Choosing a mixer for the bathroom

A bathroom is a complex room in terms of design. It is necessary to carefully select plumbing and finishes, and there are several reasons for this. The first is high humidity, frequent contact with water. They make demands on quality. Second - everything should be convenient and functional - you have to use the devices every day and several times, so the inconvenience quickly sets the teeth on edge. And last but not least, I want everything to be beautiful as well. All this applies to all components of the bathroom, including taps and mixers. How to choose a bathroom faucet and not regret it will be discussed further.

Today the choice of bath mixers is very wide - different types, types, layouts, and only the appearance ...

Types of bathroom faucets

First, let's figure out how the faucet differs from the mixers. And the fact that the mixer allows you to get water at the desired temperature. We achieve this by mixing streams of cold and hot water, which takes place inside the device. The tap allows you to receive water at the temperature contained in the pipes. This is the difference.

Further about the types of mixers. They are:

• Two-valve. This option can be called classic - two crane axle boxes, the flow is regulated by the number of valve turns. On the one hand, such a device makes it possible to more accurately adjust the temperature, on the other hand, few people like to turn the valves.
  

  Two-valve bathroom mixer - a classic in bathroom fixtures

• Single-lever (flag). The water temperature is changed by turning a single knob. Normally it can be directed parallel to the spout. Turning it to the right or left makes the water colder or warmer. There are models with levers directed upwards. In this case, they are called joysticks. The lever also moves to the right or left. Lever models will not allow you to adjust the temperature with an accuracy of a degree, but it changes easily.
  

  Single-lever (flag) mixer looks more modern

• Contactless. Modern models with built-in motion sensors on the body. They react to the appearance of objects in their "field of vision" and open water. Its supply stops after the object disappears from the sensor's range of action. The water temperature is also changed by touching, the current value can be displayed in numbers, or in color. Wonderful and modern devices, but their price is high.
  

  Touchless shower faucets

• Thermostatic mixers. They differ in that they maintain the set temperature regardless of what water is supplied to the inlet. They can also maintain a given head. These parameters are adjusted with two knobs on the sides. On the right is the temperature, on the left is the pressure. The devices are complex, significantly increase the level of comfort, but are expensive.
  

  Thermostatic bathroom faucets can be recognized by their characteristic shape - they have a massive, elongated body

A little more about the structure and types of the most popular mixers - valve and single-lever (one-handed).

Valve

Despite the fact that it is less convenient to use such a mixer than a single-lever mixer, they are still bought, and often. The thing is that this design is very reliable. Most of the problems are associated with leaks, and they are caused by the wear of the rubber pads. So in 80% of cases, valve mixer repair is associated with the replacement of rubber gaskets.

The device of the crane box in the valve mixer

The gaskets become unusable not only as a result of operation. Water quality plays a significant role.A high salt content leads to the fact that the rubber loses its elasticity, leaks begin. To change the gaskets less often, you can use silicone O-rings instead of rubber. The main thing is to find a suitable diameter and thickness.

Lever

Lever mixers have a completely different structure. The mixing of cold and hot water takes place in a small cylinder called a cartridge.

Cartridge mixer device

Inside the cartridge there are two plates with holes cut into them. The lower plate, due to the presence of protrusions, is motionlessly engaged with the cartridge body, the upper one remains movable and moves following the movements of the lever. Turning the knob to the left or right changes the ratio of hot and cold water, and moving it up or down changes the head.

How the cartridge works

Plates in the cartridge can be plastic, metal and ceramic. The best are ceramic. They are the most durable, least affected by water, have a perfectly smooth surface, which makes it easier to slide them relative to each other, which means that the movements of the lever remain smooth and even after several years of operation.

Many people consider the best metal filling (stainless steel) because steel is more durable. But metal with constant friction and being in water wears out faster, which is why the lever moves with effort.

The most budgetary option is cartridges with plastic plates. They fail quite quickly - with normal quality they work for a couple of years - but they cost a little. So there are usually no problems with replacing them.

It is easy to choose a mixer by the type of cartridge: you can take it with a ceramic mixing element, no - a plastic one is also a good option, provided the cartridges are replaced.

The device of a lever mixer with a ball mechanism for mixing water

There is another type of lever mixer - with a ball mechanism for mixing water. In them, mixing takes place in a hollow ball with three holes. Two - for the inlet of water (cold and hot), the third - for the outlet already mixed. A rod is attached to the ball, with which it is attached to the lever. By changing the position of the lever, we change the section of the hole through which cold and hot water flows. The design is simple, original and reliable. It appeared not so long ago, quickly conquers the market - repairs are very rarely needed.

Externally, you cannot tell the mechanism of a lever mixer, because all the differences are inside. Before choosing a bathroom faucet, study its technical specifications. The description usually says the type of mixing node and the material from which it is made. If there is nothing like this in the description, then there is a plastic cartridge and in front of you is an inexpensive copy.

How to choose

How to choose a bathroom mixer with shower from this variety? Really simple. If possible, put a thermostatic one. Then cold or hot water will not pour out of the shower, but it will be at a given temperature. If this is not possible, choose between the remaining three. In most cases, a single-lever is chosen, followed by a two-valve and a closing one - contactless.

