The Different Types of Single Faucet

Single faucets are types of faucets where the water only flows from one spout. The different types of single faucet fixtures are bathtub faucets, kitchen faucets, bar faucets and lavatory faucets. Single faucets can have a single lever on the handle that turns the water on or may have separate hot and cold handles.
Single-handle faucets have a simple mechanism inside the faucet body that controls the flow of water. As you turn the handle left or right, the water temperature changes. After years of turning back and forth, the components inside the handle may begin to wear down. This may cause leaks from the spout or the handle itself. Disassembling the faucet to inspect individual components will help you isolate the issue without the need for a plumber.

Single faucets are the way most bathtubs are manufactured. The water flows from a single spout that is mounted in the wall. If the bathtub is part of a tub and shower combination, there will also be a shower head above where you can wash your hair. There are three different types of temperature controls available for bathtubs.
A single-handle faucet is removed the same way as any other faucet. The faucet is attached to the sink top with nuts that screw onto the faucet stems under the sink. Remove the nuts using a special tool designed for working in the tight space under the sink. Removing a faucet is accomplished with the use of just two tools. The entire task is completed in about half an hour, even by a novice.

There is a lever that you can lift up to turn on the water then move from one side to the other to control the water temperature. When you move the lever to the left the water gets warmer and when you move the lever to the right the water gets colder. The single knob type of faucet handle works the same way as the lever. Both of these types of handles deliver the flow of water and the water temperature through a single handle. The other temperature controls work with a hot and cold knob handle.

Single faucets in the kitchen work slightly different than bathtub faucets. The faucet itself is sold in a lot of styles from the arching swan neck type to the wall mounted variety. For the swan neck style faucet, the water source is underneath the sink and flows up through the neck and out of the faucet head. The wall mounted variety has a straight pipe that comes out of the wall and then arches slightly so the water will flow into the sink.

The most common types of bar faucets are single faucets. Typically the sink basin is much smaller than a regular kitchen sink and there is also only one basin instead of the normal two in a kitchen sink. The faucets are often manufactured in the same way and use either lever handles or separate hot and cold temperature controls.
Single-lever faucets in showers, tubs and sinks operate by mixing the cold and hot water together to achieve a temperature. Turning the lever 45 degrees to the right allows cold water flow only. At 135-degrees rotation the hot water starts mixing with the cold. At the full turn of the lever at 270 degrees only hot water is flowing. If the water temperature never gets hot enough at the full open mark, you can make adjustments inside the faucet to increase the temperature. Consequently, adjustments are available to add more cold water to the mix also.

Lavatories are another area that may use single faucets. Many lavatories use a basin style sink vessel which require a much taller faucet. To accommodate for the added height, the faucet may either be a swan neck style or a pump style. The swan neck style faucet is usually just a smaller version of the kitchen style. The pump style faucet is a tall cylinder with the actual faucet jutting out over the basin.