The History of the Kitchen Sink

With the onset of running water, the kitchen sink became one of the most important and contemporary appliances in the home, second in line to the stove. Numerous activities were performed at the kitchen sink: food was washed and prepared; many household chores were also completed there. As a result of its conventional significance, the sink was built characteristically large in size and suspended on a wall or set atop some sort of floor support. Also influential to its design was the absence of the counter top. As such, the sink was a stand-alone appliance. It featured a full backsplash and wall-mounted faucet, resembling a trough, in-depth and width what we now call Farm Sinks. Despite its hefty appearance, comfort was integral to sink design especially since a great deal of time was spent in the kitchen by the lady of the house.

Let's look at the structural dynamics of the first modern sinks. Living in the early days was no easy task. Women bore the difficulties of backbreaking and time-consuming domestic duties such as cooking, laundry, gardening, and cleaning. Anything to ease their stress was welcomed. Unbeknownst to them, simple ergonomics were employed in the production of the original Farm sinks: proportionate user height and sink depth. As there was no standard countertop. heights, each sink was naturally placed at a height convenient to the user. Accordingly, it was customary to see sinks with varying heights from home to home. A tall user would have a sink installed higher off the ground and vice versa. Common sense dictated the installation. Additionally, in the absence of the counter top., the user was able to stand directly in front of the sink, preventing any unnecessary bending to reach into the sink. The sinks were not especially deep as a very deep sink would be difficult for both a short and tall user. Choices were limited then, unlike today. In a way, that was a good thing. Virtually all of the installations would have been comfortable to the user. That is certainly not the case now.

Let us consider ergonomics for a minute. Ergonomics is the applied science of equipment design, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort. In the case of sinks, the height of a person, whether they're right or left-handed and even their family size is taken into account in the design process. All of these things directly affect sink depth, drain location and more importantly, the comfort of the user. The most comfortable position for any standing individual is generally upright, hands to the side. Once the hands are extended forward, discomfort builds. The further forward, discomfort multiplies. The same applies to bending at the waist. Couple both adverse situations and the end result is a prescription for back pain.

Believe it or not, the advent of the kitchen countertop. impaired the ergonomic advantages of the original Farm Sink. What happened? We entered the age of mass production. Sinks could finally be built by the hundreds, at a fraction of the cost. Kitchen cabinets were now standardized and built-in production facilities, prompting the use of countertops with integral sinks. So, what is wrong with that you ask? Those uniformed kitchen cabinets were perfect for a select group of people; those who measured 5'4 to 5'10 in height. Secondly, sinks that were installed in a countertop required a significant amount of countertop space in front of and behind the sink to account for the stability of the countertop. This required that the sink recede, away from the user, causing the user to bend needlessly at the waist. Moreover, metal was a very expensive product during this phase of our history. Hence metal sinks were shallow in depth, to save on cost. This was ideal for some but not nearly as efficient as the deeper sinks of times past.

Later, the Double bowl sink was invented. This presented a very resourceful way to wash dishes. Dirty dishes could soak in one bowl filled with hot, soapy water, while the other would contain clean water for rinsing. The Double Bowl sink has been the mainstay of the American kitchen for decades now. Partly due to the fact that we, as humans, have a tendency to take familiar objects and transform them into an even better product, frequently placing a great deal of limitations on design. A good example is that of the horse saddle. It was ideal in the faculty of riding horses but with the invention of the bicycle, it was subsequently modified into a saddle or seat for the bicycle. To this day, the bicycle seat is referred to as a saddle and provides little or no comfort to the rider. Joel Barker recently invented a new seat for the bicycle (owns the patent on it). It features two pads (one for each cheek) that pivot slightly forward and backward, synchronized with the natural motion produced by pedaling. It is called the Easy Seat. Perhaps you have seen it for sale in the Sky Mall magazine found on most aircraft. Did it catch on? Now we are essentially stuck in an old paradigm and prefer the discomfort of a refined horse saddle made to fit a bicycle.

A similar situation occurred with the American kitchen sink. We designed a Double Bowl sink to wash and rinse our dishes, pots, and pans. Once the dishwasher was conceived, it seemed that we forgot to redesign the sink and became complacent for quite some time. For over 90% of today users, the need for a Double Bowl sink has become unnecessary. Yet, most manufacturers continue to build them. Others have recognized the futility and developed a few interesting refinements such as the bowl and a half sink, or the bowl and a quarter sink. These double bowl sinks feature a very large bowl on one side and a small or tiny bowl on the adjacent side. Generally, it is expected that the garbage disposer will be installed on the smaller side.

Finally, there are several sink manufacturers today who offer large single bowl sinks which are far more functional in today kitchen. Some even provide the celebrated, Farm sink, the ultimate in comfort. Previously, I mentioned that the original farm sinks were designed for comfort and intuitively ergonomic. Today, the farm sink, as long as it offers a relatively small distance from its front to the bowl, is as comfortable as its predecessor. Individuals designing custom kitchens now opt for a custom sink as it offers the user a significant amount of added comfort. Remember when we talked about the most comfortable standing position? Well, where the water drops in a sink is the defined work area of that sink which correlates directly with individual stance and overall comfort. If you have to extend far away, and bend at the waist to work under the water, a backache is assuredly in the making. The custom sink offers three ergonomic advantages: front-to-back customizing based on faucet selection and the height of the user, tailored depth based on user height and drain location based on the handedness of the user.