Thermostatic bath mixer device

Contactless are less popular, firstly, because they appeared recently, and secondly, because of the complexity of installation. On the surface there is only a plate with a sensor and / or a small display on which the temperature is set. The rest of the "filling" is hidden in the wall. Such devices are still a novelty in our camp, there are few of them on the market and there are almost no specialists who install and repair them.

What material

Before choosing a bathroom faucet, ask what it is made of. Better in durability - brass. They do not rust and have a long service life. But even if you were told that the faucet is brass, you need to hold it in your hands: a mixer made of a normal alloy will be heavy.Brand products are usually heavier. And this is one of the selection criteria.

Cheap Chinese bathroom faucets are lightweight, although it is also written that they are made of brass. Just to reduce the cost of products, a lot of lead is added to the alloy. It gives increased fluidity, due to which the walls can be made thin, significantly reducing material consumption and cost. In this case, the quality of the casting will be high - without potholes and other flaws. Only the color will differ - cheap brass has a reddish color, while normal brass is orange, maybe yellow. In addition to thin walls that quickly collapse during water hammer, cheap brass can be dangerous due to its high lead content. Of course, we don't drink water in the bathroom, but such elements are not a gift for the skin either.

You can see the color of the brass by looking inside the mixer

Can bathroom faucets still be made from it? From aluminum and its alloys, from silumin - a cheap replacement for aluminum. Some firms, to make the price lower, some of the parts are made of plastic. The whole product is then covered with a layer of nickel, so that you will not see any outward differences. The whole difficulty is to correctly make nickel plating, otherwise the coating begins to fall off after a while from the plastic parts - the surface is too smooth, on which the film simply does not hold.

Installation methods

Faucets can be installed on the wall or on the side of the bath. Traditionally, they are mounted on the wall. Previously, the laying of pipes was open, today they are hidden in the walls.

The traditional way of installing a faucet in the bathroom is on the wall

Faucets on the side of the bathtub are rarely installed. It is very unusual for now, and you cannot put it on a steel and cast-iron bathtub - there are no holes for this, and it is unrealistic to cut them out without professional equipment. Acrylic baths are optimal for installing this type of equipment: holes in their sides are cut without problems.

Installing a mixer on the side of a bath is a new installation method in our country

For this method of installation, there are even special mixers, consisting of several separate parts - handles and spout are installed separately.

Spout length

You cannot choose a bathroom faucet without deciding how long the spout will be. There are only two options - short and long. Long spouts are traditionally used. This option was especially popular in Soviet times in small bathrooms. In this case, one "gander" served both the bath and the washbasin located nearby. This is rarely done today, but long spouts are still considered more convenient by many.

The long spout is the traditional choice for bath mixers

The fact is that our baths are not only a place where water procedures are taken. In most cases, it is also a technical room where they wash, collect water, etc. And it is more convenient to collect water in buckets and basins with a long "gander". And you can't argue with that.

Short spout taps come in very interesting shapes

There are supporters of short spouts. When installing such a mixer, water usually flows along the side, creating a minimum of noise, but it will be possible to draw water into the container only when using a shower head. Another reason for the short spout is its more modern look and interesting designs. You can't argue with that either.

For those who have not yet used a bathroom faucet with a short spout, there is good news: there are "extension cords" that screw on a short tap if you are very uncomfortable with it. So it’s up to everyone to decide which bathroom faucet is the best.

The most reliable bathroom faucets

As usual, the best bathroom faucets are imported, and many converge on only two companies - GROHE and HANSGROHE (Groe and Hansgrohe). Their lineup is noticeably different in design, they work in different price ranges. What they have in common is high quality and a large number of fakes.

Counterfeits are sold at lower prices and there are a lot of them. Outwardly, it is possible to distinguish them, but it is rather difficult - you need to know exactly what to look at (the quality of the engraving of the name, the color of the brass, the presence of an embossed company logo on the ferrules of the flexible liner, the thickness of the metal on the lever and tap, etc.). Just in case, it is better to buy branded faucets either on the official dripping website, or in a large store and certainly not on the market.

Vidima and Ideal Standart - Bulgarian companies have quite good reviews. Vidima works in the middle price range. The range is wide - there are lever, valve, thermostatic models, made mainly in the classic style. Ideal Standart products are somewhat more expensive, the lineup is even wider, and the look is more modern. In principle, both brands belong to the same corporation, only they are produced at different factories.

First you need to choose a bathroom faucet by type, then pay attention to the appearance, not forgetting about the technical points

Chinese mixers are also of good quality. Only they are clearly not the cheapest - the middle range. Frap (Frap), Duvu (Ledme), G-Lauf-Zegor have good reviews. As usual, they have a wide assortment, many interesting models. When choosing, carefully read the description and look for the material from which the case is made. Silumin is definitely not worth taking.

Even if you were able to choose a bathroom faucet, it needs water of normal quality to work for a long time. This means that at least there should be no mechanical impurities in it. Therefore, either in front of the mixer, or (which is much better) immediately at the entrance to the apartment / house, put strainers. It is desirable to put two of them - with a large grid cell in front and with a smaller one behind it. In this case, one can hope that the mixer will serve for a long time and without problems.