Taps -which are now very much a fashion item -come in different styles and colours. Not all taps are built to last, so check the quality if you are buying for the long term. Chromium-plated brass taps are the most durable. Check that the taps You are considering will fit the layout of holes in the basin for which they are intended.

The secret to avoiding leaking taps and dripping taps is to only install good quality taps.

Some taps imported from the Continent have relatively small inlets and are intended for use with mains- pressure supply only. These taps will not work efficiently if they are connected to a low-pressure tank, fed supply.

The majority of washbasins are fitted with individual taps for hot and cold water. While capstan-head taps are still manufactured for use in period-style bathrooms, most modern taps have a shrouded head made of metal or plastic. A lever-head tap turns the water from off to full on with one quarter turn only.

This type is convenient for the elderly or disabled, who may have difficulty in manipulating other taps.

In a mixer tap, hot and water cold are directed to a common spout. Water is supplied at the desired temperature by adjustment of the two valves. With a single-lever mixer tap, flow rate and temperature are controlled by adjusting the one lever.

~ Washbasin mixer taps sometimes incorporate a pop-up waste plug. A series of interlinked rods, operated by. a button or small knob on the centre of the mixer, open and close the waste plug in the basin.

Normally, the body of the tap, which connects the valves and spout, rests on the upper surface of the washbasin. But it is also possible to mount it in its entirety on the wall above the basin. Another alternative is for the valves to be mounted on the basin and divert hot and cold water to a spout mounted on the wall above.

Over recent years there have been some revolutionary changes in the design of taps that have made them easier to operate and simpler to maintain.

This traditional tap design has a washer on the end of a spindle that rises as the tap is turned on. It is a simple, rugged mechanism that lasts for years.

Theoretically, these taps should exhibit fewer problems than rising-spindle taps, so that leaking taps and dripping taps are not such a problem. This is because the mechanism imposes less wear on the washer. In practice, however, the spindle's fine-thread is prone to wear, and there is potential for misalignment caused by the circlip, that holds the mechanism in place.

With these taps, precision-ground ceramic discs are used in place of the traditional rubber washer. One disc is fixed and the other rotates until the waterways through them align and water flows. There is minimal wear, as hard-water scale or other debris is unlikely to interfere with the close fit of the discs. However, if a problem does develop, the entire inner cartridge and the lower seal can be replaced. This is described for leaking and dripping ceramic taps above.

Moving the lever up and down turns the water on and off. Swinging it from one side to the other gradually increases the temperature, by mixing more hot water with the cold.