Crane-box for the mixer: maintenance and repair of the

05-01-2018

Water supply

Virtually any holder of modern faucets in the bathroom or in the kitchen, sooner or later the question arises about how to change the faucet in the faucet. And although for a specialist this task will seem elementary, the beginner will have to learn some nuances.

It is precisely the issues of selection and replacement of the valve locking mechanism for the water supply system that we will devote to this article.

This detail is the most important component of any crane.

Types of designs

The crankshaft is a small part that is placed in the body of the mixer. When turning the crank handle with hot or cold water, the device stem is actuated, which in turn opens the valve. At the same time, the water in the system begins to flow through the lumen.

Depending on the design of axle box divided into two groups:

Worm with rubber seal.
Swivel with ceramic shutter.

Both types have both advantages and disadvantages, which we analyze in the table below:

Variety

Merits

disadvantages

Worm

The simple design (retractable stem with rubber gasket) provides more predictable system performance.
The price of worm-type products is lower due to the use of cheap materials.
If necessary, the gasket is easily replaced, which prolongs the life of the product.

Note! If necessary, the gasket can be cut with your own hands from a suitable piece of rubber.

A valve with a flywheel must be turned several times until the flow is completely blocked. In this case, the locking mechanism often fails when the thread is abraded.
Rubber parts are subject to wear, so that the product often requires repair.
Over time, the technical characteristics of the faucet-box for the mixer deteriorate, which leads to the formation of leaks, as well as to the humming due to the resonating valve.

Ceramic

Ceramic inserts mounted on a central brass rod, reliably overlap the lumen of the pipe.
The valve is opened by turning the handwheel half a turn or less. It requires minimal effort.
Due to the high strength of parts, the life of the axle box increases significantly.
The crane works absolutely silently.

It is rather difficult to repair the ceramic axle box - it is much easier to replace the part.
The internal elements quickly fail in contact with sand and other abrasive particles, so the installation of a water pre-filter is highly desirable.
The cost of the product is much higher than that of a worm crane box.

However, the above information is mainly for reference. Worm and ceramic parts are not interchangeable, so we will be faced with a choice only when buying the mixer device itself. In the future, we will have to work with the kind of books that are installed.

Use of the system

Selection Tips

The range of such parts, presented in the sale, is very extensive. That is why an attempt to choose a bush by diameter or in appearance will most likely not lead to the desired result. With high probability, the product will not fit the mixer, and when you try to use it, leaks are formed.

In this case, you can do in two ways:

First, labeling will help.. To do this, disassemble the crane (how to do it, tell below), extract the bush and write down everything that is written on its body. For this information in the hardware store, you can pick up a replacement, which is guaranteed to "fit" in place.
However, not all manufacturers label crane. That is why experts recommend visiting the points of sale of plumbing with old parts. In this case, we will be able to find an element that perfectly matches in shape and size by simple comparison.

Tip! You need to compare not only the diameter and overall dimensions, but also all the details of the design, up to the number of threads.

Methods of repair and replacement

Many newcomers to the plumbing are interested in how to unscrew the faucet from the mixer to perform repairs. This process is quite simple, but without theoretical preparation it is better not to undertake it.

For the work we need:

Adjustable wrench.
Crosshead screwdriver.
Knife for trimming gaskets.
Plumbing seal.

The instruction recommends performing work in the following sequence:

Set the valve to the "closed" position.
Remove the decorative cap by hooking it with a knife blade.
Phillips screwdriver unscrew the screw, locking the flywheel.

Tip! It is better to close the sink or drain the bathroom with a stopper: this way we will be able to protect small parts from falling into the sewage system.

Remove the flywheel from the guide.
Before pulling the crane from the mixer, completely shut off the water on the riser.
Using an adjustable wrench, unscrew the bush from the socket, remove it and wipe it with a clean cloth.

Further actions depend on the design of the part:

Repair of the faucet-box mixer, with a ceramic insert, as we noted earlier, is almost impossible. So we just have to install a new part instead of a worn one.

With worm models the situation is somewhat different. To restore functionality, unscrew the locking screw, remove the old gasket and install a new one.

Screw the bush into place, if necessary, cutting the edge of the gasket with a sharp knife.
Open the valve on the riser, checking the tightness of the connection. If there is even the slightest hint of a leak, then unscrew the bush back and reinstall it using a plumbing sealant for pipe threads.

Tip! Trying to tighten the thread "on the force" is not worth it - most often this leads to the exit of the mixer failure.

Next, we need to install and secure the flywheel, after which the valve can be used!

Conclusion

We hope that information on how to remove the crane from the mixer and how to carry out its repair will be useful, first of all, for those who have not previously encountered similar tasks. If you still have questions, you can study this topic in more detail by viewing the video in this article.