ordered the cartridge, RP43221, for you. You should receive it in 7-10 business days."

So I guess we are taking the trial and error approach. I hope this will fix it. And at least now I have a spare hose if I ever need one.

Do those of you with Brizo's all get the claimed flow rate? Or has someone else had this problem?

I've got regular and full sized Florianos and although I've never measured the flow rate, I've never noticed it being slow.

Just for you, I measured the floriano at my main sink...it took 17 seconds to dispense 2 L....so that breaks down to approximately 1.86 gallons/min.

alku,

Is yours advertised for 2.2 gpm like mine?

If so then you aren't getting what you should either, but what you have is better than what I am getting.

Its interesting that they seem happy to keep sending parts. This must be a common problem.

I would guess it's advertised the same as yours; its my understanding that the only difference between the venuto and floriano is the styling.

The faucet seems no faster or slower than the 15 year old one it replaced. To be honest, we're not bothered by it- to us it feels normal.

Well, mine is a lot slower than the old 1985 vintage builder grade delta faucet it replaced. The main thing I notice is that I don't get enough power out of it for the spray to be able to push small scraps around the bottom of the sink and into the drain.

But then I'm also getting a lower rate than you are.

This thread is several years old, but I'm having a similar problem, and I have city water. I believe it's the faucet design which continues to restrict water flow even after the aerator is removed.

My case was resolved. It turned out that the plumber had crimped one of the feed hoses from the water supply to the faucet. Once that was fixed all was better.

I have a Rohl kitchen faucet. There is a flow restrictor in the spray hose. Under the sink at the disconnect, remove the hose and you will see a check valve. I removed it w/ tweezers and a crochet hook. It seems that it may have been installed backwards at the factory.

Can you provide more details on how you did this

Go on YouTube and look up removing flow restrictors from faucets, shower heads. There are some excellent videos. I spent a lot of money redoing my master bath, 20K just on materials. I went with all Brizo Siderna and Linear. They are all beautiful but the water flow sucks. I’m taking out the flow restrictors. I am not happy. The government sucks for making these regulations. I’m on a well, my water usage affects me. Period.