Plug and Play for Plumbing

Although Moen introduced its Hydrolock connector system two years ago, a lot of builders aren't familiar with it. We explain how it works and why you should use it on your jobs.

As skilled workers have become more rare and expensive, building-products companies have been working to make their products easier to install. Plumbing fixtures are no exception. For example, consider the connection that links the waterline to your kitchen sink's pullout faucet. The traditional threaded plumbing connections here require the installer to use a wrench and Teflon tape in the dark, cramped space under the sink - a recipe for frustration and leaks.

Moen has addressed the problem with its plug-and-play Hydrolock connection system. This solution for easily connecting the pullout hose and waterline to a new faucet eliminates the need for tools and reduces the possibility of callbacks for leakage or cross-threading. The connectors snap together with a telltale "click," giving audible, visual and tactile confirmation of a secure connection, even to a non-plumber.

Moen now uses Hydrolock connections on all products that use hoses to carry water from the valve to the outlet spout, including pullout and pulldown kitchen faucets, and widespread lavatory faucets.

"Plumbers love it," says Jim Sposit at Moen, director of product development for the wholesale business group. "It saves them time. It's easier to install than traditional threaded connectors, especially when you're underneath a sink with little room to work. With Hydrolock you just snap it on, and a click lets you know that you've made the connection." And the connections give your customers the option of easily replacing the fixture in the future.

The Hydrolock technology is patented by ITT Industries, a supplier to the automotive industry. It's the same type of connection used in cars and trucks for brake lines and other fluid connections that withstand higher pressures and harsher conditions than a home's plumbing ever will. A dual, internal o-ring seal prevents the possibility of leaks. "This is definitely a very robust connection, which you have to have for any kind of waterline connection under the deck," says Sposit. "You don't want any possibility of that connection leaking."

This reliability is the biggest benefit to the builder. People don't think a lot about plumbing until something goes wrong. These easy-to-make, more secure connections will keep your customers admiring what's above the sink, not fretting about what's going wrong below.