A guide to water faucet

The history of faucets dates back to 1700 BC if not before. At that time, a palace at Crete had pipes made of terra cotta and faucets made of gold, silver and marble. In Rome, there were faucets made of silver. In 1937, the faucet design changed to its present configuration. There are four kinds of water faucets in use today.

Ball faucets

These faucets were invented by Al Moen in the 1940s. It is a faucet that does not contain a washer to restrict the flow. This faucet has only one handle. Inside the faucet body, a ball is located, and beneath the ball, there are chambers. It is these chambers that control the water's flow. It is also in the chambers that the water temperature is controlled. These faucets can leak, causing a dripping faucet.

Cartridge faucet

The cartridge faucet contains a stem cartridge that moves up and down inside the faucet. If the cartridge faucet has one handle, then the handle must be moved up and down to adjust the flow, and left and right to control the temperature. If the cartridge faucet has two handles, the handles control the flow and the temperature in the same manner.

Disc faucet

The disc faucet has one handle. The body of the faucet is wide and cylindrical. Inside the faucet cartridge, there are two ceramic discs. These discs move over one another and, this is how the water flow and the temperature are controlled. These faucets do not leak like the ball faucet.

Compression faucet

Compression faucets are one of the earliest types of faucets. These faucets have two handles, and tend to be leaky. In order to control the flow of the water as well of the temperature, the handles have to be tightened. By tightening the handle, it forces a washer downward which, in turn, restricts the flow. Unfortunately, over time, this washer will wear out, and it will need to be replaced. This faucet requires maintenance in order for it to work properly. The dripping water can lead to more and more water escaping through the faulty washer. This causes a loss of water and energy when the hot water, which requires energy to be heated, drips away.