| Water released by a faucet makes a circuitous | | | | shown here presents the full range of these problems. |
| journey. It pours out of a spout, shower head or | | | | An aerator unscrews easily from the end of a spout |
| kitchen-sink hose, sometimes going through an aerator | | | | and should be removed periodically for cleaning, |
| where it mixes with air to produce a splashless | | | | because minute amounts of grit in the water supply will |
| stream, then flows past a stopper or pop-up plug, | | | | quickly clog it. But an aerator will not do its job if its |
| onward through a strainer at the base of the bowl or | | | | internal parts are replaced incorrectly. |
| tub into a water-filled trap below, and finally enters the | | | | The spray head also contains an aerator; here, |
| house drainage system. | | | | clogging can block the action of the diverter valve that |
| Compared to the faucets that set the whole process | | | | switches water from spout to spray. Concealed in |
| going, these flow-and-drain fixtures are relatively | | | | their base of the spout, this valve is the most delicate |
| simple. Locating a trouble spot is easy and the jobs | | | | component of the entire assembly. Like |
| that must be done are usually straightforward repairs | | | | aerators--though far less often--it can clog up, and |
| or replacements. You do not have to shut off the | | | | even a clean valve will not work if its covering fills with |
| water supply for these jobs--just close the faucets | | | | grit or dirt. If you have cleaned both aerators and still |
| tight. | | | | have problems--low or uneven water pressure, or a |
| The difficulty of the jobs, when difficulty arises, is in | | | | failure to switch smoothly from spout to spray and |
| getting at a fixture and reassembling its components in | | | | back again--go to work on the diverter valve. |
| the correct order. Some of the fixtures between are | | | | The sturdiest, simplest component of all--the spray |
| nestled under sinks, basins and tubs, where work | | | | hose--is, paradoxically, the hardest to work with. |
| space is cramped and special tools may be needed to | | | | Replacing the hose calls for tight maneuvering under |
| unscrew fasteners. Others consist of intricate | | | | the sink, often between two adjoining faucet pipes. In |
| combinations of small parts, which must be fitted | | | | these close quarters the plumbing tool called a basin |
| together precisely. | | | | wrench may offer the only way of getting at the nut |
| The combination of sink spout, aerator and spray | | | | that holds the hose in place. |