Glossary

Adjustable Exposed Shower Pipe: An attachment to the exposed shower mixer which allows the shower head to be adjusted to different heights.
Aerator: A device located in the faucet spout that mixes air with water. It is made by using a restrictor that limits the flow of water while increasing water pressure.
Angle Stop: The shutoff valve between the water pipes and the faucet. The inlet connects to the water supply pipe in the wall and it angles up 90 degrees to the faucet.
Anti-Scald: A valve which monitors the temperature of water coming out to minimize the risk of scalding.
Basin Mixer: A basin tap that will mix hot and cold water and deliver it through a single spout.
Bath Filler: Like a basin mixer, a bath filler will mix hot and cold water and deliver it through a single spout.
Bath Shower Mixer: A bath tap fixture which incorporates a shower attachment.
Bath Tub Spout: An output device through which water flows to fill a tub. A valve controls the flow.
Bib Tap: A tap with a nozzle that is bent downward and supplied with water through a horizontal inlet.
Bidet: A low height washbasin, specially designed for washing certain parts of the body for personal hygiene.
Body Shower: A mini-showerhead that delivers water from a vertical position in the shower. It often targets specific areas of the body and offers a precise therapeutic and invigorating massage.
Cartridge: A part of the valve that controls the On/Off function and allows water to flow.
Central Hole Basin Mixer: A one-piece fitting with two handles. Hot and cold water are mixed and delivered through a single spout.
Ceramic Disc: Two pieces of ceramic within the valve that open and close to allow control over flow volume.
Chromotherapy: A system of directing light sequences on or around the body to promote relaxation.
Cistern: The ceramic or plastic vessel that stores the water necessary for flushing a toilet.
Click-Clack Waste: A fitted alternative to a plug that you touch and click to drain the water
Concealed Cistern: A cistern that is hidden from view behind a false wall.
Concealed Shower Mixer: A shower control hidden within a finished wall, with only the operating lever and wall flange visible.
Couple Closet: A style of toilet where the cistern attaches directly to the pan.
Deck / Table Mounted Tap: A tap that sits on the rim of a washbasin or bath (as opposed to being wall mounted).
Overhead ShowerShower outlets which direct water onto the user from above the head
Pillar Tap : A tap which does not allow for temperature regulation by, the user. Pillar taps are supplied with water through a vertical inlet.
Pop-Up Waste : An alternative to traditional plugs, a pop-up waste comprises of a stopper connected by levers to a control knob on the tap. When the knob is pushed down the stopper is lifted to allow water to drain away. When the knob is pulled up the stopper seals the plug hole.
PVC : Acronym for Polyvinyl-Chloride. Usually refers to a rigid white plastic pipe made of this material, used for bathroom drain, waste and vent pipes.
Quarter Turn Taps : Taps which can be turned fully on or off by turning the handle through just 90 degrees. Ceramic discs inside the tap allow extreme controllability of water flow rate, provide a smooth, quiet action and great resistance to wear.
Reducer : A fitting that allows pipes of different sizes to be joined together.
Relief Valve : A valve that opens to relieve excess temperature and/or pressure in the system.
Scale : A thin coating or layer, usually of calcium, on the bottom of a tank or interior parts that may prevent heat transfer.
Sediment : The substance that settles at the bottom of a water tank.
Shower Arm : A component which supports a shower head and connects it to the water supply.
Shower Hose : A flexible pipe that connects the showerhead and the shower control.
Shower Mixer : A shower that mixes hot and cold water supplies together to achieve the required temperature.
Shower Outlet : A fixture which allows water to be emitted in the form of jets or water droplets.
Single Lever : Taps which incorporate the opening, closing and mixing of hot and cold water with one lever. Move the lever up to open the tap and down to close. To alter the water temperature, the lever is moved from left to right or vice versa.
Slide Rail : A vertical rail to allow height adjustment of a showerhead. Soft WaterWater that has been treated so that it has low mineral content.
Stop Cock : A simple, hand operated tap that turns the water flow off and on.
Tap : Tap is synonymous with faucet. Tap also refers to the divergence of water from one fitting to another.
Tall Boy : A single lever basin mixer with a higher spout. Used for countertop basins where the faucet is not installed directly on the ceramics, but on the vanity (or a separate shelf). The shaft must be longer for the water to flow into the basin at a comfortable distance, and it is significantly higher than the rim of the basin
Diverter Valve: A valve designed to direct, or redirect, mixed water to a specific location.
