Single-lever bathroom faucets: device and structure repair

To date, a large number of plumbing fixtures are on sale. The faucets for bathrooms and kitchens attract particular attention due to their sleek design and original design solutions.

The history of water faucets and faucets is as rich as the history of bicycles. Back in Ancient Greece, the inventor Heron made a device that outwardly could hardly be called a mixer, but in its functions it differs little from all subsequent samples and models of taps. As with bicycles, faucets and faucets continued to be reinvented. In the history of the Roman Empire, there are references to mixer taps. It says that the cranes of the engineers of Rome in some ways repeated the principles of the cranes of the ancient Greek, but they already laid down the principles of the design of household appliances, they were distinguished by their convenience and artistic taste.

But in the Middle Ages, taps and hygiene were forgotten. Due to the lack of sanitary conditions, many diseases and epidemics appeared, their actions led to multimillion victims in Europe. Water, cleanliness, sanitation and personal hygiene were supposed to save humanity. Then the need arose for the manufacture of cranes. True, these devices were available exclusively to wealthy people.

At the end of the 18th century, a mechanic from England, Joseph Bramah, invented a device that became closer to faucets. It consisted of three taps: hot, cold and mixed. They functioned until the beginning of the twentieth century, when the Englishman William Thomson developed Brahm's ideas into a two-valve mixer. More recently, these important plumbing fixtures were operated by axle taps. They have not disappeared, and often appear in a luxurious retro style, in cast bronze or gilded.

Modern bathrooms, as centers of personal hygiene, are transformed into luxurious, comfortable spaces, tastefully finished, decorated with expensive designs, equipped with the most modern fixtures and fittings. The desire for luxury and the vanity of the wealthy leads to the emergence of bathroom fixtures of varying cost and artistic value. Good design is possible for people of different financial levels, including even budget ones. All this also applies to one of the most important elements of the bathroom - the mixer for water supply. Constructors, designers, engineers and production workers have created more than a dozen samples of a high artistic level, which at the same time ensure the reliable performance of their main functions.

To reduce motor time in domestic water-related operations, sanitary engineers came up with the now very popular single-lever mixer, which has a cartridge (liner) as the main part that carries the main workload of mixing and supplying water. The main technical characteristic of any type of liner is a reliable smooth transition of water supply and temperature. These appliances are capable of working without jamming or dripping for many years.

With the growth of its comfort, sanitary equipment for kitchens and baths is increasingly approaching artistic products. Various forms of installation and methods of supplying water have a dozen options.Here you can find a liner built into the walls, a floor stand built into the sides of the bath, a whole water supply system of the required condition.

These samples are attractive for simple repair, ease of installation, efficiency and functionality, ease of control of the temperature of the water at the outlet of the mixer tap. This is important because when adjusting the temperature in conventional taps, the consumption of hot and cold water is also increased.

The convenience of managing mixed water supplies is a must for many bath and shower users. This is especially true for people with any ailments and the elderly. One-handed control of temperature and water flow increases safety when showering or bathing. The advantage is also the ability to hide the main units under the modern forms of mixers, on which the operation of the mixer tap depends.

The quality of the water affects the trouble-free and long-term operation of faucets, especially disc cartridges, both ceramic and plastic. You may need to take some measures to clean the water from impurities.

The possibility of repair is sharply limited, it comes down to replacing only a small number of parts or the entire cartridge as a whole. Rubber gaskets often fail. It is not always easy to set the desired water temperature, but this is more true for the cheaper models, which have a small angle of rotation of the lever.

A single-lever valve with a disc cartridge is not so complicated.

The diagram is shown in the figure. So, what does it consist of:

• force transmission lever for plate movement;
• screw for fixing the main arm;
• nut to hold the insert in place;
• spherical nut;
• cartridge. The position of its plates directs the mixing water flows and delivers the water of the desired condition to the outlet;
• mixer body with insert seat;
• spout (gander). Its location can be either a continuation of the mixer tap or a separate part.

