Recently, ceramic taps became in vogue, but what is ceramic tap? The ceramic tap does isn't necessarily the way the handle or the spout looks (like a country style ceramic tap) but the modern ceramic tap uses a ceramic disc that rotates to control the flow of water, unlike the traditional tap which uses a rubber washer. On the outside, the main difference of the ceramic tap is that it only requires a quarter rotation to turn it on or off.

In ceramic taps, there are two discs placed over the water supply pipe, the bottom disc does not move while the upper moves when the tap is turned on or off. When it is on, the disc slots are aligned, when it is off the upper disc is cover the slot of the bottom disc. Technical, maybe, but this offers advantages to homeowners that want to mix style with modern technology.

Using ceramic taps can take some time to get used to if you are used to the traditional taps but it offers a number of advantages over the taps with rubber washer - for one, the ceramic discs will last longer than a rubber washer because it is hard and can withstand daily wear and tear better.

Another advantage of the ceramic tap is its quarter turn rotation. t has a very low friction and can easily be turned on and off with just a flick of a finger. This is very useful for people who have very weak grip or with arthritic fingers. You can even turn it with the back of your wrist, so it is also useful if you have dirty hands because you don't have to contaminate the tap to turn it on.

The only disadvantage of the ceramic tap is that, if you are used to using the traditional tap, you tend to turn it on forcefully and end up being splashed with water - you might get wet but its easy to become familiar through daily use.

There is no need to modify the plumbing in your sink if you want to use the ceramic taps as they have the same plumbing connection as the traditional tap. Sinks and basins use a 15mm pipe connector, and bath taps use 22mm pipe connectors - that may mean nothing to you so we would recommend consulting a professional plumber to have new taps fitted properly.