Novatto Faucets Review & Rating Updated: September 16, 2025
Law Requirements
Warranty Footnotes:
1. "[F] or as s the original consumer purchaser owns their home …"2. "[F]inishes … are warranted to the original consumer … for … one year."Read the the Novatto Faucet warranty..
☆ What you need to know about faucet warranties.☆ See how we determine warranty scores.☆ Understanding the federal Magnuson Moss Warranty Act.☆ Learn how to enforce your product warranty.
This Company In Brief
Novatto is a sink company that also sells kitchen and bath sink faucets, bathroom furniture, and some accessories, all imported from China. The faucet collection includes a generous selection of faucets designed to be used with vessel sinks to complement the company's extensive collection of such sinks.
Novatto sells through showrooms and plumbing supply houses such as Briggs; big box lumber stores like Sutherlands, Lowes, and Builders Warehouse; and online through ATG Stores (a Lowes affiliate), Faucet Direct, Build.com, Amazon, Wayfair, and discount sites such as CyberMonday and NinjaSteals.
The faucets are of reasonable quality but with no design distinction. They are largely indistinguishable from faucets sold by any number of importers of Chinese-made faucets.
The Company
Novatto, Inc. is a South Dakota corporation organized in 2011 by Robert Mark Vander Waal. As of the date of this report, it is listed by the South Dakota Secretary of State as in "good standing," meaning that it can legally transact business in South Dakota.
However, its principal business address is in Phoenix, Arizona, and it has not, according to the Arizona Corporations Commission, filed for authority to conduct business in Arizona.
All "foreign" corporations are required to have that authority and identify a registered agent within the state of Arizona in order to lawfully conduct business in or from the Grand Canyon State.
Its primary business is the sale of bathroom and kitchen sinks. It sells bathroom and kitchen faucets to accompany its sinks, along with bathroom furnishings and accessories.
All products are imported from China.
Novatto Faucets
Notatto's faucet supplier is Wenzhou Haijun Sanitary Hardware Co., Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer that also supplies
The faucets are designs owned by Haijun, neither created for nor exclusive to Novatto. For example, the Novatto GF-136 Eclipse faucet is in the Haijun general catalog as the 81H36 faucet.
Faucet styles range from traditional to contemporary. They are middle-of-the-road, Chinese designs.
Chinese faucet styles tend to be conservative. Chinese factories make money selling mass-market faucets to mass-market customers, and to reach the widest customer base, keep their designs well within conventional design limits. There are few design adventures in China and none in the Novatto collection.
Where to Buy
Novatto does not sell from its website. It sells through plumbing supply houses and showrooms such as Briggs Kitchen and Bath; big box lumber stores like Sutherlands, Lowe's Stores, and Menards; and online through Amazon, Wayfair, and Overstock.
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Novatto Faucet Price Comparison for the Novatto NKF-H06SS MAX Kitchen Faucet
As of September 2025
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| Retail Source | Price |
| Novato (List Price) | $462.00 |
| Walmart | $195.37 |
| Home Depot | $196.56 |
| Wayfair | $199.99 |
| Kitchen & Bath Autority | $290.78 |
| Bath Barn | $346.50 |
| Briggs | $462.00 |
| Prices are in U.S. Collars | |
Not all of these outlets sell Novatto faucets, however. Some sell only sinks and accessories, items that are not required to be certified.
A "showroom locator" on the website facilitates finding a retailer by zip code, but it is not always up to date.
The company's forté appears to be selling vessel sinks with matching vessel faucets as a set. This is a niche market, but probably a successful niche since it is thinly occupied.
Novatto Website
At our last update, we noted that the company website gave the impression of one that was not quite ready for prime time. A lot of things were seemingly left undone. The website, was incomplete with many features that did not work and links that led nowhere.
Things have improved.
The website seems finished. Most of its features work, although we did get one 404 (page not found) error.
The search function is accurate and efficient. The information provided about individual faucets is better, but still incomplete and not sufficient for a fully informed buying decision.
Faucets are illustrated with several images, including one or more of the faucets installed in a bath or kitchen setting. Several images make visualizing the faucet much easier than a single image.
Even better are the 360° views provided by companies such as Clicking on the 360° icon displays the faucet in a box that allows the viewer to rotate the faucet with the mouse to view it from any angle.
The finishes available for each faucet are shown in a drop-down menu so the preferred finish can be easily selected.
The usual finishes are chrome, brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze, and matte black.
Finishes are listed in plain English some of the time. For many faucets, however, finishes are displayed in code. Why? We have no idea, but it is certainly not very handy. To make a finish selection, you have to know, for example, that "NBF-01OORB" means oil-rubbed bronze or that NBF-084BN is brushed nickel.
