Copper faucets are too cheap or pitted?

Faucets are the most frequently used items at home, and their quality has a great impact on life. A few days ago, the reporter went to a number of building materials markets in the city to understand the situation and found that the prices of the faucets on the market were very different and the quality was uneven. Professionals remind members of the public to pay more attention when buying a faucet, and they tend to suffer a large loss when they try to buy a faucet.

First, tap prices range from tens of dollars to over a thousand dollars

Into one of the building materials stores, sales staff recommended a price of 80 yuan faucet. “This faucet is all copper. It is economical and durable. It's the most bought.” “It's cheaper to rent a room.” At another building material store, a customer made his own request. The shop owner recommended a zinc alloy faucet that costs $25. She said: "This is cheap, and it will take no more than two or three years."

Subsequently, the reporter went to a brand bathroom store in the building materials market, which has kitchen faucets, basin faucets, bath faucets and other special taps, the cheapest to 400 yuan, the most expensive to more than 1,000 yuan. Sales Manager Fu Xiaoyu said: "The prices of different brands and different material taps on the market are very different, but you know what you pay for."

Yang Wanjun, who has been engaged in the sanitary ware industry for many years in the building materials market in Zhejiang, stated that the price of the faucet directly reflects its quality and service life. “Some customers use inexpensive faucets in order to save money. It doesn't take long for rust to leak. Such faucets are often made of zinc alloys or recycled copper and have a relatively large safety risk.”

In addition to copper alloy faucets and zinc alloy faucets, there are "space aluminum" faucets and 304 stainless steel faucets on the market. According to reports, the "space aluminum" tap has good burst resistance, and the surface is anodized, it is not easy to fade, and the quality is reliable. The 304 stainless steel faucet is made of durable materials, but it is expensive.

Second, stainless steel and copper alloy material is better than zinc alloy

It is understood that lead precipitation in taps is mainly due to matrix materials that come into contact with water. Which type of faucet, such as copper alloys, stainless steels, and zinc alloys on the market, is more reliable? The faucet quality analysis report released by the authoritative department showed that the passing rate of stainless steel and copper alloy faucets in the precipitation of metallic contaminants was 100% and 97.4%, respectively, which was significantly better than that of the zinc alloy material faucets whose qualification rate was only 80%. . At the same time, the prices of unqualified products detected were all under 400 yuan, of which the proportion of problems priced at less than 100 yuan was as high as 66.7%, and that of 100 yuan to 200 yuan was 30.8%.

Yang Wanjun told reporters that since the rapid rise in copper prices in 2008, some manufacturers began to look for alternatives, so low-cost, easy-to-cast zinc alloys will enter the vision of many manufacturers. In fact, zinc alloys are not suitable for direct contact with water matrix materials. The inner core of a faucet made of a zinc alloy is easily corroded, and it will crack in a long time. Moreover, zinc alloy faucets and fittings are prone to oxidation, and prolonged soaking releases zinc, lead and other heavy metals that are harmful to the human body.

Of course, the copper alloy material is not entirely reassuring. "Copper itself has good antibacterial properties. The higher the content of copper, the lower the precipitation of heavy metals." Yang Wanjun told reporters that under normal circumstances, 58% to 59% of copper content can be called high-quality copper. At present, many copper taps on the market have a copper content of 53% to 55%, and some unscrupulous merchants are still playing the role of “all copper”. Yang Wanjun calculated an account: Taking the mainstream copper alloy faucets on the market as an example, the cost of copper materials plus development design, manufacturing, other components, transportation, distribution, etc., a common copper faucet is generally not low At 100 yuan.

So, what exactly are the copper alloy faucets below 100 yuan in the market? The staff of the Municipal Market Supervision Bureau analyzed: “A few companies have used inferior raw materials in the production process, or they lacked strict electroplating process controls in the production process. Some companies use recycled brass as the matrix material, and the faucets produced are cheap, but they are cheap. They have some hidden dangers in the precipitation of metal contaminants and the quality of surface coatings."

Third, the purchase of taps "a look at two touch three touch four"

City Consumer Protection Committee staff reminded the public that they should go to a regular building material store to purchase a faucet. It is necessary to carefully check the product identification, including specifications, certificates, materials, and implementation standards. At the same time, in the selection of taps, you can also initially identify the pros and cons through “one look, two draws, three touches, and four listens”.

One is to look at the appearance. To prevent the faucets from being oxidized, manufacturers will coat the surface with a layer of nickel or chromium. When purchasing, consumers are advised to place the faucet in a well-lit place. The surface should be free of visible flaws and no glitches due to poor plating quality. An ignition point, some parts without plating, no holes and spots formed due to poor casting quality.

The second is the weight component. Most of the taps are made of copper and are heavy in weight. Some inferior products use plastics and other substitute materials, which have light weight and short service life. In general, consumers can use the method of weight identification when purchasing, brass is heavier and harder, and zinc alloy is lighter and softer.

The third is touch feeling. When purchasing, the consumer can simply judge the quality of the spool based on the feel of the handle. In general, if the consumer rotates the handles up, down, left, or right, it feels good if they feel light and free from blockage.

The fourth is listening to the sound. Lightly tapping with a light metal object, the sound is clear and clear, there is no empty sense, indicating that the valve body of the nozzle is free of cracks, large bubbles and other defects.

In addition, the staff also reminded that for the drinking water faucet in the home, no matter how good the brand is, it is best to replace it once every five years so as to avoid the increase of lead precipitation caused by corrosion in the faucet. For non-potable taps such as laundry, time can be used longer.