How are these improvements delivered by the custom sink? Simple, a determination of the faucet type and location will give the sink designer 50% of the information required. Knowledge of the height of the user is the other 50%. Equipped with this information, a fairly accurate conclusion can be made as to the appropriate front-to-back dimension that will support water release at a convenient location for the user. The height of the user also determines bowl depth which is also important. A very deep sink will be extremely uncomfortable for a short user. He or she will experience difficulty reaching the bottom of the sink. Likewise, a tall user will find a deep sink intolerable. The extra bending required to reach the bottom will certainly become a lower backache at some point. Thus, a relatively shallow sink is recommended for a short or tall user. There are certain consistencies that hold true with regard to user height and sink depth: a person measuring 5.5 to about 510 in height can handle a deeper sink, as it is easier for them to reach the sink bottom without having to bend at the waist as much as a taller person. When shopping for a sink, it will be helpful to keep the following depths in mind. A sink of 8 to 9 deep is appropriate for the shorter and taller user. A sink up to 10 deep may be managed by those in the middle height range. Most may find a sink deeper than 10 a bit deep, no matter their height.

Drain location has been pre-conditioned by mass production entities for quite some time. They maintained that a center drain was deemed perfect, suitable for a right or left-handed user, providing an equal amount of comfort. The fact that most sinks featured a drain dead center was, in my opinion, the creation of men and women who had never cooked or cleaned a dish. There is no reason what-so-ever for having a center drain. The drain should be located in the rear of the sink. This pushes the plumbing back to the rear of the cabinet creating increased usable space inside the sink cabinet. Secondly, the rear drain offers a greater expanse of uncluttered floor space inside the sink. Place a large platter or pot inside a sink with a center drain and watch the sink begin to fill with water because the platter or pot is plugging the drain. Custom sink design offers a drain placement based on the handedness of the user. In order to fully appreciate this, close your eyes and picture yourself scraping a dish of unwanted food into the sinks garbage disposer. If you are right-handed, you will undoubtedly be holding the dish in your left hand. You will scrape the dish with your right hand. Notice the direction of the movement of your right hand, leading from the back then moving towards the right. Now, does it not make sense that the garbage disposer is located in the right rear corner? The converse holds true for the left-handed user.

Custom sink owners are on the rise and can testify to the significance of the above benefits. They liken the difference to the feel of tailored garments versus off-the-rack clothing. Not surprisingly, custom sinks are generally a great deal more expensive than mass produced sinks, however, it is possible to find a mass-produced sink with many of the custom features required for ultimate comfort. Whatever your preference, it is my hope that this account will at least enhance personal perspective. As with all things, history exists to teach by example, through refinement and innovation intrinsic to the generation of today.

Now, we have the Signature Series, Evolution and finally the ultimate sink - NexGen that allow food preparation and food serving right from the sink. We have come a long way baby!

Authored by Dino Rachiele

Corner Kitchen Sinks - the final solution

Corner kitchen sinks have been embarrassingly horrible forever - until Rachiele finally designed one that actually works. It is a wonder all corner sinks on the market have been double bowl stingy sized sinks.

Installed, these corner sinks are not only wonderful to use, they are gorgeous to look at! All sinks are made to be reversible so they can be used in diagonal corner kitchens or 90 degree corner kitchens. The sink below is a workstation sink featuring a secondary removable sink bowl and a strainer basket - all made of copper.

Rachiele builds custom sinks, so any size and shape is possible. Check out this whopper that was designed for a restaurant owner for his personal kitchen.

The ultimate corner sink is a workstation sink, again designed by Rachiele to be the most efficient corner sink anywhere in the world. This is just one example.

For more information, visit Rachiele

Epidemic of Cracked Granite around Kitchen Sinks!

What to do when you have Cracked Granite around the Kitchen Sink!

What to do? Faced with the daunting task of replacing all of the granite in the kitchen, while likely ruining the wall covering and causing a huge mess, the cracked granite is often ignored until chunks fall off. There has been a good reason to put that task off. Not only is the project expensive, but it is messy and intrusive. If you are wondering why The granite has cracked in front or behind your sink, there is a common reason. This problem has become epidemic due to the lack of knowledge of many granite fabricators.

Typically, granite fabricators will pre-cut the sink hole before the granite is delivered to your home. The area in front of and behind the sink cut out is very weak and fragile. For that reason, they generally cut a channel underneath the granite in front of and sometimes behind the cutout for the sink. They then insert a piece of rebar. The rebar is secured in the routed out area with epoxy. The rebar and epoxy make the weak areas much stronger - especially important when transporting the granite to your home.