Additional information about the faucet is displayed under four tabs: Details, Description, Specs, and Product Guides.
- Details: or Product Details: Basic information about the faucet, including number of mounting holes, number of handles, overall configuration, material (usually brass), and certifications.
- Description: Provides some additional information about the faucet, but also duplicates much of the Details tab in narrative form.
- Specs: Dimensions, weight, and spout reach.
- Product Guides: Portable document format (.pdf) files that may include a specification sheet, installation instructions, a care and maintenance guide, and the warranty.
The installation instructions are useful to have in advance of purchase so your plumber can identify any problems that may occur at installation in the particular location you have chosen. The link to warranty information is not only useful but required by recent additions to the Federal Trade Commission's consumer product warranty regulations.
The .pdf Specification Sheet is not a true specification sheet, which is used to provide very detailed information about the faucet, usually including a dimensioned drawing and possibly an exploded parts diagram.
This "specification sheet" is what the world of interior design and architecture calls a which duplicates much of the information under the Detail tab but in a form that can be easily printed.
Novatto Valve Cartridges
Missing in this cornucopia of information, however, is the identity of the ceramic cartridge used in the faucet. The cartridges we examined are clearly of Chinese origin but contain no maker marks that identify the manufacturer. These could be from any of a dozen manufacturers, some making good cartridges, some not so good.
Its ceramic valve cartridge is the heart of a modern faucet. The cartridge controls water flow and (in single-handle faucets) water temperature.
With a working cartridge, a faucet is a faucet doing what faucets do: metering water in a safe and controlled manner. Without a working cartridge, a faucet is just an oddly-shaped paperweight.
So, it is vitally important that the ceramic cartridge is tough, durable, and long-lived.
Without knowing the origin of the cartridge, it is not possible to determine its quality. Generally, companies that sell faucets with top-line cartridges are not at all shy about advertising the fact. Companies that don't use top-quality cartridges are more hesitant.
Where the cartridge is not identified, we assume it is not one of these top-drawer cartridges.
The Novatto cartridges we examined were generic. They were not inscribed with any marks that identify the manufacturer. We found the cartridges for sale on Chinese websites that supply valve cartridges, which tells us they are Chinese-made, but by whom, we don't know, and Novatto's website is not telling.
However, mixing cartridges for single-handle faucets like those used in the Novatto GF-136 Eclipse faucet were marked as meeting NSF and WRAS standards. The NSF mark indicates they have been tested and certified free of lead, other toxins, and dangerous pathogens, and are not harmful to drinking water. (WRAS is the English standard. It differs from and is slightly less rigorous than the U.S./Canadian NSF standards.)
They have not, however, been certified to the basic North American faucet standard, ASME A112.18.1/CSA 125.1.
A cartridge certified to this standard has been durability tested through 500,000 on-off cycles to simulate 78 years of normal household use, and a "burst test" in which ten times normal household water pressure is applied to the faucet for one minute to see if it will deform or leak.
If it fails either of these tests, the cartridge is not certified for use in faucets in North America.
Stem cartrodges used in two-handle faucets like the Novatto Muld faucet were not makred at all.
All About Valve Cartridges:
For more information on the types of faucet valves and the advantages and drawbacks of each type, see Faucet Valves & Cartridges.Novatto Faucet Warranty
Legal Defects in the Novatto Warranty
The Novatto faucet warranty does not meet the minimum legal requirements for a consumer warranty mandated by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2308).
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Defective Captioning:
The first, and probably insurmountable problem with the warranty is its caption. It is clear from the text of the warranty that Novatto intends to offer a limited warranty, but its caption is just "Warranty".
However, Magnuson-Moss requires a consumer product limited warranty to be clearly and unambiguously "designated" in the caption with the word "Limited".
Without the word "Limited", a warranty is automatically converted to a full warranty, irrespective of any actual intent of the company. (15 U.S.C. § 2303(a), 16 CFR §700.6)
A full warranty gives the consumer many more rights, and these rights arise whether or not they are stated in the warranty (and even if they are specifically excluded by the warranty)
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Ineffective Disclaimer of Incidental and Consequential Damages:
The Novatto warranty attempts to deny (lawyers say "disclaim") liability for
" … loss of profits or any direct or indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages howsoever incurred or designated arising out of any breached claim of warranty."
Magnuson-Moss permits disclaimer of special, incidental, or consequential damages in a product warranty if, and only if, the warranty also includes the following qualifying statement. 16 C.F.R. § 701.3(8)
"Some states, provinces, and nations do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you."
The Novatto warranty does not contain the qualifying statement. Without it, the attempted disclaimer is ineffective and will be ignored by any court considering the matter (16 CFR § 701.3(8)), The buyer may be awarded not only incidental and consequential damages but also all of his or her attorney fees (15 USC § 2310(d)(2)).
