bib-tap
Usually finished in brass but also available in chrome. It has a horizontal entrance. Brass taps with a threaded outlet for a hose connector are often used as garden taps. The inlet has a male BSP thread. The faucet is often attached to a wall plate elbow for mechanical safety.
sink-faucet
Often chrome finish. It has a vertical entrance. A locknut is used to screw the faucet to a sink deck so that the plumbing connections do not have to provide mechanical strength. A sink faucet needs to be tall enough to allow buckets to be filled, so before you buy, check that the height of the spout (the distance from the top of the sink to the bottom of the spout) plus the depth of the sink are sufficient. The inlet has a 1/2 in. BSP male thread. The usual pipe fitting is a faucet connector.
Sink mixer Mixers have separate hot and cold water inlets, but only one outlet. The spout outlets can be pushed to either side, to feed two sink bowls or to make it easier to get things in and out of the sink. The usual spout length is 7 inches, but 9-inch spouts are best for two-bowl sinks. Most kitchen sinks are supplied with cold water directly from the mains and hot water through the cold water tank. Water regulations do not allow stored hot water to mix with the main cold water inside a fixture, so sink mixers are usually of the split or dual flow type. Non-split flow mixers can be used only when the hot and cold water supplies are both directly from the mains (i.e. when the hot water is heated by an instantaneous type water heater) or both are from the water tank. cold (which is for an unlikely kitchen). Tap holes in sinks and inlets in sink mixers are typically 178mm apart as standard. Inlets are 1/2 in. BSP male threads; other sizes indicate that the mixer is probably a continental type, which may not be suitable.
supatap
This is a type of faucet designed so that it can be backwashed without turning off the water. Various designs were available, but Supataps are most commonly found in kitchens as individual hot and cold water faucets. Now discontinued, but parts should still be available; you need to know the type of faucet you have.
Bathtub and sink faucet
Separate taps for hot and cold water. Many different patterns are available with different handle designs. The type of handle often determines the price of the faucet: the ordinary crosshead is usually the cheapest. Check before you buy that the handle is easy to grip. If you want to be able to wash your hands under running water, make sure the spout is long enough to stick well over the rim of the bowl when installed. The faucet has a vertical inlet with a 1/2 in. BSP male thread for basin faucets; I am in favor of bathroom faucets. Other sizes indicate continental type faucets.
Bath and sink mixer Usually does not have a split or two-way spout, so it must be connected to both hot and cold water supplies, either both coming directly from the mains or, more commonly, both coming from the cold water cistern. A bathtub/shower and a diverter are attached to change the flexible tube to go to the shower, and a diverter to change the flow of water from the spout to the shower or vice versa (the diverters can change the flow back to the bathtub automatically when taps are closed). Faucet holes in bathrooms and mixer inlets in bathrooms are usually a standard distance of 7 inches apart. You may be able to purchase a mixer with adjustable inputs for non-standard distances. A sink mixer is sometimes called a 4-inch mixer because the inlets are a standard 4-inch apart. The faucets have vertical inlets with male BSP thread – 1/2 in for basin mixer; 3/4 in for bathroom mixer. Other sizes indicate continental type mixers.
Three-hole basin mixer
The hot and cold faucets and faucet spout each fit into separate holes in the sink. The connections between the spout and the valves are usually flexible to accommodate different hole distances. A three-hole mixer with rigid connections typically has the taps 8 inches apart with the spout centered between them. A mixer that has taps 8 inches apart can sometimes be called an 8-inch mixer, but the connections aren’t necessarily rigid. It usually does not have a split-flow or double-flow peak. The mixer usually comes with a pop-up drain. Faucets have vertical inlets with 1/2 in. BSP threads.
One Hole Mixer
Mainly available for sinks and bidets. Fits a standard single tap hole. The dispenser is usually stationary and is not a split-flow or dual-flow type. The inlets are usually plain end 10mm copper and adapter fittings are required to attach to the usual 15mm pipe supplies. Water pressure from tank-fed supplies may not be high enough to provide adequate flow. (Often these are continental type faucets intended for use on high pressure direct plumbing systems.)
bidet set
Rim-feed bidets with sprays use a complicated faucet arrangement. The hot and cold tap valves and the mixer body fit into separate holes in the bidet frame. The body of the mixer has a diverter to direct the water to the rim of the bidet or, through a flexible tube, to the sprayer at the base of the bidet. The mixer usually has flexible connections and a pop-up drain. A rim-feed bidet must comply with particular regulations. An over-the-rim bidet can be equipped with single or single-lever faucets.
plastic mats
Cheaper than normal chrome plated brass faucets; manufacturers also claim they are cooler to the touch. Some brands come in a range of colors to match the fixtures. With most brands, only a restricted range of types is available. Plastic faucets need special care when fitting them. No joint paste or solder should be used near them; even fumes from welding fluxes can damage plastic. Threads can easily come off; be careful when screwing metal nuts on them.
lever taps
Instead of a faucet handle, which must be turned several times from fully open to fully closed, the lever must be turned only a quarter of a circle to turn the faucet from fully open to fully closed. Sink mixers come with one lever that works clockwise and the other works counterclockwise. To get this arrangement with separate faucets, a pair must be ordered. It is not often used in homes, but could be useful in a kitchen or for the elderly. Some authorities may not allow their use as they can lead to water hammer.
ceramic disc mats
This latter type of faucet also requires only a quarter turn to open, which can be levers on kitchen mixers, for example, or more conventional handles on other types of faucets. Unlike an ordinary faucet in which a washer is lifted from a poop, a ceramic disk faucet works by turning a circular disk so that its grooves line up (or don’t line up) with the grooves on a second fixed disk. It is claimed that the discs do not need to be washed again, but the clamping mechanism in some laps can fail.
touch conversion kits
Faucet conversion kits make old faucets with ordinary crosshead handles look newer with covered handles. If your old faucets are leaking due to a worn washer, a faucet conversion kit will fix this, but replacing the washer would be much cheaper and no more work. The most common type replaces the entire spindle assembly.
