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Bathroom Faucet Buying Tips
Look Beyond Beauty and Style When Buying a
Bathroom Faucet
By: Mark J. Donovan
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When buying a bathroom faucet it is
important to select one that provides both functionality and beauty. Bathroom
faucets are heavily used and expected to last for many years. Consequently it is
wise to do your homework when buying a bathroom faucet, and be willing to spend
a little extra, to get the one that provides style and functionality, as well as
durability.
It’s amazing how many choices there are when it comes to buying bathroom
faucets. They seem to come in an infinite amount of shapes and sizes.
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They also come in a myriad of
finishes and features, and prices vary all over the map. It can become quite
confusing choosing the best bathroom faucet for your bathroom and budget.
There is however a couple of major features that you can first decide upon to
help quickly narrow the options when buying a bathroom faucet. First, bathroom
faucets are manufactured in three basic types, single handle, dual handle and
widespread faucet.
The single handle centerset bathroom faucet is probably the most commonly
purchased bathroom faucet as it is both economical and provides the easiest
control of water temperature.
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A single lever is used to control
both the hot and cold water mixture. Often the lever is an integral part of the
bathroom faucet spout.
The dual handle centerset faucet sits
on a single base and consists of two handles for controlling the hot and cold
water, and a separate spout.
The widespread bathroom faucet
consists of separate hot and cold water valves / handles, and a spout that are
mounted separately on the bathroom countertop.
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Typically they are more expensive
than the other two types of bathroom faucets and are more difficult to install
if the bathroom countertop does not already come with the three pre-drilled
holes. However they can offer more flexibility in their placement and are often
considered more stylish that the other bathroom faucet types.
Once you’ve decided upon the type of bathroom faucet you are looking for, you
can then move on to the technology features that may interest you, particularly
the ones that will prevent scalding and leaks. Suffice it to say, typically the
higher the price of the faucet, the higher the quality of valves used in the
bathroom faucet construction. There are a variety of valve designs to choose
from with bathroom faucets, including cartridge valve, compression and ceramic
disk valves.
Photos by Mark Donovan
Higher quality valves are designed to prevent rapid changes in temperature and
to be leak free for years to come. Also, with higher end single handle
controlled faucets they include temperature set limits or scald guard features
to set the max temperature the faucet will deliver. Per federal guidelines set
by the U.S. Department of Energy, the max flow rate of a bathroom faucet is 2.2
gallons per minute, however some higher-end bathroom faucets include flow rate
restrictors to even further conserve on water use.
Warranties also vary widely amongst bathroom faucet manufacturers, however as a
general rule, the longer the warranty the more likelihood the faucet is of
higher quality. Also, when comparing bathroom faucet warranties, look for
faucets that offer life time protection warranties against drips and leaks.
Once you’ve decided upon your preferred bathroom faucet type and features, then
look at the various styles and finishes that will most complement your bathroom
vanity and countertop, and other bathroom accessories. Also make sure the
particular bathroom faucet you choose will work with your bathroom vanity
countertop, e.g. the bathroom countertop has the necessary holes already
pre-drilled in it or is at least capable of being drilled.
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Related Bathroom Makeover Design Information
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