If you want to install a new kitchen faucet, there are many things that you should think about and need to consider before you go out and purchase one. There are many factors that will influence your decision and help you as you are searching for a new faucet. The purpose of this post is to help you on your way as you decide what to do.
Sink. The first thing that you want to do is to determine how many holes your kitchen sink has, that are designed specifically for a kitchen faucet and the accessories related to it. If you wanted to get a two-handle sink faucet with a side spray, for example, your kitchen sink will need to have at least four holes to install this type of faucet. One hole would be for the water supply to be hooked up, the other two would be for securing down the faucet to the kitchen sink, and the fourth hole would be where the side spray would be installed.
Optional Spray. When installing a new faucet there are different options that can come with the kitchen faucet. The basic faucet comes with a spout and a handle or handles to control the temperature. Although these faucets are still available and used in the market today, most consumers want some sort of sprayer with their faucet. There are two different types of sprayers; the side spray that was mentioned before and the pull out spray head. A side sprayer sits off to the side of the main body of the faucet, whereas the pull out spray is attached to the spout of the faucet. There are also many different styles of pull out spray heads and the type that you purchase will just depend on what you prefer.
Handles. To turn the faucet on, there has to be some sort of handle turned on to get the water flowing. There are crystal handles and lever handles. The hot and cold controls can be two separate handles or they can be combined into one lever. This again, depends on personal preference. I usually like to go with the single handle faucet since it is easier to turn on and to know what positions of the lever give you the temperature that you want to have.
Other Options. With so many different brands of faucets and new innovations, there are a lot of different accessories and new technology that can be purchased with a kitchen faucet. One of these accessories is a soap dispenser. A soap dispenser can be installed in one of the holes in the kitchen sink and has a removable basin so that when you run out of soap, you can refill it easily. One of the more recent developments is that of automatic kitchen faucets. They are turned on by either touching the faucet with your arm or by waving it over the top or underneath the faucet. This innovation comes in handle after you have been handling meat products or if your hands are just so dirty that you don’t want to get it all over the handles of the faucet.
With all the different things to consider, it is good to plan ahead so you know what to look for.