The main designs of bathroom taps available today
This article tells what my friends at The Tap Factory, www.tapfactory.net who provide bathroom products told me about the technology of taps not just Bathroom taps, but also all those used in kitchens and other places around home. The Tap Factory not only has bathroom showrooms but also an online bathroom shop. They are based near Leicester.
Taps; there are four main designs currently available.
These four major designs of tap are called ceramic disc, cartridge, ball (or cone valves) and compression taps. The ones used in both bathroom and kitchen are almost the same and based upon these four main ideas. Problems with taps involve leaks from handles, outlet, and irregular spray patterns or low pressures. The most common design of bathroom taps is a compression tap; these have been available since the day of the Victorian bathroom, 1845 actually. There is one handle each for hot and cold water in the compression tap. How does it work? Well, the handle goes into the body of the tap and at the end is a washer which seals the water until the valve is opened, the flow is controlled by how far the valves are opened. If the valve seat is rough or dirty or the washer, which is made of rubber or neoprene plastic fails water leaks and we all remember that irritating leak dripping in the dead of night. Repairs to taps which use the compression method are quite straightforward and often require just a spanner or pliers and screwdriver. Spare washers are easily and cheaply available and quite easy to fit. I now consider the three other tap types.
Cartridge, ceramic discs and ball taps can be used for mixing with one handle though they do sometimes come with two handles. These three types all work of in much the same way. A groove or channel aligns with the water supply and tap outlet to allow water flow, their alignment determines the proportion hot and cold water and the pressure. These are the sort of mixer taps that are used as one handed taps for shower sinks or baths. It is of course convenient to only have one hole in the bathroom tiles to accommodate these mixer taps. These sorts of taps usually last much longer than compression taps although when they do go wrong they may be difficult or impossible to repair and may have to be replaced, often there is a cartridge replacement available. Of course it is not just the technical design of bathroom taps that is important but also the aesthetics of the taps and the materials they are made of and how this adds to bathroom luxury in bathrooms both traditional and new. I will write other articles on both the space age materials used in taps and also how they can be used to help save water. I hope you found this brief review of taps both interesting and helpful, there is certainly more to taps than you might think.
