A: Hi, Jay. You're lucky not to have any home problems at this time, and I stress the words "at this time." Homes are complicated machines and sooner or later something will require attention. I'm not saying this to scare you, it's just a segue into your question. Learning about potential problems before they happen and being ready to deal with them is the key to home improvement.

Your question on how kitchen faucet diverters work is one of those little things that can save you big money. Basically the diverter is an internal spring-loaded movable piston. In the normal position, the water flows to the spout; in the diverted position, the valve closes the flow of water to the spout and diverts it to the spray.

What triggers it to open and close? When you push the spray button and open the hose line, a pressure drop is created in the faucet body and the piston is pulled back, stopping the flow to the spout. Then when you release the button to close the spray line, the pressure is equalized in the faucet body and the spring-loaded piston springs back to the normal position. It's that simple!

Common signs of a broken diverter are when there is no switch between faucet spout and spray flow; low water pressure to the spout and/or spray; or even constant dripping of the spray head.

Most kitchen faucets do have easy-to-follow diverter replacement kits available. So, if your diverter ever does fail, you may want to save some money and "go with the flow" by repairing your faucet instead of replacing it!