How do I determine which kind of Faucet I have?

Before you can attempt to fix or replace a faucet, you must identify what type of faucet it is. The two main types of faucets are compression faucets and washerless faucets.

A compression faucet is an older design that has two separate handles: one for hot water and one for cold water.

A washerless faucet is a more recent design, and usually has a single lever or knob that controls the flow and mix of hot and cold water. This is done by aligning interior openings with the water inlets. These faucets can either be disc, valve, ball, or cartridge.

A disc faucet is a single handle faucet. It is very similar to a ball type faucet, but you can distinguish the two by removing the handle. A disc faucet will have its workings contained in a cylinder, while a ball-type has it in many internal parts.

A valve faucet is identified by having a valve assembly on each side. This includes one valve for hot water, and one valve for cold water. It is through these valves that water flows up and out the spout. If you move the handle from side to side it controls the mixture of hot and cold water, while moving forward and backward controls the flow.

A faucet is a ball faucet when water only flows when the openings in the rotating all align with hot and cold water inlets in the faucet body.

You have a cartridge faucet if your faucet has a series of holes in the stem-and-cartridge assembly that align to control the max flow of water.