Half the time when your faucet is not working as it should, one tends to jump into conclusions and rush to replace the whole unit. Which should not be the case necessarily. Part of the problem may be with the specific faucet stem and that may be the only problem. This is how you identify an American Standard Faucet Stem.

Stems, valves and splines vary from one brand of faucet to another. Therefore, in order to fix and disassemble your faucet, you need to :

• Look for the brand name.
• Use a faucet identification procedure.

How Do You Know What Brand You Are Working With?

The first thing would be to check for the brand name on the faucet. Some of the faucet brands ingrain their faucets, others imprint them and there are also those that etch their brand names with laser designs. So, one of the brands is the American Standard Faucet.

If at all you are unable to see the brand name, you may have to disassemble your unit. You may also have to physically measure the length of the stem on the faucet together with the number of splines visible.

How Do You Take Apart Your Faucet?

Turn Off the water supply

Locate the cutoff valves. There will be one for hot water and the other for the cold water. Turn the water off.

Remove the faucet handle

Use an Allen Wrench to remove the screws off of the handle. If you are working with a two-handle faucet, pry off the plastic cover with a screwdriver.

Pull the faucet stem out

Once you remove the handle, the stem will easily come off right after. If it does not come out with the handle, wiggle the handle gently and fully disengage the stem from the handle.

How Do You Identify The Faucet Stem Brand?

Measure the length of splines as well as the number of splines on the stem (with a measuring tape or calipers). However, not all stems have splines. For the ones that have a flat-to-flat end, measure its diameter.

If the end is threaded, measure the thread pitch using a gauge for accuracy. Remember to record all the measurements as you take them. Otherwise, you can use an identification chart.

How To Use The Faucet Stem Identification Chart

- Use a ruler to measure the length of your stem. A caliper can also be used to do this.

- Identify the broach pattern using a broach chart by comparing the two.

- Using the length that you identified in the first step, compare it with the column in the broach chart. You can also compare with the provided pictures by comparing it with the actual stem that you have.