A comfortable life in modern houses and apartments is provided by a variety of appliances and appliances, to which a person is so used to it that he completely ceases to pay attention to them. But if suddenly one of these devices stops working correctly, then they are immediately remembered. And they even regret that they did not pay more attention to them. This also applies to one of the most important plumbing devices that everyone uses a hundred times a day - a water mixer for a bath or shower. The faucet for the mixer is the heart of this device.
Bath and shower faucets - what is it?
Just twenty years ago, in our “Khrushchevs” and “panels”, water with a temperature that was comfortable for the body was supplied through bronze taps from the Soviet era, which, if they didn’t flow in full force, always leaked. And each owner knew the reason - the problem with the crane box - and could fix it. It was not taught at school to replace gum, stuff a new stuffing box and the like, but without this knowledge it was unrealistic to ensure the normal operation of taps and mixers for bathtubs and showers.
With the advent of a new generation of mixers, the life of the layman has completely changed. Now the axle box for the mixer is not the subject of constant attention, but nevertheless, a little knowledge about it will not hurt anyone. Many devices for mixing cold and hot water, each of which can satisfy the most demanding consumer tastes, not only in ease of maintenance and reliability, but also in appearance, poses a difficult choice for buyers. It is simply impossible to physically cover all the faucets in one article, so we will focus on two brands - Grohe and Vidima - the most popular on the plumbing market at the moment.
Grohe and VIidima bath mixers
Famous for its high-quality sanitary ware, the German company Grohe offers to everyone who want to mixers of various configurations - with one lever or with two valves, as well as various styles - from classical to modern. A wide range of sizes and types of connection to the water supply system makes Grohe products truly in demand, although they have a rather serious cost.
The company Ideal Standard International, located in Bulgaria and having a well-deserved reputation as a quality and price-liberal supplier, produces sanitary products under various brands, but today we will talk about Vidima mixers. Like Grohe products, the mixers of this company have a different configuration, a wide range of sizes and stylish designs, only their price is lower. And no matter how different they are from each other, all the products of these companies are united by one thing - a crane-axle for the mixer, which will be discussed later.
What is a axle box crane?
A crane is a device that is screwed into the body of the mixer. In the case - the axle box - the assembly method establishes a mechanism for passing water. When it is activated by turning around the axis of the central rod in one direction or another, the flow channel opens or, conversely, closes. In mixers in which two knobs are used to mix water, two faucets are used, where there is only one lever - one.
Types of crane boxes
The crane box for the mixer can be performed, relatively speaking, in two forms. The first is a worm gearbox. It allows water to pass through several revolutions of the central rod, at which the gap between the bottom of the mixer body and the rubber band at the end of the rod increases. The second is a ceramic box crane. Here, water is passed through the displacement of two ceramic plates with the same holes relative to each other by half-turning the central rod, to the end of which one of the plates is attached.
Ceramic axle box for a mixer is much more practical, although somewhat more expensive. It is durable, simple and easy to operate (only half a turn of the handle). Of the shortcomings, only one is demanding on the purity of water. Large mechanical particles can interfere with the movement of the plates.
Cartridges for Grohe and Vidima
The crane for the Grohe mixer (its other name is a cartridge) has two ceramic plates. They are coated with a special coating that increases the already decent life. The rod rotation system of the device is “half-turn”, that is, the passage channel is fully opened during 180 ° rotation.
The crane box for the Vidima mixer in its device is no different from the previous one. The same ceramic plates, the same half-turn to fully open the passage channel. Only the shape of the cartridges depends on the mixer housing, their models, styles and purpose. It should be noted that not always ceramic plates suitable for cartridges of one company can work correctly in mixers of another. They have different thicknesses, and in these devices even tenths and hundredths of a millimeter are important.