Shower rack with mixer: features, varieties, installation

The shower stand mixer is rapidly gaining in popularity with plumbing buyers due to a successful set of positive qualities, including convenience, reliability and an attractive appearance. We want to tell more about this plumbing fixture and give some tips on its selection and installation.

Plumbing for bath and shower

Modern standards

First, let's look at the existing types of equipment for bath equipment or shower stalls and the unwritten standards characteristic of good plumbing. Since Soviet times, many have become accustomed to seeing a familiar picture in a bathroom: one common faucet for a washbasin and a bathtub, from which a flexible hose extends to a shower head, which is fixed in a holder fixed on the wall.

At the same time, in order to transfer water from the washbasin to the bath, it was necessary to turn the spout, and from frequent movements his seal began to wear out and leak. The watering can, fixed in one place, could not satisfy all the inhabitants of the apartment, and it was often taken out, tilted, turned and shifted to direct the flow to the right place. This also led to premature wear of both the hose and the holder.

Today there is no shortage of building materials or plumbing equipment, so these solutions have long become a wonder and are preserved only in slums and communal apartments.

Modern equipment of a bath or shower enclosure includes the following elements:

• Separate mixer. As a rule, most models have a wall mount, which implies the supply of pipes in the grooves with the outlet of water sockets for connecting valves. The mixer can have a rigid stand, a flexible hose, or both at the same time;
• Most often, the spout mounted on the bath mixer does not rotate, as it is used only to draw water into the bowl.. This greatly increases the reliability and service life of the crane;
• The holder for the watering can is usually mounted on a rod rigidly mounted on the wall. Thanks to this, it moves easily up and down, and the hinge mechanisms make it easy to adjust the position of the watering can;
• Increasingly popular models with a rigid rack and a fixed watering can of the type "tropical shower". At the same time there is a separate mobile watering can with a flexible hose;
• Mixer taps are equipped with cartridges or ceramic cranes., which makes their work reliable and quiet, and the management of water pressure - simple and convenient.

Note! In most cases, high-quality equipment is made of sanitary brass. Alloys of aluminum and chrome steel are used only in cheap or counterfeit products.

A feature of today's market is the fact that, if you wish, you can find a fairly budget option with very good performance and an impressive set of functions, the price of which, with comparable qualities, will be several times lower than that of the leading manufacturers from European countries. Therefore, anyone who understands the characteristics of this group of products will easily select an inexpensive and high-quality device.

Shower Mixer Types

So, we looked at the evolution of shower plumbing fixtures and came to the conclusion that the old versions do not suit us. What modern models can claim the role of high-quality plumbing?

Here are the most acceptable options:

1. Mixer with fixed valve and watering can on a flexible hose. The role of the rack is played by a metal bar fixed on the wall with a special mount for the watering can. The most common option;
2. All the same, but instead of a flexible hose there is a rigid rack with a watering can at the end. Water flows inside the rack itself. The most reliable, but less convenient option;
3. The kit includes a rigid rack, in addition, there is a separate watering can with a flexible hose for cases where the upper flow of water is not enough. The most expensive, but also the most convenient option.

Note! Some models may not have a spout. These are, as a rule, appliances for shower cabins, since water is not needed in them, therefore, the tap becomes superfluous.

So let's consider the types of devices in more detail. The design consists of a mixer housing with an installed single-lever cartridge or two cranes with winches. Either the spout and the flexible hose come out of the body, or the spout, the stand and the flexible hose.

To switch the flow, a switch is provided in the design, which can be ball, rod or plate. Often it is equipped with a return spring, which switches the flow back to the tap if the water pressure drops.

Of course, the most reliable will be the simplest design with fixed elements. In our case, this is a shower faucet with a stand without a flexible hose. The disadvantage of this solution is obvious: you can not send water from the bottom up or to the desired point.

The second option is a compromise: on the one hand, there is a removable watering can on a flexible eyeliner, on the other - the rod plays the role of a rack. However, there is already a weak link - it is a flexible hose, which over time will inevitably wear out and require repair.

The most comfortable and reliable set is presented in the list under the third number. Here we see a rigid rack with a fixed watering can, as well as a flexible hose for any necessary manipulations with the flow of water. In addition to the flexible connection, a switch falls into the number of weak points, which in this case should have three positions: spout / stand / removable watering can.

Note! It should be understood that the more complex the design and the more moving parts it has, the more expensive it will be to make it reliable and durable. Therefore, the cost of the same quality products will increase depending on the complexity and functionality.

Functions and benefits

Mixers with a rigid stand are usually equipped with a top watering can with a “rain shower” function. The watering can itself has a large diameter, sometimes up to 500 mm, so as if you get under the rain, and the water falls not on a separate stream, but on all sides. It is very convenient, in addition, there is some anti-stress effect and massage qualities.

If the rack has a panel design, it can be equipped with additional nozzles for hydromassage. Such models are quite expensive, but their owners are always satisfied and leave rave reviews.

Removable watering can, as well as stationary, can have several modes of water supply: to form raindrops, jets, fog. This will help you choose the most suitable shower mode for the current mood and get real pleasure from water treatments.

The spout of the mixer usually has an increased internal cross-section for greater flow capacity. This allows you to quickly pick up the bowl, if you prefer to take a bath in the traditional way.

Note! There are models of racks with floor and wall installation, but the first option is suitable only for a very spacious bathroom. Wall designs are in incomparably high demand.

Among the advantages of mixers with stands you can list such qualities:

• High reliability;
• The attractiveness of the design;
• High throughput compared to the hose;
• Large size watering can with tropical rain function;
• A wide range of additional features.

Note! In the store you can find shower racks without a mixer. In this case, it is necessary to carefully select models for compatibility.

Installation

Installation of the mixer can be made by hand.

Instructions for installing modern wall models are quite simple and will not require special skills from you:

1. At a height of about 15 - 20 cm from the edge of the bathroom, or at a height of 120 cm from the floor in the case of a shower stall, water sockets are removed. The eccentrics are screwed into them, the threads are compacted with flax or FUM tape;

1. The edges of the eccentrics are exposed so that they are on the same horizontal line., and the distance between the centers of their holes was about 15 cm;

1. Assemble the body of the mixer and try on the outputs of eccentrics. If everything fits together, then tighten the flare nuts with the gaskets under them, alternately turning one or the other. Seal the thread is not necessary, and should not over-tighten;

1. The bar is installed on the wall with dowels and anchors, the flexible hose is connected with a cap nut with a corresponding hole in the housing;

1. If there is a rigid stand, then it is screwed to the mixer, and also attached to the wall with dowels. The configuration and height of the mount depends on the specific model;

1. After that, water is supplied and the system is tested.. If there is no leakage, then the work is done successfully.

Conclusion

A shower with a rigid stand or a rod is a modern and reliable type of plumbing that will delight you with excellent quality, convenience and a variety of different functions. To choose the right equipment and install it, watch the video in this article.