Diverter: A shower control that will ‘divert’ the water flow to an additional hand shower or to an over head shower from a bath and shower mixer/diverter.
3-Inlet Diverter: Used where a customer has 3 pipelines installed in the bathroom Hot (Geyser), Cold (Overhead Tank) and Fresh (direct from Municipal corporation / submersible)
Dual-Flush: A cistern that offers two flushing strengths – a full-volume flush or a half-volume flush to save water.
Electronic Flush: A hands-free, hygienic and water saving flush that’s perfect for both public and private installations. It uses a beam of infra red light to switch on and switch off the water flow.
Face/ Spray Plate: A plate with holes or slots through which water passes to form a spray of water with separate, definable jets or water droplets.
Fixed Head Shower: A shower head that is fixed to the wall with concealed pipe work.
Fixture: Anything that accepts or discharges water or wastewater: faucets, sinks, toilets, tubs
Flange: Non-threaded piece that goes over the pipe coming out of the wall and covers the hole in the wall.
Flow Rate: Measurement of water flow through a plumbing system in gallons per minutes (GPM) or gallons per hour (GPH).
Flush Valve: The valve located at the bottom of a gravity-operated toilet flush tank that opens when the trip lever is actuated and closes when the tank has drained to the desired level. It usually contains an overflow tube as well.
Gasket: A flat piece of fiber or rubber used to provide a watertight seal between metal joints.
Gray Water: Waste water from fixtures other than toilets. Hand Shower: A detachable shower head with an integral handle and a flexible hose that allows the water spray to be directed onto any part of the body by hand.
Handle: The trim piece on the faucet that turns the stem on the cartridge.
Hi-flow Diverter: It delivers a high-flow rate to quickly fill your bath. Ideal for use on the top floor of buildings where there’s less water pressure.
Hard Water: Natural water containing impurities in various proportions. Traditional hardness is a measure of calcium, minerals or dissolved solids in a solution, measured in parts per million. Hard water generally ranges from 100 to 250 ppm.
Mono Block: A toilet in which the tank and bowl are manufactured as a single vitreous china fixture. Typically, Mono Block toilets have a lower profile than Couple Closet toilets.
O-Ring: A rubber washer that is round in
Thermostatic : Mixer taps that automatically maintain a constant temperature irrespective of the variations in the water pressure and the temperature of the hot and cold water supply. They have a cartridge or thermostatic element, a control for selecting the temperature and feature a safety stop that prevents scalding.
Thermostatic Bath & Shower Mixer : Gives precise and regulated control of the water temperature as well as flow. Sudden temperature changes are prevented, making the bath and shower experience consistent and enjoyable at all times.
Three Hole Mixer Tap : A faucet fixture with separate hot and cold water handles to blend water through a third central spout.
Three-Handle : Three-handle faucets also use separate handles for hot and cold water, but have an additional handle to divert the water from bath spout to showerhead.
Trap : A curved section of drain that traps a small portion of water to prevent sewer gases from escaping into the bathroom. “P” traps and “S” traps are the types of traps most commonly found in bathrooms.
Two-Handle : Two-handle faucets feature separate handles to control hot and cold water temperature.
Urinal : A plumbing fixture only for receiving liquid body waste (urine) which is then conveyed through a trap seal into a gravity drainage system.
Vacuum Breaker : A device that prevents the backward flow of contaminated water into clean water supply.
Valve : A device that regulates the flow, water temperature and/or volume of water.
Wall Bracket/ Handset Holder : A device for holding a shower handset at a fixed height position such that the hands of the user are free. It also allows angular movement which enables the water spray trajectory to be adjusted.
Wall Hung : The toilet cistern is concealed behind a wall or inside bathroom furniture and the pan protrudes from the wall, above the floor. Basins and bidets can also be wall hung. The height can be fixed to suit the comfort of users.
Wall Mount Tap : Used with washbasins or baths which have no tap holes. The handle and spout protrude from the wall above the basin or bath and the pipework is hidden behind the wall.
Wall Mixture : Exposed wall mounted mixer that can divert water to either the spout or the shower head Wall Mixture Non-TelephonicExposed wall mounted mixer that can deliver water through spout only.
Wall Mixture 3-in-1 : Exposed wall mounted mixer that can divert water to three different outputs- spout, overhead shower and hand shower.
Water Closet : A plumbing fixture that has a receptacle with water to receive liquid and solid body waste. Upon actuation (flushing), it discharges the waste through a trapway into a gravity drainage system.