Bathroom Faucet Parts

Adaptor Unites different kinds of pipes together that ordinarily wouldn't go.  A cast iron pipe needs help working with ABS or PVC.

Adjustable Hot
Limit Stop Restricts hot water output, protecting you against scalding by stopping the lever on the hot side. 

Aerator A screen at the end of a faucet spout that filters and mixes air with the flowing water.  At times the aerator is the cause for low flow.  Try replacing it for a quick fix.

Angle Stop This is a simple shutoff valve between the pipes and a faucet.  It is connected to the supply pipe in the wall and angles up 90 degrees to the sink.  Vintage faucets may simply be composed of a hot and cold angle stop positioned over a sink.

Back Flow Preventer Water often wants to siphon back into potable water sources after having entered faucet spouts, particularly the pullout-gun variety.  They are a required amenity for any spout equipped with a hose.

Centerset A bathroom faucet with handles exactly four inches from the center.  Center set also refers to any faucet operated by a single handle on top of the spout.

Deck Plate Also called Deck mount.  This term refers to the base of your faucet trim that houses the handles and spout, hopefully in some sort of aesthetically coherent and pleasing manner.

Disc Valve Once only used in designer European faucets, this technology uses ceramic discs, polished to perfect flatness, that dictate pressure and temperature.  The bottom disc is stationary while the top disc rotates, allowing water to pass through holes drilled in each.  For their reliability, they are the most popular type. 

Escutcheon A metal plate to conceal the unsightly hole where plumbing hardware meets the wall.  It can also refer to the cover at the faucet stem.

Faucet Trim The parts of your faucet that are pretty.  Or those parts that have gone out of style and need to be replaced post-haste.

Fitting A generic term used widely in plumbing speak.  Can refer to faucets, valves, fillers, even piping parts.

GPM Gallons per minute.  Simple enough, but don't think this number means anything unless they tell you the water pressure when the measurement was taken.

Lift Rod Seen jutting out of all bathroom faucets, the lift rod can be raised to lower the stopper into the drain. 

Mixing Valve Most faucets these days use a mixing valve to shoot water out of a single spout.  Your options for faucets with separate hot and cold outlets are few.

Thermostatic valve Usually seen in showers, this valve controls the temperature regardless of the fluctuations coming in from the pipes. 

Undermount Faucet Only the trim of an undermount faucet is visible.  The body is mounted from underneath the sink or countertop.

Widespread This style of bathroom faucet is designed with separate spout and handles.  The handles can sometimes be up to 12 inches from the faucet.  They are versatile models, as they can fit most four-inch, centerset holes as well.

More information on bathroom faucets