Bathroom faucet repair with shower: simple solutions to

20-05-2018
Mixers

The topic of this article is the repair and installation of a bathroom faucet with a shower. We have to get acquainted with several of the most common designs of mixers, find out what breaks in them, and learn how to fix breakages.

So let's get started.

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Classification

To begin with, let us mention the obvious: regardless of the design, the body of the mixer breaks extremely rarely and only under extreme mechanical effects.

Breakdowns affect:

  • Valves (kranbuks and single lever switches, as well as switches on the shower);
  • Soul.

To clarify: faults can concern both the watering can and the hose connecting it with the body of the mixer. What is curious, here the main part of the problem is created by lime dissolved in water; over time, it narrows the lumen of the nozzles and deprives the elasticity of the rubber core of the shower hose.

  • Movable and collapsible connections. Here, as a rule, problems are reduced to wear rubber seals, gaskets and development of the gland.
Worn sealing spout led to a leak.

Problems and Solutions

So how to repair a bathroom faucet with a shower in each case?

Kranbuksy

Perhaps the most common problem is the flow of a crane. Let's delve into the study of this problem.

Symptoms Cause Elimination
With the tap completely closed, the water continues to flow in a thin stream Worn or completely destroyed gasket When the water is off, the gasket changes to a new one.
Sand or dross between gasket and seat Open the tap several times until it stops. The trash will carry the stream of water
Crane turns Worn thread on the rod or body kranbuksy Replacing kranbuksy. Do not forget to wrap it with a tape FUM, flax or sealing thread
Open tap flows on the stem Worn rubber o-ring, gland worn out Replace seal; for axle box with stuffing box - tamp the epiploon again

Useful: at least one more curious malfunction occurs - a slightly opened tap starts to buzz loudly. The reason is that the movably fixed valve starts to beat in the turbulent flow of water; repair of a shower mixer consists in this case only in chamfering on the gasket.

Ceramic crane boxes stand out. In this case, the device of the mixer with a shower differs markedly from the scheme with screw taps: the water is blocked and opened due to the mutual displacement of a pair of ground ceramic plates.

Disassembled ceramic Kranbuksa.

There is almost no talk of any wear, the only reason for the failure of the axle box is an attempt to close it with plates tightly wedged with a piece of scale caught in their cutout.

As you might guess, in this case, the repair of bathroom faucets with shower comes down to replacing the faulty cranks with a similar one. Issue price - 45 - 100 rubles, depending on the manufacturer of the component.

By the way: the simplest instruction will help protect ceramic fittings from problems of this kind. It is enough to install a pair of coarse filters at the entrance to the apartment.

Cartridge

In the case of a single-lever mixer, a replaceable cartridge is responsible for adjusting the pressure and water temperature. The design of the bathroom faucet with a shower (more precisely, its main working unit) somewhat resembles the device of ceramic faucets; however, the ground plates may be displaced relative to each other in any direction within the plane.

The scheme of the cartridge.

The cartridge has only three typical problems:

  • Chip plates or breakage of their plastic holders when a significant force is applied to the lever. First of all - again when the plates are jammed with debris. It is treated by replacing the cartridge.
  • The plastic stock cartridge breakage.

It is useful: to prevent this breakdown, it is better to forget the habit of blocking water with a strong palm strike on the mixer handle.

  • A tight lever stroke is usually associated with the development of silicone grease between the plates of the cartridge. Lubricants can be purchased at many plumbing stores; However, its cost (about 400 rubles per 50 ml of high-quality lubricant from Grohe) makes the repair of the cartridge unprofitable against the background of its replacement.

How to fix the mixer with a shower if the cartridge is out of order?

  1. Remove the plastic cap on the handle and unscrew the screw hidden under it. It may have a flat-head screwdriver or hex head.
  2. We remove the handle and without using tools, with our own hands, turn off the decorative nut under it.
  3. Unscrew the brass nut with the key fixing the cartridge and change the cartridge to a new one.
The mixer is opened to replace the cartridge.
  1. Perform all operations in reverse order.

Captain Obviousness suggests: the bathroom faucet with a shower is disassembled when the valves are shut off.

Switches on the shower

The mixers produced in the last 20 years, there are three main types of switches:

  1. Push button. Switching to the shower by pressing a button; the return stroke after turning off the water is provided by a return spring.
  2. Lever. A lever turning 45–60 degrees sets in motion an eccentric displacing a barrel with a pair of rubber gaskets inside the case. The one, accordingly, depending on the position, blocks the water at the spout or shower.
  3. Ceramic. It is a cross between a ceramic faucet and a single-lever mixer cartridge. It is easy to identify by the handle, which can rotate 360 ​​degrees.

Let's start with the push button switch.

Symptoms Cause Elimination
Water flows from the spout and shower simultaneously. Destroyed rubber valve Replacing the entire valve or switch
Leaking on the rod under the button Worn seal Replacing the rubber sealing ring
The button spontaneously returns to its original position with a weak head Tight return spring Spring shortens by 1 - 2 turns
Pushbutton switches, made a separate unit, it is easy to replace in case of breakage.

The arrangement of bathroom faucets with a shower and a lever-type switch creates no less problems:

  • If during the normal course of the lever the water does not switch, the wear of the gaskets is to blame. They change; the barrel can be removed from the housing after dismantling the spout, the shower and the handle with the cam.
  • The wedging of the lever in intermediate positions indicates wear of the guides along which the keg moves. It is treated only by replacing the mixer.
  • The free motion of the lever in a circle indicates that the eccentric is broken. Fortunately, you can buy it separately.
In the photo - repair kit for mixers of this type.

Ceramic switch breaks under the same conditions as ceramic Kranbuksy; damage is treated only by its complete replacement. How to disassemble the faucet with a shower for the bathroom in this case? Yes, just like a single-lever mixer: there is a nut hiding under the handle that holds the cartridge.

Connections

The device faucet mixer with a shower and a switch to the shower involves the use of annular rubber seals. Gland packing can be found mainly on products made more than 20 years ago. Leaks under the spout, on stocks, etc. are eliminated by simply replacing the seals with new ones; rubber rings can be purchased as part of a gasket set at any plumbing store.

The same applies to fixed connections with gaskets: when a leak occurs, they are disassembled, after which the gaskets are replaced with new ones.

Shower

The most typical shower breakdown is a leak from under the hose armor. It is eliminated by replacing the rubber core or, if you were unable to find it on sale, the entire hose.

Shower hose in the process of replacing the core.

Conclusion

In view of the limited volume, our miniature review of typical faults turned out to be somewhat superficial. However, we sincerely hope that he, along with the video attached in this article, will help the reader in solving everyday problems.

Successes!