Are your original faucets still in excellent condition? If not, do they already need repairs or replacements? Before repairing or replacing your faucet, you must first identify your faucet type.
It is important that you know what types of males you have used at home such as ball type, disc type, cartridge type or compression type. The first three types are commonly called “washerless faucets” because they do not use neoprene or rubber grommets. The compression type, on the other hand, is the basic washing machine faucet used by most households.
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Ball Faucets
Ball valves are the earliest types of “washerless faucets”. These are commonly used in kitchen sinks and generally include a single handle that moves over a plug that is shaped like a rounded ball just above the base of the spout. But the use of ball valves has a big drawback. They tend to drip more than other types of faucets.
Disc Faucets
If ball faucets are the earliest types of “washerless faucets”, disc faucets are the newer types. You can easily identify these types once you see the single lever on its cylindrical body. They typically include two ceramic discs housed in a large cartridge that slide over each other to control the water flow and temperature of the mix. But unlike ball valves, these are reliable and don’t leak often.
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Cartridge Faucets
These types of faucets work with a moving-stem cartridge that moves up and down to regulate the flow of water. You can identify them not by their appearance, but by how they feel when they operate. Unlike ball faucets, cartridge faucets work with an up and down motion to adjust the water volume and a left and right motion to adjust the temperature.
Compression Faucets
If disc faucets are the newer types, compression faucets are the opposite, as these are the older types of faucets. You can recognize these types when you see the hot and cold water handles and that to cut off the flow of water you have to squeeze the handles down. These differ from the cartridge faucet in that they require you to squeeze or squeeze the washer to shut off the water flow while it is on the cartridge faucet, you don’t need to apply additional pressure just to turn it off.
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