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Illegal Disclaimer of State Law Warranties:
The warranty also attempts to disclaim the applicability of state implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for purpose, although the language is itself awkward:
" Except as provided by law, this warranty is in lieu of and excludes all other warranties, conditions, and guarantees, whether expressed or implied, statutory or otherwise, including without restriction those of merchantability or of fitness for use."
Magnuson-Moss considers a company's written warranty to be a supplement to and an extension of implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for purpose arising under state law. These implied warranties cannot be "disclaimed." in a company's written warranty. .(15 U.S.C. § 2308(a))
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Omitted Required Language:
The warranty must contain the following mandatory language designed to alert the consumer that he or she also has remedies for a faucet defect other than the Novatto warranty. 16 C.F.R. § 701.3(9)
"This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from State to State." The Novatto warranty does not include this mandatory language, and this omission alone makes it less likely that a U.S. court will find any of the restrictive provisions of the warranty enforceable."
- These requirements doe not apply in Canada, but most Provinces enforce similar mandates.
The warranty is offered only to the original purchaser. It is not transferable to any subsequent owner.
For components other than finishes, the warranty lasts for as long as the original purchaser owns "their home." For finishes, it is one year.
We did not examine and test every Novatto finish, but the ones we did test seemed reasonably durable, so the reason for the short-term finish warranty escapes us.
However, undoubtedly Novatto's management knows more about its finishes than we will ever learn and has had years of experience with finish warranty claims. So, if the company believes its finishes will last just one year without a problem, we will take its word for it.
The warranty has problems in addition to its inexplicable finish warranty.
• It does not comply with the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2308). This statute determines the content and form of consumer product warranties in the U.S.
(For a detailed explanation, see the sidebar, Legal Defects in the Novatto Warranty).
• It is poorly written, obviously a cut-and-paste warranty, not drafted by a lawyer. No lawyer, not even one right out of law school, would have made so many basic mistakes. Someone copied copied the language of other warranties. Unfortunately, he or she did not copy the right language.
The warranty's definition of lifetime is a good example of inept drafting. The "lifetime" warranty does not last for anyone's or anything's actual lifetime, something that is almost universal in consumer product warranties. It is defined to last only
"[f]or as long as the original consumer purchaser owns their home."
The problem is this: the original purchaser is not also required to continue to own the faucet.
You buy a Novatto faucet. A year later, you replace it with a different faucet and give the original Novatto faucet to cousin Nell, who installs it in her house.
What is the status of the warranty?
- The warranty cannot be transferred to Nell because it is, by its own terms, not transferable.
- It is, however, still in force since you still own your home. Owning your home is the only requirement for the warranty to continue to cover defects in the faucet.
A few months later, the faucet starts to leak from what is clearly a manufacturing defect, so Nell asks you to make a warranty claim, and, being the good cousin, you do.
Does Novatto have to honor the claim?
Yes, it does. The warranty is still in force, and as long as it is in force, you can make valid claims under the warranty no matter who owns the faucet.
In other words, while the warranty itself cannot be transferred to a subsequent owner of the faucet, the benefits available under the warranty can be claimed for the new owner's benefit.
A lawyer drafting the warranty would have written something along these lines:
"… for as long as the original purchaser owns the faucet and resides in the home in which the faucet is originally installed."
This is just one example of several drafting problems with the warranty. Novatto needs to hire an actual lawyer to write its revised warranty.
Customer Service
Novatto's customer service is fast and efficient.
We did not conduct our formal service tests. They do not work with small companies. Agents quickly realize they are being tested and change behavior accordingly. We did, however, over the past 90 days, ask a series of questions which were promptly and, for the most part, correctly answered.
| Minimum Federal Legal Requirements for the Importation and Sale of a Faucet in the U.S. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Statute/Regulation | Requirement | Complied With |
| 10 CFR § 430.32 | Must be certified[1] as having a maximum flow rate of 2.2 gallons per minute or less. | No |
| 16 CFR § 305.24(a)(1) | Must be marked with a permanent legible marking indicating its maximum flow rate. | No |
| 10 CFR § 430 | Must be registered with the Department of Energy. | No |
| SDWA 1417(a)(1)(A)) | Must be certified[1] as having a weighted average lead content in its waterway of no more than 0.25% (1/4 of 1%). | No |
| 16 CFR § 305.24(a)(2) | Must be marked with a "a permanent legible marking to identify the manufacturer"[2] located where it can be viewed after installation. | No |
| 19 U.S.C. § 1304 | The packaging of imported faucets must be "marked in a conspicuous place indicating its country of origin. | No |
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[1] Testing and certification must be by an accredited independent laboratory. Faucets must be identified by the brand and model name or number under which they are offered for sale.
