Leaky Faucets

Drip, drip, drip.

Faucets are a very important part of the water delivery system in your home. Faucet is a generic term that refers to a valve which controls the release of liquids.

The physical characteristics of faucet installations which differentiate a faucet from other valves are the lack of any type of a mechanical thread or fastener. Most home faucet installations used for baths, showers, sinks and basins provide separate hot and cold water valves. In which case, hot and cold water from the two valves are mixed together before reaching the faucet, allowing the water to emerge at any temperature between that of the hot and cold water supplies. When separate faucets are used, the hot water faucet generally has the color red as an indicator, while the cold water faucet has blue or green. In English-speaking countries, the faucets are also frequently labeled with an "H" or "C". In the United States and Canada, the hot tap is on the left side of a building by code requirements.

Frequently, in faucet installations, a mixer faucet will incorporate some sort of pressure-balancing feature, whereby the hot and cold mixture ratio will not be affected by changes in the pressure of one or the other of the water supplies. This helps avoid scalding or uncomfortable temperatures, as when other water loads occur (such as the flushing of a toilet.) Rather than two separate faucets, mixer faucets frequently use a single, more complex valve whose handle moves up and down to control the amount of water flow, and from side to side to control the temperature of the water. Especially for baths and showers, the latest designs do this using a built-in thermostat. These are known as "thermostatic mixing valves," or TMVs, and can be mechanical or electronic. Mixer faucets may utilize red and blue stripes or arrows to indicate which side will give hot and which cold.

General Operation - Leaky faucets are just annoying. Most water faucets have an adjustable flow. Turning the knob or working the lever sets the flow rate by adjusting the size of an opening within the valve assembly, giving rise to restricted flow through the narrow opening in the valve. The flow rate is independent of the temperature of the fluid in the pipe, and depends only a small amount on the supply pressure. This creates a flow rate which is stable at a given setting.

The first screw-down valve mechanisms for faucets were patented and manufactured in 1845. Many older faucets will use a soft rubber or neoprene washer which is screwed down onto a valve seat in order to stop the flow. This is called a "globe valve" and while it gives a leak-proof seal and good for fine adjustment of flow, both the rubber washer and the valve seat are subject to wear over time, so eventually, no tight seal is formed in the closed position, resulting in a leaking tap. The washer can be replaced and the valve seat resurfaced, but globe valves are never maintenance-free. Most faucet handles on residential homes are connected to the valve shaft and fastened down with a screw. Faucets contain moving parts, and they break and wear out over time.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® has skilled plumbers who can handle all faucet installations, repair or replacement - whether part of a kitchen sink, bathroom sink, bathtub, shower, wet bar, laundry room, water shut-off valve or even an attachment for an outdoor hose. Give us a call and allow us to meet your plumbing needs.