Hello again,
Today I finally had my kitchen installed, which went smoothly apart from a few minor issues. However, the Elverdam mixer tap is not firmly fixed to the sink. The installer (not from IKEA, as the appliances are from elsewhere) said that this is often the case with IKEA taps—that they can’t be properly secured.
After about ten uses, the mixer tap wobbles so much that we’re worried it might come off completely. The installer said this is IKEA’s fault and advised me to exchange it. I’m also missing the installation tool (a pipe-like part similar to a spark plug socket) needed to tighten it myself.
The installer mentioned something about bending if it’s tightened too much... What should I do now? Will IKEA exchange it for me? Or are there other ways to secure it properly? Do they have spare parts (tools) at IKEA? Ideally, I would prefer to exchange it and invest my money in a faucet from Grohe instead—they at least look more robust...
Thanks and best wishes for May
Saschaline
Today I finally had my kitchen installed, which went smoothly apart from a few minor issues. However, the Elverdam mixer tap is not firmly fixed to the sink. The installer (not from IKEA, as the appliances are from elsewhere) said that this is often the case with IKEA taps—that they can’t be properly secured.
After about ten uses, the mixer tap wobbles so much that we’re worried it might come off completely. The installer said this is IKEA’s fault and advised me to exchange it. I’m also missing the installation tool (a pipe-like part similar to a spark plug socket) needed to tighten it myself.
The installer mentioned something about bending if it’s tightened too much... What should I do now? Will IKEA exchange it for me? Or are there other ways to secure it properly? Do they have spare parts (tools) at IKEA? Ideally, I would prefer to exchange it and invest my money in a faucet from Grohe instead—they at least look more robust...
Thanks and best wishes for May
Saschaline
I
IKEA-Experte1 May 2012 21:34I would suggest making sure that the rubber is positioned exactly beneath the metal washer. It’s not possible to judge how secure it is just from a photo.
F
fotokatze2 May 2012 13:26Hello!
I’m attaching a close-up crop of your photo here:
To me, it looks like the nut is slipping into the hole of the mounting plate.
I interpret this as either the nut being too small or the hole being too large!
I would assume that the nut needs to be tightened against this mounting plate (I mean the silver part). This would pull the fixture downwards and effectively clamp it between the top of the sink and the mounting plate.
So what is the nut pressing against now? Only against the rubber part above it? If so, it’s no surprise that it’s wobbly.
The PDF states that there is a difference depending on whether the fixture is installed into a countertop or a sink. For a sink, IKEA specifies (page 6 in the PDF) that a triangular piece should be placed between the rubber and the metal mounting plate. I’m not sure if this triangular piece fits here at all. Still, if the nut is actually forcing itself into the hole, it won’t provide any real holding force. Either the mounting plate needs a smaller hole, or the nut is incorrect or too small. Perhaps using a washer or a suitable fender washer could help.
fotokatze
I’m attaching a close-up crop of your photo here:
To me, it looks like the nut is slipping into the hole of the mounting plate.
I interpret this as either the nut being too small or the hole being too large!
I would assume that the nut needs to be tightened against this mounting plate (I mean the silver part). This would pull the fixture downwards and effectively clamp it between the top of the sink and the mounting plate.
So what is the nut pressing against now? Only against the rubber part above it? If so, it’s no surprise that it’s wobbly.
The PDF states that there is a difference depending on whether the fixture is installed into a countertop or a sink. For a sink, IKEA specifies (page 6 in the PDF) that a triangular piece should be placed between the rubber and the metal mounting plate. I’m not sure if this triangular piece fits here at all. Still, if the nut is actually forcing itself into the hole, it won’t provide any real holding force. Either the mounting plate needs a smaller hole, or the nut is incorrect or too small. Perhaps using a washer or a suitable fender washer could help.
fotokatze
S
Sommernacht10 Sep 2013 09:50I finally have to register here. I found this thread through Google and I’m glad we’re not the only ones experiencing this problem.
Since May/June 2012, we’ve had an IKEA kitchen with the small Domsjö sink and the Elverdam mixer tap.
Small Domsjö means: The Elverdam sits directly on the countertop behind it. And the Elverdam is wobbly. At first, just a little. But now it’s quite loose. I’ve been reluctant to tamper with it so far, but it’s getting annoying and might break otherwise.
You mentioned that the gray part isn’t necessarily needed. Does that apply only to the large Domsjö or in general?
Because I know it wasn’t installed by my father, as there wasn’t enough space.
("He" was, by the way, my father. He installed the entire kitchen. I actually trust him more than outside installers. He is a master electrician and renovation professional. Unfortunately, I can’t have him look at it myself because we usually live about 800km (500 miles) apart.)
Edit: Looking at the pictures in the manual helped a lot. I found an answer about the gray triangle—it’s not supposed to go there at all.
Just now, I crawled under the sink and this is what I found:
Not great. The rubber has shifted. And now I don’t know if my father messed up when drilling, or if the wood around it got scraped off by the loosely fitting metal...
After:
I know it’s not perfect either. But because of the unevenness, the rubber shifts when tightening, no matter how carefully or firmly I hold it :-/
The metal part no longer sits flush against the wood after *loosening, adjusting, retightening* because of the chipped wood. It now sticks out in some places, and I think it will get wobbly again over time with use.
Therefore, I think it might be better to get a 65 or 70mm (2.6 or 2.75 inches) washer from the hardware store and place it between the wood and the metal/rubber to cover the unevenness and prevent further movement that could make things worse.
Any other ideas or suggestions are welcome.
Since May/June 2012, we’ve had an IKEA kitchen with the small Domsjö sink and the Elverdam mixer tap.
Small Domsjö means: The Elverdam sits directly on the countertop behind it. And the Elverdam is wobbly. At first, just a little. But now it’s quite loose. I’ve been reluctant to tamper with it so far, but it’s getting annoying and might break otherwise.
You mentioned that the gray part isn’t necessarily needed. Does that apply only to the large Domsjö or in general?
Because I know it wasn’t installed by my father, as there wasn’t enough space.
("He" was, by the way, my father. He installed the entire kitchen. I actually trust him more than outside installers. He is a master electrician and renovation professional. Unfortunately, I can’t have him look at it myself because we usually live about 800km (500 miles) apart.)
Edit: Looking at the pictures in the manual helped a lot. I found an answer about the gray triangle—it’s not supposed to go there at all.
Just now, I crawled under the sink and this is what I found:
Not great. The rubber has shifted. And now I don’t know if my father messed up when drilling, or if the wood around it got scraped off by the loosely fitting metal...
After:
I know it’s not perfect either. But because of the unevenness, the rubber shifts when tightening, no matter how carefully or firmly I hold it :-/
The metal part no longer sits flush against the wood after *loosening, adjusting, retightening* because of the chipped wood. It now sticks out in some places, and I think it will get wobbly again over time with use.
Therefore, I think it might be better to get a 65 or 70mm (2.6 or 2.75 inches) washer from the hardware store and place it between the wood and the metal/rubber to cover the unevenness and prevent further movement that could make things worse.
Any other ideas or suggestions are welcome.
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