Faucets are quite popular in our daily use. They aim to provide convenience to the water supply. They are commonly installed indoors such in kitchen and bathroom. But there are also some outdoor faucets which are commonly placed outside. These faucets are mainly designed to supply the landscaping and outdoor utility. Therefore, the abilities to withstand bad weather conditions and occasional abuse are quite significantly considered during the designing and manufacturing process. And outdoor faucets are in great varieties so as to meet various and specific requirements.
Ball valve faucet is the most basic type of the outdoor faucet indeed. It is convenient to be manufactured with the common material, such as the PVC plastic and brass. And the featured design for this mechanism is the tight-fitting ball in the valve chamber. The affecting part is actually the ball with a through single hole. The float of the ball determines the on-and-off of the entire mechanism.
Spigots and hose bibs are also popular in outdoor use. They are generally placed on the outside walls or in the yard. Both types have a simple compression valve, which affects by tightening a washer again the valve opening when you tighten the handle to shut off the water. Therefore, both are different from the ball valve faucet on the flow control characteristics. Spigots and hose bibs can be used to regulate the flow while ball valve faucets are only allowed to shut off the flow. Referring to the manufacturing materials, brass or galvanized steel is quite appreciated.
And frost-free faucets are widely used in cold conditions. As we all know, the freezing temperature would eventually damage the attached valves or pipes. Therefore, frost-free faucets are invented to solve this unpleasant situation by incorporating a long metal tube that extends inside the house. They are also can be made in various lengths according to the specific requirements.
What's more, there is a design called the anti-siphon. It can be added to any outdoor faucet by screwing an anti-siphon valve to the spout. Such can effectively prevent contaminants from being sucked back through the faucet.