How to Buy a New Kitchen Faucet

Purchasing the right kitchen faucet depends largely on the existing plumbing. Choosing a fresh kitchen faucet can be easier than you think once you take into account three important details before you begin shopping.

There are various kitchen faucet and sink designs available, but they’re not necessarily compatible. Begin by looking at your kitchen sink to regulate how many pre-drilled faucet mounting slots can be found. This applies if you are installing a fresh faucet in an existing sink or buying a totally new tap and sink.

Typically, kitchen faucets have either one handle rotating directionally to improve water temperature or two handles for mixing hot and cool water. Included in these are a sprayer that sits aside or a pull-out or pull-down sprayer with spray and stream options.

Hands-free buy faucets online and add a new aspect to the kitchen. These can be touch- or motion-oriented and include both temps and quantity control, making these faucets a safe choice for homes with children. Hands-free faucets work very well with the widespread design theory, making living spots more accessible and accommodating for every level of physical ability.

In case your existing faucet has a installation plate onto it, check under the sink to observe how many holes the installation plate covers. Keep in mind the next about mounting slots:

Kitchen faucets can have from one to four installation holes.
Three holes are used for the spout and two handles.
A fourth hole is normally used for an accessory, like a soap dispenser or aspect sprays.
Each new faucet indicates on the packaging just how many installation holes it requires for installation.
If you are installing a single-handle faucet into a sink with three slots, the deck dish will usually cover up the unused opportunities.
The location of the sink mounting slots is another thing to bear in mind. Often, the sink is located near the center of the kitchen sink, but this isn’t always the situation. If the faucet will be attached on one area of the kitchen sink, the spout must be long enough to attain the opposite basin for this to be of use. A high spout with a pull-down spray nozzle is another option for a kitchen sink with place mounting holes.

Where’s the Support?
You will find top-mount and bottom-mount faucets. Top-mount faucets connect from within the counter-top. The screws are screwed in through underneath of the faucet. Bottom-mount faucets affix from the very best of the counter-top. The screws are installed through the very best of the faucet part.

Check the Water Lines
Make sure the new kitchen faucet you want is compatible with water source lines. Look under your sink towards underneath of the pantry and note how big is the existing drinking water series and the shutoff valves. Here are some guidelines to work with when looking at your drinking water lines and valve:

If you are unsure what size your water lines are, solution them with a measuring tape.
Though you may need to hunt for it, the scale should be etched onto the valve.
Note that an older home might not exactly have a shutoff valve.
Many newer faucets include 3/8-inch flex lines attached. If the prevailing normal water shutoff valves are 1/2-in . in size, you will have to change out the shut-off valves to 3/8-inch valves before putting in the new faucet.
It’s typically smart to replace the shut-off valves when installing a new sink, anyhow, since a vintage valve may fail if you want to shut off water for leaks or other repairs.
Spout Selection
If the sink mounting holes for your faucet can be found nearer to one side of the sink, ensure that your spout is long enough to swing and reach the contrary side of the basin, particularly if you have a twice sink. One solution is to buy a extra tall spout with a pull-down squirt nozzle. This design is well suited for a kitchen sink design with part mounting holes.

Consider the Finish
Even something as apparently small as the final of your plumbing fixture can make or break the aesthetics of your kitchen. There are many guidelines. Your kitchen faucet should match the finish of other sink accessories, including the tiny dishwasher air difference, built-in soap dispenser, and sink-hole ranges for unused slots. A faucet which has a sparkly chrome surface finish will look out of place if all of those other fixtures have a matte brushed nickel surface finish, for example.