An Introduction to Water Faucets

There are a number of factors to consider before making any kind of repairs to your faucet if you don't plan on calling a plumber. First, you need to see what type of faucet you have installed. There are four types most often used in the US today: cartridge faucets and the so called washer-less faucets disc faucets, ball faucets, and compression faucets.
Compression faucets are the kind of faucets with two handles, one for hot and one for cold. Inside of each handle is a valve. When you turn the handle the valve opens and water flows through whereas when you turn the handle the other way the valve closes blocking the flow of water. There is a rubber washer at the base of each valve that is "compressed" to block water from flowing out and causing the faucet to drip and leak.
Cartridge faucets come in both single and double handled varieties. There is a stem cartridge inside of the faucet that moves up and down to control the flow of water. Gate Valve Single handled faucets move left to right to control water temperature and move up and down to control water flow. The kind with two handles resemble compression faucets but have a different feel to them since you don't have to compress a washer to turn them off.
Ball faucets have a single handle that is attached to the faucet base with a round base. This makes them easy to spot. The ball shaped control has chambers in it that control the flow of water and mixes hot and cold water.
The most recent type of faucet created is the disc faucet. It is similar to the ball faucet, a single, cylindrical shaped by however, the insides consist of ceramic disc that slide over each other to control water volume and water temperature.
There are a few simple rules to follow when doing any kind of repair to your faucet. First, make sure you turn off the water either at the shutoff for the sink or at the main shutoff for the house. Second, drain the faucet by opening up the tap. Third, make sure you put down a towel or pull the stopper in case you drop something small. Finally, whatever you are trying to replace make sure you take it with you to Lowes or Home Depot so that you can make sure you buy the right replacement part.