Repair of the faucet for the bathroom and shower with your own hands

The mixer is a device for regulatingtions flow and temperature of the water flowing from a faucet.

In the bathroom faucet, the function of switching the water flow from the tap to the shower is also added. Unfortunately, often a mixer breakdown occurs. But most often they can be easily eliminated on their own.

Perhaps the most obvious reason for a mixer failure is the poor quality of the product itself. To date, the market is replete with low-quality plumbing equipment of Chinese and Turkish production, whose lifetime is small by itself. When choosing a new mixer, the desire to save can play against you. It is better to spend once, but to get a quality mixer that will last you for many years.

The second cause of frequent failures can be the use of short-lived consumables. For example, using a rubber gasket in combination with hard tap water will result in frequent breakdowns. In the case of using ceramic inserts, the mixer will last you much longer.

Incorrect installation also often leads to all kinds of breakdowns and shorten the life of the product. When installing the mixer it is very important to take into account its design features.

Mixers are available:

• Single lever;
• Two-valve;
• Non-contact.

Each of these types of mixers is mounted in its own way and breakages in them can also be caused by different reasons.

Later in the article we will dwell in more detail on the more specific reasons for the breakdown of each type of mixer and tell you how to deal with them.

The most common problem with single-lever mixers is the reduction in the volume of the .The cause of such a malfunction, as a rule, is a clogging of the aerator - a nozzle attached to the end of the gander, through which water flows from the tap.

This problem is easily removable in most cases. You just need to unscrew the aerator and clean it well, either under a strong stream of water or blow it with a jet of air. After all that needs to be done - screw it into its original place. This can be done by any housewife.

Another frequent cause of breakage of the mixer is the wear of the gasket. For sure everyone imagines what it looks like - it's a small circle of cushion material with a hole in the middle. Earlier, in old mixers rubber pads were used everywhere. Now it is possible to use more modern and reliable materials, such as paronite.

To eliminate the leak, we need a gasket of the appropriate diameter, a wrench and a tape made of PTFE sealing material or flax with a special paste.

1. Remove the metal ring securing the spout to the mixer.
2. Remove the spout and remove any debris from the worn gasket.
3. Put on a new one.
4. Thread the spout pipe with tape or flax with paste so that when mounting the parts tightly pressed against each other.
5. Fix the pipe spout with a metal ring.

lever is detected. Such leakage is usually caused by malfunctioning of the mixer cartridge. First let's see what a cartridge is.

Cartridge is a prefabricated cylinder with three holes;in one hole comes hot, in the other - cold water, and from the third mixed water pours out.

According to the type of mechanism used for mixing hot and cold water, the cartridges are divided into ball and ceramic. In addition, on top of the cartridge is located the rod on which the lever of the mixer is attached. Just in this place and there is a leak.

The main signs that you need to change the mixer cartridge:

• No hot or cold water is supplied;
• The water temperature changes freely, without changing the position of the lever.
• The crane does not work at full strength or does not close until the end;
• When switching the lever, you have to make extra efforts;
• And finally, the problem we mentioned above is the leakage from the lever.

As we mentioned above, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the plumbing you buy. Give preference to the cartridges of proven European companies and try not to fall for the tricks of scammers copying the performance of well-known brands.

Typically, if you do not install the entire water supply system in the house or apartment as a whole, you have no choice what type of cartridge to choose. The fact is that, despite the variety of models, there are only two types of cartridges - the ball and ceramic ones - of the .

The advantage of using ballpoint cartridges is the ability to disassemble the cartridge itself and repair it if necessary.

Ceramic cartridge can not be disassembled, it must be replaced entirely, but the ceramic plates in it are more durable and not subject to negative influence of hard water. If initially the water tap was mounted with the expectation of using a ball cartridge, you can not put the ceramic one. And vice versa.

But back to the issue of repairing the single-lever mixer when leaking from the lever:

1. Remove the plug with a screwdriver indicating the direction of cold and hot water.

2. Below it you will find a screw. Carefully unscrew it with a hexagonal wrench or a screwdriver of suitable size so as not to damage the thread. If you can not do it neatly, use a drill with a thin drill.

3. Remove the lever from the mixer body by pulling it upwards.

4. Remove the decorative element from the mixer with your hands or pliers.

5. Unscrew the nut, which directly presses the cartridge itself to the body of the mixer. To do this, first use the adjustable wrench, and then gently unscrew it with your hands.

6. That's it. Now you can pull out the old cartridge, boldly go with it to the store and buy yourself a new one.

7. To install a new cartridge, follow the steps above in reverse order.

Replacement of this gasket takes place in almost the same way as the previous one:

1. Unscrew the lever. If you are unable to do this, check for the presence of a fixing screw. If such a screw is available, you must first unscrew it, and then remove the lever itself.
2. Remove the remnants of the old gasket and place a new one in its place.
3. Wind the threads with tape or flax with paste.
4. Place the lever in its original position and, if necessary, tighten the fixing screw.

The occurrence of a fault of this type results from:

• damage to the crane-axle - a device inside the mixer that opens and stops the flow of water;
• of the deterioration of the sealing ring on the crane-buks.

Procedure:

1. Turn off the cold water tap on the riser.
2. Remove the plug from the valve.
3. Remove the screw that secures the valve. Be careful, since the screws in this place often turn sour and it's very easy to damage the thread.
4. Unscrew the crane-axle key with a key.
5. Replace the old O-ring if necessary.
6. If necessary, replace the old valve with a new one.
7. Place the valve in its original position.

The basic operating principle here is the same as for replacing other gaskets: unscrew the fixing nut of the hose, remove the remnants of the old gasket, put a new one in its place, thread the FPC tape onto the thread andtwist everything back the way it was originally.

If the water flows simultaneously from both the shower head and the tap, the most likely problem is the failure of the shift button mechanism, namely the stuffing box.

Procedure:

1. Unscrew the shift button with your hands.
2. Using a wrench, unscrew the switch housing.
3. Pull the stem out carefully and check the condition of the gaskets and replace them if necessary.

Here we have reached the last existing type of mixers - contactless or, as they are called, sensor mixers.

Their name speaks for itself: at the heart of their work is a sensor that catches the movement when you bring something to the tap, and automatically turns on the water supply. Nothing to twist with it is not necessary.

These mixers are considered to be the most durable and have a shelf life of 5 years. In addition, they are really easy to use and help save water.

But their main drawback is that they are extremely difficult to repair. We do not recommend doing this yourself. It is better to try to find an experienced specialist who understands this issue. Sensors You are unlikely to be able to repair yourself - most likely, you simply simply break the mixer completely.

If you are talking about some minor flaws, such as aerator clogging, you can easily cope with such a problem yourself.

The aeration of the aerator is most often expressed in decreasing the water pressure, as a result of which it flows in a thin trickle. To check, you need to remove the aerator and open the water. If the water pressure becomes standard, then if the aerator is rusty, then replace it with a new one.

If the aerator is dirty, flush it underwater. In case of severe contamination, use special tools.

If you understand the mechanism of the mixer, repair it is not so difficult. We hope that our article helped to solve your problems with the mixer and eliminate all the malfunctions.