[2] The term "manufacturer" means "any person who manufactures, produces, assembles, or imports" a faucet. (16 CFR § 305.2)
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The company does not have a Better Business Bureau file, meaning that in all the years it has been in business, no one has filed a compliant about the company with the BBB, an enviable record of responsive customer service. However, it is not a business that has been accredited by the BBB, and is not pledged to its high standard of business ethics.
Illegal to Sell or Install
To legally sell a faucet in the U.S., the Novatto must comply with a half-dozen federal laws and regulations. Novatto has a perfect record. Its faucets comply with absolutely none of them.
(See the sidebar, Minimum Federal Legal Requirements for the Importation and Sale of a Faucet in the U.S.,, for detailed information.)
To legally install a faucet in a household drinking water system, the faucet must also comply with plumbing code requirements adopted by state, provincial, and territorial statutes.
All plumbing codes require faucets to be tested and certified complaint with three standards:
- ASME A112.18.1 / CSA B125.1 Plumbing Supply Fittings: the joint Canadian/U.S. basic faucet standard that ensures the mechanical safety and reliability of faucets, and ease of repair.
- ANSI / NSF 372 Drinking Water System Components - Lead Content: the joint Canadian/U.S. faucet standard that ensures that lead and other toxic substances do not exceed maximum acceptable levels.
- ANSI / NSF 61Drinking Water System Components - Health Effects: the joint Canadian/U.S. faucet standard that ensures that water passing through the faucets does not pick up harmful chemicals or dangerous pathogens that cause illnesses such as Legionnaire's Disease.
Some states and provinces, such as California, Massachusetts, and Quebec, impose additional requirements, but certified compliance with these three standards is the absolute minimum everywhere.
Novatto faucets have not been certified compliant, and the certification Compliance information stated for Novatto faucets on the company website…
"cUPC and AB1953 low lead compliant, NSF 61 and NSF 372 certified,"
… is simply not true. None of its faucets has been certified compliant with the required minimum standards.
Testing & Certification
In our initial review of this company in 2016, we noted that the faucets were not certified and, therefore, illegal to install in the U.S. or Canada. We also reported that the faucets had not been registered with the Department of Energy. At that time, he company owner told us that Novatto was in the process of certification and registration.
In 2018, we were again told by a company spokesman that the company was in the process of certification and registration. In 2021, when we last revised this report, we got the same story.
Novatto faucets are still not certified, and while the certification and registration processes can often take a few months, none takes nine years.
The company is aware that the law requires its faucets to be tested, certified, and registered. For whatever reason, it has consistently failed to do so, a fairly easy and relatively inexpensive process.
Legal Actions
The California Energy Commission sued Novatto, Inc. for illegally selling unapproved faucets in California from July 2015 to October 2020. The company paid a penalty of $5,000.00 to settle the suit in 2021.
So far, the company has avoided the consequences of failing to register its faucets with the Department of Energy as required by law. The DOE is underfunded, understaffed, and a little overwhelmed, but it will get around to Novatto eventually. Considering the length of time it has sold unregistered faucets and the number of faucets it sells, at $560.00 per day per faucet, it can expect a monster penalty assessment.
Comparable Faucets
Chinese and Taiwanese faucets comparable to Novatto that are fully certified to U.S./Canadian standards, and compliant with U.S. law, usually with a stronger warranty, and legal to sell and install in both countries, include
Conclusions
Novatto has only the most casual regard for the laws of the land. As far as we can tell, it has found very few that it has not chosen to ignore.
It illegally conducts business in Arizona, knowingly sells faucets that are illegal for sale under at least four U.S. statutes, and illegal for use in a household water system in any locality in Canada or the U.S. It has also ignored provisions of federal warranty law designed to protect consumers from illegal warranty manipulation.
We can find no reason to buy Novatto faucets.
They are off-the-shelf Chinese faucets of no particular design distinction and with no unique characteristics. Similar, if not identical, Chinese faucets that are certified safe, reliable, and lead-free through independent testing are imported by any number of other faucet companies, as the list above shows.
If you install one of these faucets in your home, you are at risk, not just from the possibility of harmful chemicals or dangerous pathogens, but from the law. If caught, you alone will bear the expense of replacing the faucet and possibly pay a small fine. But, in an ever-increasing number of jurisdictions, you can go to jail for a knowing and intentional violation.
So, buyer beware.
Continuing Research
We are continuing to research the Novatto and its sink faucets. If you have experience with faucets from any of this company, good, bad, or indifferent, we would like to hear about it, so please contact us at starcraftreviews@yahoo.com or post a comment below.
Please note: we cannot answer questions posted in the comments. If you have a question, email us at starcraftreviews@yahoo.com.