The cartridge has movable plates connected to the stem and fixed plates located at the bottom of the assembly. The plates have specially shaped holes that open or close the inlets for cold or hot water, and an opening for supplying mixed water at the required temperature to the spout. The plates are ground tightly almost to the molecular state. When the lever moves in the vertical plane, the shank of the cartridge displaces the movable disk in such a way that the water supply to the spout opens. By turning the lever to the right or left, hot or cold water will be dispensed.

Due to the tight contact of the movable and stationary discs, the requirements for the state of water are increased. The ingress of even small particles of foreign fragments disrupts the stable operation of the discs and leads to premature failure of the cartridge, and hence the mixer. Therefore, the issue of water filtration must be resolved in advance.

By the type of the main unit, which forms the modes of mixing and water flow, the following types of bath devices are distinguished:

• single-lever ball mixer;
• disc metal-ceramic with one handle;
• disc plastic.

The main element of the Lever Ball Mixer is a hollow ball, which has two openings for the passage of water flows and one for the outlet of the desired water to the spout.The mixing of water takes place inside a hollow ball, which adjoins the seats made of special rubber with the addition of fluorine, from the holes of these seats both streams of water are supplied. The position of the ball is determined by turning or vertical movement of the lever, while the holes are aligned and the water entering the ball is mixed to the required temperature and supplied to the mixer outlet in the volume specified by the vertical position of the lever.

The schemes and principle of operation of disk valves are the same for sintered and plastic plates. The plates are controlled by the rod, on which the lever is put on. The wall mixer, as well as all other variants, have a universal cartridge as the main element for a comfortable outlet of water at the required temperature. It is impossible to repair the cartridge or make any adjustments, everything ends only with a replacement.

Cartridge faucets have a lot in common. But the development of production, improvement of technology, the use of more and more reliable materials lead to the emergence of more perfect products. For example, the developers of the Kludi company have created a micro cartridge, with which it is already possible to create miniature mixer models. On this basis, thermostatic devices with reduced dimensions and a universal layout have been developed.

The developments of the Italian company Newform have led to the emergence of cartridge mixers capable of withstanding water hammer with a pressure of 35 atmospheres. The well-known Supergrif company and some others achieve the super-smooth surface of the discs using ultrasonic polishing technology. Other experts from Ideal Standart have invented a special liner that works with water at extremely low pressure. This device has another micro-camera with a buffer function. The surface strength of the plates of the Grohe Holding cartridges is significantly increased by carbon-crystal deposition of Carbodur.

The single lever (one-handed) ball cartridge mixer has been in use for almost 40 years. The simplicity and reliability of such cranes does not create big problems in their work. They most often appear due to the low quality of water in the urban network, when dirt particles gradually settle on the rubber seats of the mixer socket, on which a hollow ball becomes.

The first signs of poor functioning of the mixer appeared: it makes noise, creaks, the lever turns tightly, then it can be easily disassembled.

To repair such a crane with your own hands, you need to have a minimum set of tools at hand, namely:

• screwdrivers of different shapes;
• adjustable wrench;
• pipe wrench;
• pliers;
• hex key for the fixing screw;
• clean rags;
• liquid WD-40.

To remove the ball cartridge, follow these steps:

• remove the plug (blue and red);
• slightly unscrew the clamping screw with a hex wrench;
• remove the main lever from the stem;
• manually unscrew the cap so as not to crush it;
• unscrew the clamping nut, remove the washer under it;
• remove the ball by the stem.

Two saddles with springs are placed under the ball for a snug fit of the elastic bands to the ball. After disassembly, carefully remove all deposits, clean and wipe. Check the condition of the springs and replace them if necessary.

You can go over to the processing of the ball. If it is made of stainless steel, then it must be cleaned to a shine. If the balls are made of cheap metal or plastic, then it is better to replace them with new ones. Plastic balls under the influence of poor-quality water can flake off, losing their geometry and smooth surface, and in liners made of cheap metal, the body of a hollow ball wears out to the wall thickness, at which its deformation already occurs from the usual actions of supplying water through a mixer tap. Reassemble the entire assembly in reverse order.

