Taps in island homes wear faster than they would inland, and in an older house the tap is often worth keeping.
Period fittings can usually be rebuilt
Many homes here have original or well-chosen reproduction tapware suited to the house. Rebuild kits, stems and cartridges are available for a great deal of it, and we would far rather restore something that belongs in the room than replace it with something that does not.
Salt gets everywhere
Even indoors, salt in the air works on chrome, brass and the internals of taps. Cartridges seize and finishes pit sooner than the manufacturer intended.
Debris from old supply pipe
Where the supply is still galvanised, small pieces of rust break away inside and lodge in taps and aerators. If a tap has been repaired and failed again soon after, the pipe feeding it is often the real cause — and we will say so rather than repeating the same repair.
Outside taps need better parts
Hose bibs and outdoor shower taps fail here far more often than indoor ones. Something specified for coastal use costs a little more and lasts several times longer.