| AB1953 | California Assembly Bill 1953, effective January 1, 2010, regulates the lead content in plumbing products that deliver water for human consumption. |
| ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act, effective 1992. This act states that for faucets, handles must require no pinching or grasping, and must require less than 5 lbs. of force to operate. In addition, metering faucets must run for at least 10 seconds. Chicago Faucets offers over 150 products designed and manufactured to meet ADA requirements. |
| Aerator | A featured located at the end of a faucet designed to mix air and water and thereby enable a splash-free flow. |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute. Gas valves are tested and certified to ANSI Z1.5A/CGA 9.1M. |
| ASME | American Society of Mechanical Engineers. All Chicago Faucets plumbing supply fittings are designed and manufactured to meet or exceed the ASME A112.18.1 standard for plumbing fittings. |
| ASSE | American Society of Safety Engineers. Chicago Faucets pressure balancing and combination thermostatic and pressure balancing shower valves comply with ASSE 1016. Chicago Faucets vacuum breakers comply with ASSE 1001 and ASSE 1035. |
| Bill S.152 | Vermont Lead in Consumer Products Law, effective January 1, 2010, regulates the lead content in plumbing products that deliver water for human consumption. |
| Body | The basic housing that allows you to build your faucet for specific applications. |
| Buy American Act | In 1933, the Buy American Act was signed into law, requiring the U.S. government to prefer American made products in its purchases. To qualify under the Act, the product must be assembled (Made) in the USA and more than 50% of the value must be derived from parts that are American made. Over 95% of our products meet these requirements. The list of Buy American Act compliant products is available for download. |
| C-C | Center to Center. Refers to the distance between the center of valve bodies, or the reach of the spout from the center of the upright to the center of the outlet. |
| Ceramic Cartridge | A self-contained cartridge housing two ceramic discs. Full on or off with a 1/4 turn of the handle. |
| CHI FAU CO | An abbreviation for The Chicago Faucet Company - used on some parts. |
| Component | A self-contained cartridge housing two ceramic discs. Full on or off with a 1/4 turn of the handle. |
| Control-A-Flow® | A water conservation cartridge that can be adjusted to provide a flow rate of 1.2 to 2.0 GPM @ 50PSI. |
| CSA | CSA International. Most Chicago Faucets fittings are designed and manufactured to meet or exceed the applicable CSA standard. |
| Dashpot | A component that provides a slow or soft closure characteristic, for NAIAD cartridges. |
| ECAST™ | Plumbing products certified as manufactured with less than one quarter of one percent (0.25%) total lead content by weighted average. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| Flow Control | A water conservation device installed in the spout base, restricting flow to either 0.9 or 1.6GPM. |
| Food Service | Products typically installed in institutional or restaurant kitchen areas. |
| GPM | Gallons Per Minute. The flow rate of the water. |
| Integral | A feature, built into the faucet or fitting. |
| IPS | Iron Pipe Size. A specification for tapered pipe thread used in plumbing, synonymous with NPT. |
| Klo-Self™ | A water conservation cartridge that closes upon release of the handle. |
| L/min | Liters Per Minute. The flow rate of water. |
| Laboratory | Products typically installed in K-12 schools, universities or professional science laboratories. |
| Laminar Flow | A non-aerated flow of water. |
| Leed® | The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program systematically measures the performance of an entire building by awarding points in the areas of human and environmental health. Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum certification is awarded, based on meeting certain prerequisites and benchmarks. |
| Marathon® | Single control kitchen and lavatory faucets. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| MeterMix® | A deck mounted lavatory metering faucet with temperature control. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| Monel® | A non-corrosive nickel-copper alloy. An International Nickel Co. trademark. |
| MVP® | An adjustable metering (self-closing) cartridge. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| NAIAD™ | An adjustable metering (self-closing) cartridge. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| NPSM | National Straight Pipe Thread for Mechanical Joints. A typical pipe thread used on inlet shanks. |
| NPT | National Pipe Taper. A specification for tapered thread used in plumbing. |
| NSF | NSF International. A plumbing standard that applies to the restriction of the release of toxins into a potable water system. Applies to all drinking water and lavatory faucets and states that leaching of lead into drinking water may not exceed 1 parts per billion at 1 liter dilution. Chicago Faucets has one of the largest listing of faucets certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61, Section 9. Your Chicago Faucets sales representative can provide you with a current and complete listing of products certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61, Section 9. |
| Oscillating Handle | A lever handle that operates by either pushing or pulling - typically used on urinal valves. |
| Outlet | An end point device typically installed on a spout that regulates water volume and changes flow patterns. |
| Potable Water | Water that is fit for consumption by humans and animals. |
| Pressure Balancing | Operational characteristic typically found in shower valves that maintains set water temperature when water pressure fluctuates, preventing scalding and thermal shock. |
| Pressure Balancing/Thermostatic | Operational characteristic typically found in shower valves that maintains set water temperature when water temperature or pressure fluctuates, a thermal actuator adjusts the hot and cold ratio to maintain the original temperature setting, preventing scalding and thermal shock. |
| Quaturn™ | A self-contained, repairable, compression cartridge that provides drip-free performance. Full on or off with a 1/4 turn of the handle. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| Safety Equipment | Safety showers, eye wash units and drench hoses typically installed in any building where hazardous conditions exist. |
| Slo-Compression | A self-contained, repairable cartridge that provides drip-free performance. Full on or off activation in 270° rotation of handle. |
| Softflo® | Name of a Chicago Faucets aerator. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| STEDI-FLO™ | A water conservation fitting that restricts the water flow at the inlet. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| Tailpiece | A) The connecting tube between a urinal/water closet and the china. B) The connecting tube between a waste fitting and the trap. C) A fitting used to make a compression to pipe connection. |
| TempShield® | Name of a Chicago Faucets shower and tub/shower pressure balancing valve. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| Tip-Tap™ | Name of a Chicago Faucets metering cartridge handle that tilts when pushed. A Chicago Faucets trademark. |
| Vacuum Breaker | Plumbing device that prevents back siphon of water into the water system. |
| Vandal Proof | Unique features designed to make the product resistant to tampering without the use of proper tools. |
| Water Hammer | Destructive pressure wave, evident by noise, usually the result of air in the water line or high water pressure. |
| Wristblade | A 4" or 6" blade handle that allows opening and closing of a valve, using wrists or elbows - typically used in healthcare. |