The problem occurs slowly, but almost as soon as you start using your sink. No matter how careful you are, water seems to get on the granite in front of and behind the sink. Most of us would not give that a second thought. How can water hurt granite?

The granite fabricators neglected to realize that granite is somewhat porous. After years of the granite being subjected to water, the water reaches the rebar and the rebar begins to rust. When the rebar starts to rust, it expands and since granite cannot expand, the granite starts to crack. The cracks almost always run horizontal to the sink. Often the cracks begin as hairline cracks that appear as if they are natural to the stone. Then, after a while, the cracks grow to the point that it is easy to see that the crack is real and something must be done. At first, not knowing the cause, you might think a quick "patch" or filler can take care of the problem. If you have a fairly large kitchen, you likely have seams in the granite where two pieces have been joined and your fabricator did their best to camouflage the seam with a filler. Common sense would dictate a filler would be the answer - until you try that solution and the granite cracks again!

This is generally when you start to panic! A call to a granite fabricator at that point generally brings grim news. They usually will tell you that there is nothing that can be done and the granite must be replaced. Worse yet, it is common to find that the granite that was installed years ago is no longer available, so replacing the area around the sink is not an option. Now you are faced with replacing all of the granite in the kitchen, which often means the backsplashes have to be replaced, which often cause tile or granite on the wall to have to be replaced. This issue can cost tens of thousands of dollars along with a huge multi-day mess.

There is now a solution that does not require replacing the granite. The solution not only fixes the problem, but it offers a huge upgrade in your food preparation process!

Almost two decades ago, professional kitchen designer Dino Rachiele - turned sink designer, patented a farm sink design that solved the problem without having to replace the granite and without having to cut the sink cabinet at all. In fact, the design allows for a one-day removal and replacement so dinner is not missed!

The patented design has a 1" channel behind a custom height apron that slips over the frame of the cabinet. Simply remove the false drawer heads, make some simple cuts in the stone and drop the sink in place. Below see a project cost breakdown. Each project is different so prices will vary a bit from one part of the country to another. This project was in Orlando, Florida.

Not only do you save the cost of granite replacement, but you also end up with a sink design where all of the food preparation is accomplished on the sink. There is never a need to wipe down the countertops. Everything is done on the sink. 

Our workstation retrofit sinks have various cutting boards, drain grids, a sponge caddy and many other options that allow you to accomplish all food preparation on the sink - no more messy counter tops and no more wiping from the counter into the sink. Food preparation is much more efficient and clean up is a breeze!

Interested in pricing a copper replacement retrofit sink?

Interested in pricing a stainless steel replacement retrofit sink?

Fake News in the Copper Sink Business

There are dozens of companies making claims of copper purity with nothing at all to support the claims. Many of the copper sinks, in showrooms and online, make claims of copper purity but offer no proof. Many, if not all,  imports use recycled copper - which at face value, sounds like a great environmental gesture. 

Well, often scrap copper contains dangerous things like lead, mercury, and arsenic. The batches of copper, melted down, are often relatively small. So... do you think each batch is tested? I don't believe so. If a company is going to make purity claims, I suggest they have independent verification to prove those claims. 

#Fakenews
#Coppersinks

The Copper Sink Hoax

The copper sink sellers might be fooling you! Think about this... Many companies post a purity percentage of the copper sinks - like "99.7% pure recycled copper". Most of the copper sinks sold in the United States are made in Mexico, India, China, and Turkey. 

Now, let's put some logic behind that "purity" statement. From what I have heard, most of these companies melt down scrap copper to make the sinks. Some use old telephone wire, some use old copper pipes... well you get the idea. So, how do they test the purity? Doesn't each batch vary? Do you really think these countries actually test the copper purity - or do you think they just make up a number?

Rachiele Copper Sinks, made in the USA, are made of virgin copper. I can send you independent certifications of purity for every batch I purchase. Do you think any other company can do that?

Introducing the Next Generation in Workstation Sink Design

Over a decade ago, I introduced the workstation sink to the public. Many sink manufacturers followed my lead. I, and they,  designed a small step inside the bowl to hold various accessories. The smaller the step, the larger the bowl. We started out with a 3/4" step and quickly dropped to 1/2". 

In January of this year, I designed a workstation sink without a step. The step was replaced with a small ledge. Instead of losing 1" of width, the sink width remained the same. The ledge system affords an additional 34 square inches of space inside our 36" sink! See illustration below. 

I put these sinks on an Introductory Sale here: 

Check out the videos to see our new design.

 

The "French Hot Process Hoax"

Some copper sink resellers are touting a patina process called the "French Hot Process". My head is about to explode. There is NO process that I am aware of that is at all permanent in the bowl of a copper sink. Once that nice dark "French Process Patina" is removed, the result is a sink that looks like it has a problem. 

Worse yet, these companies refuse to indicate the country of origin of their sinks. 

Consumers should inform themselves. Ask, and get it in writing, where the sinks are manufactured. Any copper sink that does not have a natural old penny coloration in the bowl is going to be a problem if the sink is used in a kitchen. 

#coppersinks #importedcoppersinks #copperfarmsinks #frenchhotprocess