Bib tap

Usually with a brass finish, but chrome plated as well. It has a horizontal entrance. Brass taps with a threaded outlet for a hose connector are often used as garden taps. Inlet has male BSP thread. The faucet is often connected to a wall plate elbow for mechanical safety.

Sink faucet

Often finished in chrome. It has a vertical entrance. A locknut is used to bolt the faucet to the deck of a sink, so the plumbing connections do not need to provide mechanical strength. The sink faucet needs to be high enough to allow the buckets to fill, so before purchasing, check that the height of the spout (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-inch BSP male thread. The usual pipe fitting is a faucet connector.

Basin mixer Mixers have separate hot and cold water inlets, but only one outlet. The spout outlets can be pushed either way to feed two bowls from the sink or to make things easier to get 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 cistern. Water statutes do not allow stored hot water to mix with cold mains water within a fixture, which is why sink mixers are typically split-flow or dual-flow. The undivided flow mixers can be used only when the hot and cold water supplies come directly from the mains (i.e. when the hot water is heated by an instantaneous type water heater) or both come from the water cistern cold (which is unlikely for a kitchen). Faucet holes in sinks and sink mixer inlets are usually at a standard distance of 178mm. Inlets are 1/2-inch BSP male threads; other sizes indicate that the mixer is probably continental type, which may not be suitable.

Supatap

This is a type of faucet designed so that it can be washed again without turning off the water. There were several designs available, but Supataps are most commonly found in kitchens as individual hot and cold water taps. Now discontinued, but parts should still be available; you need to know the type of faucet you have.

Bathtub and washbasin tap

Separate taps for hot and cold water. There are many different patterns available with different handle designs. The type of handle often determines the price of the tap; 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 protrude well over the rim of the bowl when installed. Faucets have a vertical inlet with a 1/2-inch BSP male thread. For washbasin taps; I am in favor of bathroom taps. Other sizes indicate continental type faucets.

Bathroom and basin faucets It does not usually have a split flow or double flow spout, so it must be connected to hot and cold supplies, whether both come directly from the network or, more usually, both from the cold water cistern . Attached is a bathtub / shower and diverter to change the flexible tubing to go to the shower, and a diverter to change the flow of water from the spout to the shower or vice versa (diverters can change the flow back to the tub automatically when the taps are off). Faucet holes in baths and bath mixer inlets are usually a standard 7-inch apart. You may be able to buy a mixer with adjustable inputs for non-standard distances. A lavatory mixer is sometimes called a 4-inch mixer because the inlets are standard 4 inches apart. Faucets have vertical inlets with male BSP – 1/2 in. Threads. For basin mixer; 3/4 in. For bathroom mixer. Other sizes indicate continental type mixers.

Three-hole basin mixer

The hot and cold water taps and the spout of the faucet fit into separate holes in the sink. The connections between the spout and the valves are usually flexible to accommodate different orifice distances. A three-hole mixer with rigid connections generally 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 are not necessarily rigid. It generally does not have a split flow or double flow peak. The mixer generally comes with a pop-up drain. Faucets have vertical inlets with 1/2-inch BSP threads.

One-hole mixer

Mainly available for sinks and bidets. Fits a standard single tap hole. The peak is generally fixed and is not of the split-flow or double-flow type. The inlets are typically 10mm copper with plain ends and adapter fittings are required to connect to the typical 15mm pipe supplies. The water pressure in the tank-fed supplies may not be high enough to provide adequate flow. (Often these are continental-style faucets designed for use in direct high-pressure plumbing systems.)

Bidet set

Over-the-edge, sprayed bidets use a complicated faucet arrangement. The valves on the hot and cold water faucet and the mixer body fit into separate holes on the rim of the bidet. The body of the mixer has a diverter to direct the water to the edge of the bidet or, via a flexible tube, to the spray head at the base of the bidet. The mixer usually has flexible connections and a pop-up drain. A through-ring supply bidet must meet certain regulations. An over the rim bidet can be fitted with a single faucet or with a lap mixer.

Plastic taps

Chromed brass taps cheaper than normal ones; Manufacturers also claim that they are cooler to the touch. Some brands come in a range of colors to match the toilets. With most brands, only a restricted range of types is available. Plastic faucets need special care when fitting. Joint paste should not be used and should not be soldered near them, even fumes from solder flux can damage plastic. The threads can come off easily; be careful when screwing in the metal nuts.

Sunrise taps

Instead of a faucet handle, which must be turned several times from fully open to fully closed, the lever must be turned just a quarter of a circle to open the faucet from fully open to fully closed. Sink mixers come with one lever that works clockwise and the other counterclockwise. To obtain this arrangement with separate taps, a pair must be ordered. It is not used often in the home, but it can be useful in the kitchen or for the elderly. Some authorities may not allow their use, because they can lead to water hammer.

Ceramic Disc Taps

The 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 a common faucet in which a washer is lifted out of excrement, a ceramic disc faucet works by turning a circular disc so that its grooves line up (or don’t line up) with the grooves on a second fixed disc. It is claimed that the discs do not need to be washed again, but the clamping mechanism in some turns may fail.

Tap conversion kits

Faucet conversion kits make old faucets, with ordinary cross handles, look more like new ones with covered handles. If your old faucets are leaking due to a worn washer, a faucet conversion kit will cure this, but replacing the washer would be much cheaper and no more work involved. The most common type replaces the entire spindle assembly.