Kitchen Faucet Components and Materials

Your kitchen faucet is one of the most used parts in your kitchen. Whether you’re buying or looking for replacement parts, here’s what you need to know about the kitchen faucets.

Kitchen Sink Faucet Components Overview

Before purchasing a new faucet, the first step is to determine where the sink will be located. Its size, shape and features will determine where the faucet should be installed and how wide the spout should be.

Also make sure you measure the height of the spout. Ideally, it should be high enough to clear the deepest pan, but not so high that water splashes around when it hits the sink. You’ll want to make sure there is enough room behind and beside the spigot to clean the body of the spigot and to comfortably use the handle.

Aerator

Start at the top of the faucet, which is a section (usually made of mesh). It divides the water flow into multiple smaller streams, diluting the water with air. The aerator reduces the amount of water flow while maintaining the feeling of a high-pressure stream. This greatly reduces the amount of splashing in the sink.

Water spout

The spout of the faucet is the first part most people notice; it is the part that carries the water from the body to the sink. Its design can be distinctive. A straight spout provides a long reach and has a low profile. The gooseneck spout has an elegant, high curved shape. It is convenient when filling deep pots and pans. The Shepherd’s curved hook design, like its namesake, brings a bit of mystery while providing extra clearance. The articulated spout has multiple joints, allowing you to direct the water flow where it is needed.

Beyond these stylistic considerations, it’s important to anticipate how you’ll use your spout in the kitchen. Pull-out spouts have a retractable nozzle that stops at the spout. Pull-out spouts come in several styles and are held in place by gravity.

On the other hand, pull-down spouts (typically mounted on a gooseneck design) require a magnetized or locking base to hold them in place when not in use. There are also hands-free spouts that open with the help of a foot pedal or motion sensor.

Handle

When it comes to faucet handles for opening and closing valves, your options are one or two. The single handle is easy to use for people of all ages and abilities. It can be mounted on top of the spout, on either side of the spout, or on the front. If you install it on the side, a separate hole is required. Two-handle faucets have a whole extra handle to worry about, but their timeless appeal is an attractive feature for any kitchen.

Valve

Illustration by Harry Campbell

To control water flow and temperature, today’s faucets use a cartridge valve. It encapsulates all the working parts in an easily replaceable unit (meaning there are no washers to replace). Some valves are made of plastic or metal. But the best valves consist of a pair of hard, smooth ceramic discs that rarely leak and are unaffected by hard water deposits. If the discs have any debris on them, they will crack. So make sure you flush your water supply line before installing your faucet. (The water supply line connects the hot and cold water pipes of the house.)

Cartridge valves vary depending on the make and model of the faucet. If you need a replacement, order one directly from the manufacturer.

Body

The faucet body is where the hot and cold water mixes before passing through the spout. In a single-hole design, hot and cold water are combined in a one-piece casting, which also contains the valve. This type of body is available in single or double handle designs.

In a bridge design, the pipes connecting the two separate valves are mixed together before the hot and cold water reach the outlet. This look is not very common, but is sometimes seen in period designs.

A third option is a wide body that requires three holes. It mixes hot and cold water like a bridge faucet, but the pipes are hidden under the counter.

Installation

What will the faucet be attached to? Deck mounting, where the faucet is attached to the sink, is the most common option. If there is enough clearance between the sink and the wall, installation is simple. It requires a hole in the countertop or sink.

The second option is to fix the faucet to the wall. This has the advantage of freeing up countertop space and making cleanup easier. But in cold climates, this is not a good idea for exterior walls where pipes can freeze.

Antique brass faucet material selection

Kitchen faucets are very important in our lives. It should be possible to say that you can’t live without a faucet. I don’t know how many antique faucets, faucets have a good decorative effect. Together with some decorative styles, it is a wonderful feeling. But there are many antique faucets that need to pay attention to themselves, after all, antique faucets have certain advantages and disadvantages, so hurry up and pay attention to it.

Copper: The biggest advantage of antique brass faucets is that they are stable and not easy to remove paint. Even ordinary spool faucets need to be configured for copper. So it is a high-quality copper faucet, so to speak, is a very good faucet material.

Stainless steel: stainless steel antique faucet is more in the market. It has the advantage of wear resistance and long service life. But when choosing this type of material, try to pick, after all, the market is more inferior stainless steel.

Space aluminum: this is relatively new material. Not easy to rust the color of the material is also very stable, and also has the advantage of environmental protection. But space aluminum antique faucets of inferior quality products are also a lot. To be in the choice, you have to pay attention.

Material: zinc alloy is weaker, but it is also easy to rust over time. Zinc alloy antique faucet is cheap but more problems, it is not recommended to buy.

So you must be careful when choosing a bathroom mirror. After choosing carefully, you can have a better chance of choosing the best faucet. The introduction of antique faucets is almost complete here, if you have different views can be put forward and shared with you.

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