Changing the cartridge in the mixer with your own hands

The weakest point in the single-lever mixer is the cartridge, which mixes the water in the faucets.

Therefore, with its malfunction: the crane began to leak, make noise, you just need to replace this part.

For this you can not call the plumbing, and carry out repairs yourself, as replacing the cartridge in a mixer is not a complicated procedure.

Single-lever faucet repair

Single-lever valves operate without breakage for a very long time, but because of sand and small particles passing through them, leakage is sometimes broken and they begin to leak.

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In this case, you just need to change the cartridge in the mixer. The price of this part is quite low.

To find out which cartridge is right for you, you need to know its characteristics.

These parts can have different:

• diameter;
• landing part;
• stock length.

To buy a new part, remove the old one and take it with you when you go to the store.

So you will be able to pick up and buy a new one, and easily replace the cartridge in the mixer.
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How to replace the cartridge:

• Before beginning the repair, close the water pipes with cold and hot water. Open the tap and let out the rest of the water;
• Remove the decorative plug that is on the crane arm in the front. To do this, you can poke it with a screwdriver, and it can easily be removed. Then unscrew the locking screw of the handle with a hexagon;
• Remove the lever under which the defective part is located. If the lever is not removed, it means it has become attached to it. Pour hot water on the lever, it will expand and take off or spray WD-40. While the lever is in place, it will not be possible to remove the cartridge from the mixer;
• The nut pressing the cartridge to the body can be unscrewed using pliers;
• Remove the defective cartridge and install a new one. He must get in his place without any effort. Be sure to check that the holes of the replaced part and mixer are aligned correctly;
• Put on the nut and tighten it;
• Install the crane handle on the cartridge shaft;
• Tighten the locking screw and replace the plastic plug.

Correctly supplied replaceable cartridges for mixers will allow to serve to them some more years.

Cartridges for single lever mixers

If you decide to buy a cartridge for a single lever mixer, you should know that they are available in two types:

• ball;
• ceramic.

The cartridge for the ball mixer has a hot water inlet adjustment, so you can quickly and easily adjust the comfort temperature.

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Ball, due to its shape, has less sensitivity to hard and polluted water.

Its principle of operation is simple, in a bowl of water comes through spring-loaded Teflon saddles and two feed channels.

The flows of cold and hot water are mixed inside the bowl, after which the water comes out.
The main drawbacks of the ball mechanism are the sensitivity of the ball to corrosion.

It can also wear teflon seals and jointing pads due to highly chlorinated water.

Ball valves are rarely available on the market, as special permits are required for their release.

You can buy a ceramic cartridge for a mixer, which consists of washers( two plates) made of aluminum oxide.

No drops of water should leak between these plates. Ceramic parts can work flawlessly for ten years.

Ceramic cartridges for shower mixers distribute water to a hand shower. They are in the divertor.

In case of a malfunction of such a mixer, you will have to buy a divertor.

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If the faucet is flowing in the bathroom, the cartridge for the bath mixer changes in the same way as the kitchen cartridge.

What is the difference between cartridges of different manufacturers?

The difference between the designs of cartridges of different manufacturing companies is insignificant.

But some use their own technologies to make their products more refined:

• Grohe products are popular, many sellers advise to buy a cartridge for a grohe mixer with carbon-crystal spraying on the plates, making the surface more durable;
• The reliable and practical cartridge for the mixer oras, produced by the Finnish sanitaryware manufacturer, is standard, so if the old breaks down, the new one will be very easy to find;
• The price of Vidima plumbing is one of the lowest, but the ceramic cartridge for the vidima mixer has to be changed infrequently. The guarantee for them is given for five years;
• The ceramic cartridge for the hansgrohe mixer is equipped with a safety feature and saves energy and water. In the case of repair it is easy to replace with your own hands;
• The trademark Hansgrohe patented the Boltic system: thanks to the special way of attaching the handle and lever, the crane of this brand has been working for many years without loosening and malfunctioning.

Buying a mixer, you need to pay attention to its details, because it can not be eternal, and replacement of a cartridge in a mixer will still be required anyway.

To do this, find out whether you can buy a replacement for a similar one in free trade or have to order it from an authorized distributor.

Find out if your official representatives work in your city.

Where to buy and how much is it?

If your "one-armed" has become defective, repair of the mixer cartridge is inadvisable, since it is difficult to select individual parts for it.

It's better to buy a new part, because its cost is low.

When buying an expensive branded product, changing the cartridge in a mixer will not be required for a long time.

Therefore, it is better to buy such products of famous brands, choosing from the average price category, if you have a limited budget.

If the wallet allows, it is better to buy water filters at the same time, then it will work flawlessly for a long time.

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Unclean water spoils the tap, and so without filters, you will soon have to buy a cartridge for the mixer and replace it.

It should be borne in mind that every company installs its cartridges, and therefore if you have a mixer of one firm, then the "stuffing" will have to be bought by the same firm.

Some large manufacturers produce these parts in several sizes, although they work the same way, they just manage the water of different volumes, so the price of a cartridge for a mixer can vary greatly.

Sometimes on sale you can find low-quality Chinese fakes, their price is low, but the quality is incomparably worse than that of famous brands.