Sources of Supply: Faucets Overview
For the money, a basic American faucet may be one of the best consumer values around. Designed to last a lifetime, all but the cheapest certainly will, and if they don't, the manufacturer will at least replace the defective parts (more on warranties
Elkay Arezzo faucet. All brass construction, lifetime warranty. About $300.00.
below). Modern finishes are unlikely to flake or tarnish. Modern plating and coating processes, including electron beam physical vapor disposition, can imitate anything - brass, nickel, pewter, even gold. Epoxy coatings can keep that new finish looking new for a long time, with proper care. Modern faucets rarely leak. Washerless valve technologies have virtually banished the midnight drip, drip, drip. But some of the best reproduction faucets still use the old compression washer technology (see below). These require periodic washer replacement, not an onerous task, especially for the old house purists. But for the rest of us, the newer no-maintenance washerless technology is a better choice.
Unfortunately the basic American faucet is increasingly not made in the good ol' US of A. A few manufacturers have maintained domestic manufacturing, but most faucets are made elsewhere — from China to the Balkans — and merely distributed by American companies under their own labels. It's the global economy, folks, so get used to it.
As with anything, some faucets are better than others, and price, while generally reflective of quality, is no absolute guarantor. You do not necessarily get a better faucet for more money. All of the major faucet manufacturers, American Standard, Kohler, Moen, Peerless, Price Pfister, Delta, Elkay and Eljer make mid-priced faucets that are lifetime products. When you pay more than mid-price ($100-$300) then you are generally buying the cachet of high-style (Graff, KWC, Toto, Grohe) or custom hand casting and finishing (Strom, Chicago, MGS Progetti) or both. These are usually excellent faucets, but not necessarily a lot better than major-brand mid-priced faucets. They are produced in smaller runs or even made one at a time as they are ordered, so they do not have the cost savings of large production quantities. And so the higher price. But even these are often steeply discounted,
Types of Faucets
A faucet is merely a valve that controls and directs the flow of water. Its main components are the valve itself, a handle to
Typical compression valve. Over time - often not much time -the rubber seat washer will wear out permitting the faucet to leak.
turn the valve (but see Automatic Faucets, below) and a spout through which the water flows. In early faucets, hot and cold water were delivered separately — one valve for hot, the other for cold. The mixing occurred in the sink or tub. These are dangerous (the hot water can be scalding hot) and rarely seen today. The modern faucet contains a mixing valve that blends hot and cold water inside the faucet - out of harm's way. Valves are of four general types: compression, cartridge, ball and ceramic disc. The last three are commonly known as "washerless" types.
The original Moen cartridge valve started the "washerless faucet" revolution.
Compression Valves: A compression valve is the oldest and least expensive valve type. Turning the handle raises and lowers a stem. At the base of the stem is a rubber or plastic washer that nests into a metal (usually brass) seat. The washer twists into the seat to shut off the flow of water. When the washer wears out, as it does very quickly, the faucet leaks until the washer is replaced. Easy to do, but it requires special tools.
Cartridge: Invented by Moen, the cartridge made single handle "washerless" faucets possible. The cartridge rotates to control water temperature and raises up and down to control volume. The water seal is provided by rubber or plastic o-rings. Because the o-ring is merely compressed without being twisted and ground into the valve, it lasts a long time before it needs to be replaced. Quality is determined by the materials used in the cartridge: plastic, plastic and metal, or ceramic. All but the cheapest plastic cartridges will last a very long time.
Delta ball-type valve cartridge also used in Peerless and Brizo.
Ball: The ball valve is a Delta faucet innovation. It works just like a cartridge - and except for the ball-like shape, really is just a cartridge. The ball-shape enabled Delta to get around Moen's patent. Rotating the ball lines up different slots to control water temperature, raising and lowering the ball controls the volume of water, from trickle to blast. Early balls were brass, current models are stainless steel and nearly indestructible. Delta boasts a failure rate of less than one in 100,000 units.
Ceramic Disk: A European innovation, the disk is actually two slotted ceramic disks that rest against each other. One rotates to control temperature and raises and lowers to control water volume. This valve eliminates rubber entirely. The water-tight seal is provided by the disks that are polished to near perfect flatness. Look for these on Kohler, American Standard and Price Pfister faucets as well as most upscale European brands such as Grohe. In fact, a European faucet that does not have a ceramic disk valve is usually not worth consideration.
