This article introduces the three main components of the faucet. It will help you to understand the quality and material of faucets we use everyday. Uncover all the mysteries of the faucet.
Part 1: Composition
The three most basic components of a faucet: main body, plating and cartridge.
01 Main Body
The main body is the torso part of the faucet. The water flows in and out of the main body all the time. So the material is important. It determines the water quality.
Copper Alloy Faucet
Copper alloy is currently recognized as the most suitable main material for home use faucet, and the mainstream is brass. On the one hand, copper has good machinability, fluidity and formability. On the other hand, because copper ions have a bactericidal effect, they can kill super bacteria such as MRSA within 30 minutes and prevent the bacteria from producing antibodies. The inner wall of the copper faucet will not breed bacteria and become the most suitable carrier for "water".
According to different proportions of copper content in copper alloys, copper alloy materials can be divided into 52, 55, 59 and 62 copper. Among them, 59 copper is the best. The content of copper metal is 58%-60%, the content of lead metal is 0.08%-0.2%, and the content of other elements is about 2%. The remaining metal is basically zinc.
Because lead metal will precipitate when water enters the faucet, it will pollute the water. If the lead content is too high, it is harmful to the human body. Therefore, some brand faucets use low-lead copper, that is, the lead content is less than 0.1%. In view of the fact that it is difficult for general consumers to judge the lead content, it is recommended to choose a faucet with a clear mark that uses low-lead copper.
Zinc Alloy Faucet
Zinc alloy is an alloy based on zinc and added with other elements such as aluminum, copper, magnesium, cadmium, lead, and titanium. Zinc alloy is easily corroded in water. After being corroded, the metal will be mixed into the water and cause harm to the human body. The biggest advantage is probably the low price.
Stainless Steel Faucet
The main components of steel are iron and carbon. Ordinary carbon steel is easy to rust. Adding chromium, nickel and other metals to carbon steel can make the steel corrosion resistant. Therefore, the most important factor affecting the corrosion resistance of stainless steel is the content of chromium.
Stainless steel has the advantages of acid resistance, alkali resistance, corrosion resistance, and no release of harmful substances (lead). But compared with copper, it has one of the biggest drawbacks, that is, it does not have antibacterial function.
Brief Summary
If the budget is sufficient, choose low-lead copper faucets. If you can't identify whether it is low-lead copper, choose a product from a big brand.
If you have a small budget, you can choose stainless steel faucets. The price will be cheaper. However, relatively there will be some problems. In particular, we must choose products from high standard manufacturers. After all, it's about your own health, don't be greedy for cheap.
02 Plating
The faucet is used in a humid environment, and its surface requires a good finish. The common surface treatment method on the market is electroplating, mainly including chrome plating, nickel plating, titanium plating and so on. In addition, there are some rarer methods such as baking varnish, porcelain, and imitation gold electrophoretic paint.
Chrome
Chrome plating is the most common faucet plating. Chromium is a white metal with a bluish color, which has high hardness and wear resistance. Its hardness exceeds even the hardest quenched steel, second only to diamond.
Chromium is not easy to change in a humid environment and can maintain the surface gloss for a long time. With a silver appearance, chrome-plated faucets are more popular with consumers.
Nickel
Nickel can quickly form a very thin passivation film on the surface of the faucet. Can resist the corrosion of water vapor and certain acids. Has excellent corrosion resistance and stability. Can resist the corrosion of water vapor and certain acids. Therefore, the stability of the nickel layer in a humid environment is very high.
Titanium Alloy
Titanium alloys are made by adding aluminum and tin elements or aluminum and vanadium elements to titanium. Electroplated titanium gold has the advantages of high strength, low density, strong toughness and good corrosion resistance. The surface of the titanium-plated faucet is as smooth as a mirror. Its golden luster looks elegant and rich, and very decorative. However, the process of plating titanium gold is complicated. It is very easy to absorb impurities during thermal processing. Therefore, the yield is low. The cost is also higher.
Baking Varnish
Baking varnish is to put two layers of coating on the faucet. Each time the paint is applied, it is sent to a dust-free constant temperature baking paint room for electric heating or far-infrared high temperature baking.
