The faucet, no doubt, is an integral part of any bathroom. It is used for hot and cold water supply and comfortable use of a shower or bath. Thanks to this device, you can easily adjust the water pressure and temperature. A special switch helps redirect the flow from the bathroom to the shower head, which (it is impossible not to notice) is convenient.
Like other mechanical devices, mixers often break. This is explained by the rapid formation of scale. Repair such a structure easily with your own hands. She is not too tricky, and the problem is fixed in a couple of minutes.
In this article, you will get acquainted with the varieties and types of mixers, and also learn what their device is and how to independently eliminate unwanted damage to the mechanism.
Species diversity
Knowing how the bath and shower faucet is designed, you can understand the principle of its operation and deal with problems arising from breakdowns. All bathroom faucets are divided into three groups:
- Sensory - those that respond to movement by activating a photocell mounted in the device. Self-repair of such a device is difficult, so it is better to entrust such a device in the hands of specialists. The newest development is considered a touch mixer for the bathroom. The price of such products in Russia starts at 10,000 rubles. It is usually higher than other types of bathroom faucets.
- Valve consists of three structural parts: housing, spout and valve. The regulation of the pressure of the water jet is carried out manually. The old Soviet models were completed with a rubber gasket during assembly, while modern models are equipped with ceramic plates.
Important! Old models of mixers with rubber gaskets are still found on the market, so when choosing plumbing for your bathroom, give preference to ceramic faucets. Such a device for a bathroom faucet is more durable and practical.
- Lever models of mixers are very popular recently. The design of such a mixer is presented in the form of a housing, spout and a ceramic or ball cartridge, in which cold and hot water are mixed until the temperature of your choice is reached. The device of the bathroom faucet with cartridge cannot be disassembled. If the cartridge fails, you can only restore the bathroom faucet device by replacing an unusable item.
Lever-type shower faucets consist of:
- a control handle that acts as a regulator of pressure and water temperature;
- housing;
- a nut acting as a retainer for the inner element of the cartridge;
- a housing cover that protects the cartridge and gives the design a more aesthetic appearance.
The most common causes of breakdowns
Having carefully examined the device of the bathroom faucet, you will see that fixing it is not such a problem. It is only important to understand the reasons for the breakdown. There are several main factors that affect shower faucets and provoke product breakdown:
- The device of the bathroom water mixer is of poor quality. This means that the product is assembled from low-quality components and consumables.
- The use of non-modern consumables, whose service life is much lower than modern paronite or silicone gaskets. In addition, they are less prone to deformation and drying out.
- Poor quality piped water.
- Hard water, which negatively affects the wear resistance of the internal parts of the mixer. Scale can form not only inside but also outside, adversely affecting the bathroom faucet. Bronze and chrome - a protective coating for plumbing products that protect them from scale formation and the development of corrosion processes.
Leak in the area of joining of spout and body
A single-lever bath mixer with a single-lever shower may break during prolonged or continuous operation. You can fix this design yourself.
A malfunction associated with a breakdown of the mixer may occur in the form of a leak in the joint area between the housing and the spout. Plumbers face such a problem almost every day. The rubber gasket insulating the junction between the gander and the body is in constant rotation, which leads to rapid breakdown. When the gasket is demolished, the gander begins to leak. You can fix this problem by replacing the rubber gasket with a silicone gasket, whose service life is longer.
Faucet firms offer a wide range of accessories and consumables for products, so you can easily find spare parts for the faucets of the required model.
Leaking water from the control lever
Such breakdowns are typical for single lever mixers, which is caused by cartridge wear. Scale can build up inside the device, then the bath mixer breaks. Bronze is a coating that protects the inner surface. When it overheats, the protective properties are lost. In this case, it is better to give the mixer to the workshop, where disassembly and restoration will be done in a quality manner. If a single-lever bath and shower faucet is mounted in your bathroom, you can determine the cartridge breakdown by the following symptoms:
- the lever rotates with difficulty;
- the temperature of the supplied water changes spontaneously;
- no water supply;
- tap water does not completely shut off.
If you notice one of these problems, you need to replace or restore the cartridge. Sometimes you have to buy a new mechanism, if the bathroom faucet cannot be restored. The price of cartridges depends on the type of mechanism and type of mixer and ranges from 60-100 rubles.
How to fix the faucet yourself
To independently set up your mixer, follow the instructions:
- Remove the red-blue cap from the housing.
- Remove the crane lever by loosening the fixing screw. Use a small Phillips screwdriver for this.
- Remove the lever and unscrew the decorative cover.
- Pull out the broken cartridge.
- Mount the new device inside the box and assemble the mixer.
Important! Pay attention to the small tabs on the cartridge - they should coincide with the grooves knocked out on the inside of the case. If you mount the element incorrectly, the mixer will flow.
Leaking faucet in a two-valve mixer
The reason is the wear or damage of the gasket hidden in the crane box. Sometimes the destruction of the crane box itself occurs. If a faucet leaks in your bathroom and you don’t know how to fix it inexpensively, do it yourself.
Rapid recovery of the mixer is performed by shutting off the water:
- Leaking valve is freed from the plug.
- Unscrew the holder with which the valve is attached to the body of the product. After that, using a tool (open-end wrench or adjustable wrench), the crane axle is unscrewed.
- Depending on the degree of damage, the crane box or seal under it is replaced.
- New parts are replaced by old ones, after which the mixer is assembled.
How to prevent leakage of the faucet-shower regulator
In the place of the regulator, which is responsible for switching the flow of water from the tap to the shower, there is another seal, which is often damaged. To fix the mixer, faced with such a problem, you can disassemble only one of its switch. To restore the mechanism will have to:
- Remove the digger / switch. Use pliers for this and, holding the stem in a fixed position.
- Remove valve with stem.
- Pull out the damaged oil seal.
- Install the new consumable in place of the old one and put the switch with the stem in place.
Damage to the shower faucet button
If, after pressing, the button does not return to its natural position, then the spring inside it has broken. In this case, the button is disassembled according to the scheme described above, and the broken spring is removed and can be replaced. If, when you press the button, water continues to flow from the tap and from the shower - this indicates a breakdown of the seal, which is located in the switch rod.
In this case, do the following:
- Remove the button / switch.
- Pull out the stem.
- Change the oil seal.
- Reassemble the switch.
Leaking shower hose
Damage to the hose gasket entails leakage of the latter. All that needs to be done to fix the problem is to buy a new gasket and make a replacement for the old one.
If the cause of the breakdown of the mechanism is serious, and it cannot be repaired, you will have to buy another bath mixer. The bronze inside and the chrome-plated coating on the outside will help the new product last longer, protecting it from scale formation and rapid wear of parts.
After studying this material and familiarizing yourself with the main causes of a breakdown in the bathroom faucet, you will turn into a true jack of all trades and will be able to eliminate the problem in a matter of minutes without resorting to anyone else's help. Just use the tips and tricks, and you will surely succeed.