Kitchen Faucet

Overview

The Kitchen Faucet is a single-handle pull-down mixer. One lever sets both temperature and flow, and the spray head pulls out of the spout on a hose for filling pots and rinsing the sink. The Spout Body arches high over the basin, the Mixing Cartridge meters and mixes the water, and the Pull-Down Spray Assembly retracts itself back into the spout when released.

Construction

The visible body is the Spout Body: a low-lead brass casting under a PVD or chrome finish, with a swivel tube routing mixed water up to the spray head. Inside the valve pocket sits the Mixing Cartridge, a pair of lapped alumina-ceramic discs that slide across each other to open, throttle and blend the hot and cold feeds. Ceramic discs resist wear and grit far better than the old rubber washers, which is why a good cartridge faucet drips for years before it needs service.

The Handle is a cast lever broached onto the cartridge stem and held by a set screw. Push it back to start flow, swing it left for hot and right for cold.

The Pull-Down Spray Assembly is what makes the faucet a pull-down. The Spray Head carries an aerator for a soft everyday stream and a toggle button that flips an internal diverter to a forceful spray. A braided hose feeds the head and runs down through the spout; a Hose Weight clamped to the hose, plus a spring-and-magnet retraction, pull the head firmly back into its dock when you let go.

Underneath the deck, the Mounting Kit clamps the faucet shank to the countertop with a nut and stabilizer bracket over a base gasket. The Supply Set brings hot and cold up through braided stainless lines, each with a check valve so the two feeds cannot cross-flow inside the cartridge. An Escutcheon finishes the joint where the body meets the deck.