Commercial Kitchen Faucets vs. Residential Faucets: 6 Differences That Matter

The Top Six Differences Between Commercial Kitchen Faucets and Residential Faucets:

1. Faucet Durability

While kitchen faucets of all sorts should be durable, the demands on a commercial faucet are simply greater, a fact reflected in the faucet’s construction. Commercial faucets are designed to be used by many people in a day, and in situations where because time is of the essence, careful use might not always happen. Commercial faucets need to operate efficiently with little regular maintenance. A restaurant can’t be without its dishwashing pre-rinse faucet, for example. If quality materials are used like brass, stainless steel and ceramic cartridges, the need to hire a plumber often can be avoided. 

The demands placed on residential faucets are considerably less. Because they are used by fewer people and generally take less misuse, residential kitchen faucets can prioritize beauty over brawn. However, cheap materials in a residential faucet will result in a shorter lifespan, so look for a quality build in either.

2. Parts and Regularly Required Maintenance

Commercial kitchen faucets are often built with more replaceable parts, so that when they do need professional maintenance, a plumber can simply replace a part instead of replacing the entire faucet. A great example of this is Central Brass’ popular Central Brass Two Handle Cast Brass Kitchen Faucet | Pioneer Industries. With significantly more uses, commercial faucets not built to stand the pressures of commercial use can break down more often, requiring expert tools and diagnoses. Cheaper commercial faucets tend to come with shorter warranties. Pioneer and the Pioneer family of brands are exceptions to this rule as they have a best-in-class warranty on both commercial and residential products. Residential faucets tend to come with longer warranties as they don’t get as much use. They also tend to have fewer replaceable parts. Because of this, look for quality parts so maintenance won’t be an issue. The Olympia Single-Handle Pull-Out Kitchen Faucet, for example, is a residential faucet from the Olympia i2v series, popular for its longevity and lifetime warranty.

3. Water Flow Variations

While residential faucets are subject to water-flow laws that generally specify a lower flow rate, commercial kitchen faucets have higher water-flow rates. However, an important note here is that it matters more where a faucet is going to be installed than which category the faucet falls under. So, a commercial kitchen faucet installed in a private residence won’t be able to bypass stricter water-flow laws. Because of the demands that will be placed on it, commercial faucets tend to have higher water flow rates than residential ones, especially commercial pre-rinse faucets such as the Central Brass Two Handle Pre-Rinse Faucet | Pioneer Industries. If an incredibly powerful faucet isn’t needed, for example in an employee break lounge, touchless sensors and a more aerated water flow create a great experience for employees. The Central Brass Single Hole Deck Mount Electronic Sensor Faucet offers a touchless sensor with 300 thousand uses before battery replacement.

4. Variations in Kitchen Faucet Design

Commercial faucets must prioritize efficiency over aesthetics, although the commercial look is increasingly more popular in residential faucet design. For example, a flexible stainless steel hose coil used to be a sure sign of a commercial faucet design, but can now be found in both commercial and residential designs. The hose is as useful as it is beautiful. For example, the Pioneer Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet | Pioneer Industries from the Motegi Collection is a residential kitchen faucet with an exposed hose in a unique squared design. However, overall, residential faucets have more decorative styles and simpler functions than commercial faucets. The Pioneer Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet is another household kitchen faucet from the Motegi Collection. It forgoes the exposed hose and comes in several stylish finishes, such as chrome, PVD brushed nickel, PVD brushed gold, and matte black.

5. Faucet Spray Function

Both commercial and residential kitchen faucets tend to have long spouts and pull-down sprayers to rinse food off of dishes. The difference between a commercial and residential faucet comes down to the reach (how much does the faucet extend out into the sink) and the sprayer’s power. Commercial faucets need to have a greater reach and sometimes a greater height depending on the faucet’s function, and a sprayer made for getting food off dishes as quickly as possible. Residential faucets don’t need to spray food off at the same rate and for an extended period of time in one dishwashing session and so are built differently. One of our most popular commercial kitchen faucets is the  Central Brass Two Handle Wallmount Pre-Rinse Faucet | Pioneer Industries, which features both a pull-down sprayer and also a standard swivel spout.

6. The Cost of a Faucet

Finally, we come to the cost difference between a commercial kitchen faucet and a residential one. It won’t surprise you to find out that commercial faucets cost more. The materials, replaceable parts and other factors contribute to this. However, some brands provide more value to builders, offering solid brass construction and other hallmarks of quality at a price that is much lower than the competition. Central Brass products are known for this, which is likely why the brand is over 100 years old.

Wrapping it All Up

As a trusted supplier of faucets and fixtures for over 100 years, Pioneer, Central Brass, and Olympia are here for you. Embrace the benefits of quality, product availability, and shipping speed by partnering with Pioneer. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your project is in good hands and transform your building or home with these beautiful and exceptionally durable faucets and shower trim sets. All are backed by a best-in-the-industry warranty, are easy to install, and will stand the test of time. 

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There are many ways to the same destination. This saying applies to multifamily housing builds just as much as to anything else in life. The ultimate goal is save as much money as possible while delivering a great finished project – that’s simply showing smart business sense. But, finding a one-off deal or sacrificing quality isn’t the only way to get a healthy ROI. We have a better way.

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