The single-lever device with a rotary "gander" is in great demand. The swivel "gander" very often changes its position from the bath to the sink. Over time, the union nut looses and leaks may appear.It is enough to tighten the nut a little, although it may be necessary to change the gasket, which sometimes loses its elasticity due to the consumption of lubricant.

Ceramic cartridge plates undoubtedly last much longer, but nothing lasts forever, and they develop chips, wear on the adjacent surfaces and even fracture, which can lead to unstable operation and even complete failure. Cartridges are not repaired, so you need to know how to replace them.

Liner malfunctions are manifested by the following actions:

• streams of hot and cold water do not mix, water of only one temperature flows out of the "gander";
• water is not supplied at any position of the lever;
• the outlet water temperature fluctuates independently;
• very weak water supply;
• the tap is open, water is supplied, but it is no longer possible to turn it off;
• water constantly flows from under the lever;
• the lever only turns with force.

The performance of the functions and the condition of the mixer is significantly influenced by the insoluble particles of rust, lime, sand and other impurities in the water. Installation of various cleaning filters prolongs the reliable operation of the insert, and hence the mixer as a whole.

Liners can not only wear out, but sometimes break for reasons such as:

• the production used materials that do not meet the standards;
• inaccurate actions with the lever (blows, strong pressure in the end positions);
• frequent water hammer in the system;
• poor water quality;
• poor quality filters or their absence.

As you can see, there is no need to count on the eternal operation of the mixing and water supply devices and especially the liner, so over time you will have to replace the cartridge with a new one. Any job can be done successfully if the master has a good tool and knows how to use it.

When replacing the cartridge, you will need a small set of tools. The purchased new liner may not fit the seats and sizes, so the best option would be to present the removed liner in the store and buy it in stock.

Experts recommend following a few tips when buying and operating single-lever bathroom faucets.

• When buying, it is worth choosing heavy brass faucets. They are more durable and will last for a long time. But silumin mixers are characterized by a short service life.
• To protect the mixer from damage that can be repaired, you should install filters for water purification.
• After replacing the liner and checking the operation, it is sometimes found that the leakage problem still remains unresolved. In such cases, the mixer must be carefully disassembled. It is necessary to pull out the insert and carefully check all its surfaces. Foreign particles of a latent nature may remain, which during the first tests did not appear, and then ended up between the discs or on the ball. Possible and inaccurate fit of the liner in the working socket and insufficient clamping with a nut. This clamping nut can also damage the liner if you apply great force to press it.

• In the process of working with the mixer, it is necessary to try to control the crane lever, avoiding shock effects. All movements should be smooth. Care should be taken not to press hard on the lever in its end positions.
• When connecting the mixer to the water supply network, make sure that the "hot" and "cold" indicators on the plastic plug with the connected pipelines correspond. Of course, it is better to change the position of the plug than to connect the pipes.
• All plumbing fixtures are designed for a certain service life, which depends on the conditions of their use. It can be extended by improving the quality of tap water using filters, as well as through regular preventive maintenance, which consists in timely disassembly, cleaning and replacement of seals.The entire trouble-free operation of plumbing units often depends on the condition of the seals. You need to use standard factory elements, the materials of which meet the requirements of Russian GOSTs and EU standards.

Mixing taps of domestic manufacturers are slightly inferior in terms of parameters to foreign brands, but there are still some advantages. They are much cheaper than foreign mixers, and it is much easier to find spare parts for them. It is very important that Russian faucets are adapted to the water supplied by our networks, they are not clogged with those impurities that are unsuitable for expensive brands.

Of course, expensive mixer taps are made of better materials., but sometimes a fake may appear behind their rich and pompous appearance. Therefore, they say that more expensive does not mean more reliable. Buying new cranes must be taken very seriously and responsibly. It is worth listening to the advice and feedback of those who already have experience in repairing and replacing them.

For information on how to repair a single-lever mixer with your own hands, see the video below.