Which is better? That's a question that can start a three hour argument among professionals. You probably cannot get a plumber to install a compression-type faucet without a sizable bribe. But, those in love with everything antique won't use anything else. While compression faucets need frequent washer replacement, it's not very hard to do and if done regularly (so the valve seat is not damaged), the faucet will last nearly forever. Washerless units last a very long time with no maintenance. But while in theory the valves are replaceable when they finally fail (and they will), as a practical matter by the time the valve fails after 20 or 30 years, the faucet is likely no longer being made and a replacement valve is no longer stocked by the manufacturer. Style may play a big part in your decision. Single handle faucets cannot use compression valves.
Automatic Faucets
a battery powered automatic faucet from Sloan Valve. Intended primarily for public facilities, contemporary styling makes them suitable for residential decor as well.
If the burden of actually turning a faucet on and off is getting to be too much, or you need a faucet for a person who has trouble using a manual faucet, help is at hand. There are electronic automatic faucets. Designed primarily for public restrooms, these fixtures work with a laser sensor to turn the water on and off. They can be hard wired, battery or solar powered. The drawback: The temperature and volume of water are preset. The electronic control merely turns the water on and off. For more information visit Sloan Valve Co. If you want to make your existing faucet automatic, there is a device for that. EZ Faucet makes a battery-powered control that can be retro-fitted to your existing faucet to turn the water on and off electronically. You use the regular handles to adjust temperature and volume.
What to Look For in a Faucet
No Plastic
Plastic has no place in a fixture meant to give many, many years of trouble-free operation. Look for all metal construction — by that we mean only brass and stainless steel. Even avoid a plastic handle. (Plastic faceted handles imitate fine crystal glass handles on very hig-end faucets, but turn yellow and harbor mold). You can usually tell a good all-metal faucet by its weight. It's heavy and feels solid. If you are not sure how heavy it should feel, ask the clerk to see a hose bibb (the outside faucet your hose attaches to). These are almost always heavy, solid brass. Your faucet should be at least this heavy. Test the weight out of the box. There are often heavy things in the box (a hose weight, for example) that are not part of the faucet proper.
Smooth Operation
Turn the handle(s) full on and full off. The operation should be smooth with no hitches, and certainly no scratching or grinding noises. If the handle seems to bind or stiffen in certain positions, there is probably a problem with the faucet.
Ceramic or Metal Cartridge
Not even the most beautiful decor is helped by a faucet that you cannot keep clean. There is not enough room behind this faucet for effective cleaning resulting in a visible "grunge line".
In a cartridge, ball or disk valve faucet, look for ceramic, stainless steel and brass, in that order. These last a good long time. If the box does not reveal the composition of the cartridge, pass it by. If it is ceramic, steel or brass, the box will almost certainly say so. If in doubt go to the manufacturer's web site and find the replacement parts list for your faucet. It will usually tell you the actual materials used in the valve. If not, use the toll-free number and call the manufacturer's customer service department — this is what it's there for. If you do buy a faucet with a plastic cartridge, go ahead and get the replacement cartridge now — you'll need it eventually.
Easy to Clean
Look for a faucet that is easy to clean. You have to be able to get your fingers in those small recesses. Remember that even the most stylish faucet does not look so good crusted and rusted. Select a faucet that matches your style, but still is easy to keep spotless.
Secure Pull-out Spout
Make sure any spout pull-out device operates smoothly without catching. It may be hard to tell before it is installed, however, because the hose counter-weight is not fitted until installation. Any pull-out spout can be damaged if it is pulled too far and too hard. You probably won't do this, but your children will. Look for a solid metal-to-metal attachment. No pull-out is immune to damage, but well-attached hoses resist damage better. Just look, don't yank. If you break it, you have probably just selected your next faucet.
Warranties
Faucet warranties are a sham. There are just a very few things more useless -- maybe a pet rock or Chia HeadŽ.
All the manufacturer of a defective produce promises to do is send you the parts necessary to fix the defect. The company does not pay for the labor required to: (1) remove the faucet, (2) remove the defective parts, (3) replace them with the new parts and (4) reinstall the faucet.
