The faucet is undoubtedly 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 control the water pressure and temperature. A special switch helps to redirect the flow from the bath to the shower head, which is (not to be missed) convenient.
Like other mechanical devices, faucets often break down. This is explained by the rapid formation of scale. Repairing such a structure is easy with your own hands. It 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, as well as find out what their device is and how to fix an unwanted breakdown of the mechanism yourself.
Species diversity
Knowing how a bath and shower faucet works, you will be able to understand its principlework and deal with the problems that arose as a result of the breakdown. All bathroom faucets are divided into three groups:
Sensory - those that respond to movements by activating a photocell built into the device. Self-repair of such a device is difficult, so it is better to entrust such a device to the hands of specialists. The latest development is considered to be a sensory bathroom faucet. The price for such products in Russia starts from 10,000 rubles. It is generally higher than other types of bathroom faucets
Valve consist of three structural parts: housing, spout and valve. The pressure of the water jet is controlled manually. Old Soviet models were equipped with a rubber gasket during assembly, modern ones are equipped with ceramic plates
Important! Older models of faucets with rubber gaskets are still on the market, so when choosing plumbing for your bathroom, give preference to ceramic faucets. This bathroom faucet device is more durable and practical.
Lever faucet models have been very popular lately. The design of such a mixer is presented in the form of a body, a spout and a ceramic or ball cartridge, in which cold and hot water are mixed until the temperature you choose is reached. The cartridge bath faucet device cannot be disassembled. If the cartridge is out of order, the only way to restore the bathroom faucet device is by replacing the unusableitem
Lever type shower faucets consist of:
- control handle, which acts as a regulator of pressure and water temperature;
- body;
- nuts, acting as a retainer for the internal element of the cartridge;
- body cover to protect the cartridge and give the design a more aesthetic appearance.
The most common causes of breakdowns
After examining the bathroom faucet device carefully, 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 breakage:
- The bathroom water faucet device is of poor quality. This means that the product is assembled from low-quality components and consumables.
- The use of outdated consumables, the service life of which is much lower than modern paronite or silicone gaskets. In addition, they are less prone to warping and drying out.
- Poor quality piped water.
- Hard water, negatively affecting the wear resistance of the internal parts of the faucet. Scale can form not only inside, but also outside, negatively affecting the bathroom faucet. Bronze and chrome - a protective coating for sanitary ware, protecting them from the formation of scale and the development of corrosion processes.
Leak in spout and body joint area
The single-lever bath faucet device may break down during prolonged or continuous use. You can repair this design yourself.
A malfunction associated with a breakdown of the mixer may manifest itself as a leak in the area where the body and spout are joined. Plumbers face this problem almost every day. The rubber gasket that isolates the joint between the gooseneck and the body is in constant rotation, which leads to a quick breakdown. When the gasket wears off, the gander starts to leak. You can fix this problem by replacing the rubber gasket with a silicone one that lasts longer.
Bathroom faucet companies offer a wide range of accessories and consumables for products, so you can easily find spare parts for your faucet model.
Water leaks from control lever
Such breakdowns are typical for single-lever faucets, the cause of which is the wear of the cartridge. Scale can accumulate inside the device, then the bath faucet 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 efficiently. If your bathroom has a single-lever bath and shower faucet, you can identify the failure of the cartridge by the following signs:
- lever difficult to turn;
- supply water temperature changesspontaneously;
- no water supply;
- faucet does not turn off completely.
Noticing 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 set up your faucet yourself, follow the instructions:
- Remove the red and blue plug from the case.
- Remove the faucet 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 faucet.
Important! Pay attention to the small protrusions on the cartridge - they should match the grooves knocked out on the inside of the case. If you mount the element incorrectly, the faucet will leak.
Two-valve faucet leak
The reason lies in the wear or damage of the sealing gasket hidden in the crane box. Sometimes there is a destruction of the crane box itself. If your bathroom faucet is leaking and you don't know how to fix it inexpensively, do it yourself.
Quick recovery of the mixer is performed by turning off the water:
- The leaking valve is released fromplugs.
- Unscrew the holder with which the valve is attached to the body of the product. After that, using a tool (open-end or adjustable wrench), the crane box is unscrewed.
- Depending on the degree of damage, the crane box or seal under it is replaced.
- New parts are installed in place of the old ones, after which the mixer is assembled.
How to prevent leaking faucet-shower regulator
In the place of the regulator 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 switches. To restore the mechanism will have to:
- Remove the button/switch. Use pliers to do this and hold the stem steady.
- Remove valve with stem.
- Pull out the damaged oil seal.
- Install the new consumable in place of the old one and place the switch with the stem in place.
Breakage of the "faucet-shower" 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 stuffing box, which is located in the switch stem.
In this case, do the following:
- Dismantle button/switch.
- Pull out stem.
- Change the oil seal.
- Reassemble switch back.
Shower hose leaking
Damage to the hose gasket causes the hose to leak. All you have to do to fix the problem is buy a new gasket and replace the old one.
If the cause of the failure of the mechanism is serious and cannot be repaired, you will have to buy another bath faucet. Bronze on the inside and chrome finish 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 getting acquainted with the main reasons for the failure of the faucet in the bathroom, you will turn into a real jack of all trades and be able to eliminate the problem in a matter of minutes, without resorting to anyone's help. Just use the tips and tricks and you will definitely succeed.
