Anyone who has stood in front of the impressive faucet displays at any warehouse type home improvement store knows that there is a vast and wonderful array of faucets available for your bathroom and kitchen tubs, sinks, and showers. If you are doing a kitchen or bathroom repair or remodeling, there are many attractive styles and types of faucets to choose from.
There are four common types of faucets: compression, ball, cartridge and disc. Compression faucets have been around for a long time. They are still available and offer an economical faucet alternative. A compression faucet relies on a rubber washer that seals against the valve seat to control the flow of water. As these washers get hard and brittle with age they tend to start leaking.
A washerless faucet does not rely on these rubber washers and generally last longer than a compression faucet. A washerless faucet can develop leaks too, but they are easier to repair than compression faucets.
There are three types of washerless faucets. Ball faucets are single handle faucets. The handle is attached to a ball and swivels to control the amount and temperature of the water.
Cartridge faucets can have either one or two handles. They use a stem attached to the handle that moves up and down and side to side inside a cartridge to control the flow and temperature of the water.
Disc faucets are the latest development in washerless faucets. Like ball faucets, they use a single handle to control the amount and temperature of the water using two discs inside the housing that slide against each other.