All of this plumbing labor is expensive, usually more expensive than the cost of a new faucet, which is why most people faced with a defective faucet just buy a new one. Moreover, the company is usually in no great hurry to send you the replacement parts, and few of us can go for a few weeks without a working kitchen faucet. Plus you have to send in the original receipt and sometimes the offending part. Who keeps receipts for 5 years or more? And if you did happen to save the receipt, where is it after all that time?
And the length of the warranty is no indicator of the quality of the faucet. Some of the best faucets are accompanied by the skimpiest warranties; while mediocre faucets have "lifetime" warranties. Why? Because the makers of lower quality faucets know from experience that there is very little likelihood you will exercise your rights under the warranty. So a "lifetime" warranty is good advertising that does not actually cost the manufacturer very much.
But, just to show that we are also somewhat taken in by this stupid warranty game, we will report each manufacturer's warranty as if it actually means something -- mostly because we're just as gullible as anyone else.
The Model Game
Did you ever wonder how stores such as Lowes and Home Depot can absolutely guarantee to have the lowest price on a faucet?
Simple.
Most major faucet manufacturers will make special models just for the large retailers. No one else can possibly have a lower price on an in-house model because no one else carries exactly the same model. In many cases the faucet is identical to the manufacturer's regular faucet, just renamed. But in some cases the faucet can be sold at a lower price because the materials used are lower quality - plastic spouts rather than brass, for example.
There is no sure-fire way of determining whether an apparent main-line faucet is actually a store model. But here's what we do. Go to the store and pick your model. Then go to the manufacturer's web site and search for that particular model. If the model number or name is exactly the same, most likely you have a regular-line faucet. If it is not the same (usually by the addition of a suffix such as M1045-HD rather than M1045), then it is probably a store model.
Trends
Brizo "Loki" contemporary faucet. Winner of the prestigious ADEX award for design excellence.
According to the 2002 National Kitchen and Bath Association "Design Trend Survey", the top bathroom feature desired by most homeowners is a decorative faucet. Manufufacturers are meeting this demand by pushing design limits. While traditional faucet designs still outsell any other style group by a wide margin, transitional and contemporary designs are a growing segment. Contemporary designs are becoming very geometric — featuring rectangular shapes with sharply defined edges and clean, unadorned cylindrical shapes distinguished by elegant finishes. While bright chrome still dominates as the favorite faucet finish, stainless steel and polished brass are catching up, with the various bronzes not far behind.
Brizo "Vesi Channel" lavatory faucet. Traditional format with contemporary features such as a channel spout and clean, geometric lines place this faucet solidly in the Transitional style group. Winner of the Graphis Award for best graphic design.
For those whose style preference is not quite so avant guard, manufacturers have added contemporary features to traditional faucet styles to create an in-between look usually referred to as "transitional" or "eclectic" style. The Brizo Vesi Channel lavatory faucet is a good example of this style group. The basic two-handle lavatory faucet has been around for most of a century. By adding a channel spount and crisping up the basic rectangular shape, Brizo has transformed the faucet into something more modern that will fit well in a contemporary bathroom and still be quite at home in a more traditional setting.
Delta Classic Teapot Spout two-handle lavatory faucet. This traditional faucet style has been a solid, reliable performer for many years and is still one of Delta's most popular sellers.
Few inexpensive faucets are either transitional or conteporary in styling. Style innovations start at the top of the line and work themselves down over time to less expensive faucets. By the time the "very latest" has filtered down to the bargan shelf, it is long past being the very latest. Still, except for the ultra-high-style bath or kitchen, a traditional faucet works just about anywhere. And, as older styles are phased out in favor of newer lines, traditional faucets can be exceptional values found on Internet discount venues.
To an increasing extent, faucet improvements are being driven by design, not technology. There have really been no important technological breakthroughs since the ceramic cartridge. Virtually all name faucets are functionally reliable, economical to operate, and will last a lifetime. Indeed, reliable faucet performance is pretty much a given these days. Almost all current competition is design-driven. In fact the push for design innovation now trancends mere faucets to coordinated hardware and fixture suites. Todo, Fusion, Price Pfister and other companies now have entire matching rooms of faucets, fixtures, cabinet knobs, towel racks, lighting and even tile to ensure you new bath or kitchen is stylistically consistent.