The surface of the baking varnish faucet is smooth and shiny, which can present a visual texture similar to that of a piano, making the whole product look very high-grade. However, compared with other surface treatment methods, baking varnish faucets are more prone to surface peeling. The durability is not as good as the traditional chrome-plated faucet. This method is not widely used.
Brushed
This treatment will make the surface of the faucet visually rough. However, it is quite delicate to the touch, showing a restrained beauty. The brushed process mainly relies on mechanical friction to produce several common textures such as straight lines, chaotic lines, threads, corrugations, swirling lines and intermittent silk lines on the surface of the faucet. It can also create matte, mirror, three-dimensional, embossed, satin and other effects.
Brief Summary
Appropriate surface treatment can make the overall shape of the faucet rich and full. Choosing the right faucet can also become the finishing touch to the bathroom decoration. It is pleasing to the eye.
There are generally multiple layers of plating. There are also some cheap faucets that are only coated one layer. The coating is not as thick as possible, but just right. If the coating is too thin, it will not be able to prevent corrosion. If the coating is too thick, it is easy to peel off. Copper + nickel + chromium is best. Copper can provide excellent adhesion. Nickel makes the coating have excellent corrosion resistance. Chromium makes the surface bright and flawless, and it is hard and scratch-resistant. Further improving the corrosion resistance. In addition, the faucet that has passed the 48-hour professional salt spray test will be more guaranteed in terms of corrosion resistance. Aquacubic's products have passed these tests.
03 Cartridge
The cartridge is a part that realizes the basic functions of direction control, pressure control or flow control by means of the rotation of the valve stem. The water flow enters the main body of the faucet through the cartridge and finally leaves the water outlet. The faucet used at home is turned on and off countless times a day. It can be seen that the quality of the cartridge is also very important to the faucet.
Ceramic Cartridge
The ceramic cartridge has less water pollution, good wear resistance and good sealing performance. Many high-quality faucets use ceramic cartridges. The ceramic chip must have good airtightness, stable physical properties, wear resistance, and long service life.
Stainless Steel Cartridge
The biggest advantage of the stainless steel cartridge is that it has a larger adjustable angle of rotation and is not easily affected by water quality. It is more practical to choose this type in areas with poor water quality. However, stainless steel has worse wear resistance compared to ceramic. After it is used for a long time, water leakage is prone to occur.
Roller Cartridge
Roller cartridges are old-fashioned cartridges. No matter in terms of price, water pollution or life span, they are inferior to ceramics and have been phased out. There are very few roller cartridge faucets on the market.
Part 2: How to Buy ?
After understanding the most important parts of the faucet, let's take a look at the precautions when purchasing.
01 The Weight
Faucets made of brass are heavier. So you can make a preliminary judgment by weighing the faucet. However, many manufacturers can increase the weight of low-quality faucets through some methods. So here is a commonplace saying, for consumers who can't distinguish the material, it is better to choose the leading brands. This is the simplest selection method.
02 The Surface
In sufficient light, carefully observe the electroplated surface of the faucet. Good electroplating looks as bright as a mirror, without any oxidation spots and burn marks, no pores, no blistering, no plating leakage, no burrs to the touch. After pressing the faucet, the fingerprints will spread out quickly, and it is not easy to adhere to dirt.
Breathing out the surface of the faucet. For products with good electroplating quality, the water vapor will quickly and evenly fade away. If the quality is not good, the fading speed will be slower, or not fade. The faster and more even the water vapor fades, the better the quality.
03 After-sales Service
The after-sales service of the product is very important, and it is also the guarantee for you to have no worries. Be sure to buy products with good after-sales service. The general faucet is guaranteed for at least 5 years.
When choosing a faucet, the most important thing is to look at the material, plating and cartridge of the faucet. Because the material determines the safety of the water. The coating can increase the service life of the faucet, so that the faucet has scratch resistance, corrosion resistance, and the surface brightness will be better. The cartridge is the heart of the faucet. Generally high quality faucets use ceramic cartridges. It has the characteristics of strong wear resistance and good sealing performance.
