Sink faucet: help select, install and troubleshoot

What are the signs of faucets for the sink in the bathroom? What should I look for when buying? How to install this sanitary device? What typical malfunctions can the owner face and how can they be remedied? In this article we will try to give answers to all the above questions.

Purchase

So, we are in the store; in front of us is a showcase with countless devices that differ in appearance, design and cost. What to look at first?

Design

In the framework of this article, we are discussing a very specific construction - a sink with an on-board mixer. All stock is only through the sink. Wall-mounted faucets with swivel gander serving the bathtub and washbasin at the same time are a completely different design that deserves a special conversation.

So, what could be the devices we are interested in?

It should be clarified: the technical characteristics of the mixer for the sink, which can be given in its description, are reduced to the size of the thread (it is always equal to 1/2 inch) and the capacity of the valves at normalized pressure. These values ​​have no practical value.

Which of the options described should be preferred? The optimal type of valves is ceramic cranes. What is the reason for such an unequivocal instruction?

Arguments are at the service of the reader.

• Unlike a screw kranbuksy, ceramic does not require maintenance. The wear of ceramic plates tends to zero; any noticeably wear pads and seals its design does not contain. For comparison: gaskets and rod seals on screw taps will have to be changed at least once every six months.

• Single-lever faucet cartridges have an unpleasant feature - the gradual development of silicone grease between ceramic plates. Over time, the lever goes all the tighter, which sooner or later leads to breakage of the cartridge stem or plastic plate holders. In the ceramic box, the force required to rotate the lamb varies very little over the entire period of operation due to the minimal area of ​​rubbing surfaces.
• Both thermostats and automatic valves with proximity sensors are unattractive because it is extremely difficult and sometimes impossible to repair them with their own hands in domestic conditions.. The price of devices, starting from 5-7 thousand rubles, also does not add to their popularity.

What should be a gander? Not rotatable, equipped with an aerator.

The reasons?

• The swiveling gander is noticeably higher, which guarantees a spray when washing.

• The seal at the base of the swivel huss is a potential leak when the rubber ring is worn. Why create problems in advance, without which you can do well?
• The aerator allows you to significantly reduce water consumption, which is not superfluous with the widespread distribution of water meters. It forms a volumetric stream due to its saturation with air, making it possible to dispense with minimal pressure when washing.

Rigid or flexible eyeliner is more preferable? And here it is difficult to give a definite recommendation. On the one hand, a rigid eyeliner is much more durable, while flexible hoses will have to be changed at least every five years.

On the other hand, it is de facto flexible eyeliner that is the unspoken standard for the on-board mixers in the last couple of decades. It is quite difficult to find a mixer with threads for rigid pipes; dismantling the liner if necessary, remove the sink with them will also be much more difficult.

Quality

What to look for when visually inspecting the device?

• On the hull weight. Solid weight suggests that brass was used in its manufacture, and not much lighter (and extremely fragile) silumin. In addition, a large wall thickness is an indirect sign that the manufacturer did not save on the quality of the device.
• On the rotation of the lambs. They should be rotated 180 degrees with a small constant force, without jams and play.
• On the material of sheep. Brass is considered good practice; silumin and plastics are too fragile and short-lived.

Nuance: in winter, when the temperature of the hot water reaches its peak, the metal lamb on the hot water will noticeably heat up during long periods of water extraction.

• The thickness of the sleeves flexible liner. If the braid of the hose is compressed by a metal that looks more like tissue paper, it is better to abandon the purchase. In the extreme case, if the device suits you according to all other criteria, you can purchase a pair of better-quality flexible connections.

Installation

How does the installation of the faucet on the sink of faience or porcelain?

Let us consider the most common scenario - the installation of products with flexible liner.

1. Threads of flexible hoses are rewound with FUM tape or polymeric sealing thread. Regular rubber sealing rings are often torn or displaced during assembly of the connection, so additional sealing will not interfere.
2. The hoses are screwed into the mixer housing.

Attention: they need to be screwed only and exclusively with an open end or a wrench. Attempting to tighten the hose, holding it by the braid, is likely to cause you to tear off the braid from the sleeve.

1. A sealing ring is placed on the hoses to be installed between the mixer body and the sink.
2. Coupling nuts eyeliners alternately pulled through the hole in the sink.
3. Through the same hole in the housing of the mixer is screwed mounting stud.
4. On it are consistently put on a figured laying, a clamping plate and a nut.
5. The nut is carefully tightened with a spanner or open-end wrench until the body stops turning by hand.

1. The sink is mounted on an anchor or cabinet.
2. The cap nuts of flexible hoses are connected to the threads of the hoses.
3. After installation of the outlet and the supply pipe and the mixer itself, the mixer itself is checked under pressure.

Useful stuff

The owner of the mixer is useful to know about installing it a few more things.

• If the washbasin is to be operated with a sanitary fixture with a swiveling gander installed above the bath, the hole on its shelf will be plugged. A plastic or metal cap for the sink instead of the faucet is purchased at any plumbing store.

• It is advisable to install a pair of shut-off valves on the supply lines, which will make it possible to turn off the water supply only in case of a malfunction of the device. If you install the sink on 2 faucets, it is permissible to mount common valves.
• Ceramic valves are sensitive to water quality. Coarse filters at the entrance to the apartment are highly desirable.

Faults

How to change the mixer in the sink or fix it minor faults?

Let's start with breakdowns that do not require complete replacement of the device.

Useful: the only reason for the failure of ceramic boxes is an attempt to cut off water when sand or scale is injected into the cutout. When using the mixer, avoid considerable effort.

How to unscrew the mixer from the sink, if for some reason you want to completely replace it?

1. Shut off the water valves.
2. Turn off the cap nuts of flexible hoses.
3. Remove the sink.
4. Rozhkov or wrench unscrew the nut under the pressure plate.
5. Remove the mixer body and alternately pull out the nuts of the liner through the hole in the sink.

How to remove the mixer from the sink without dismantling it?

In this case, the third item is simply thrown out of the previous list. The pedestal sink-tulip, however, still have to be removed - to get to the cherished nut can only be in the supine position under the sink.

Conclusion

We sincerely hope that our simple recommendations will help readers in choosing plumbing fixtures and solving problems related to them. The attached video in this article will offer additional thematic information. Successes!