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A bit about Water Taps, Mixers and Accessories for your Kitchen and Bathroom

If you are considering to buy some furnishing for your kitchen and bathroom, then you might already be starting to feel overwhelmed by the huge array of options available to you and you might be wondering about some of the terms that you've never encountered before. Mixer? Faucets? Waterway? Single lever Pull-out? What in the world are these things? Well, you're not alone. Purchasing Kitchen and bathroom accessories and fixtures can be a lot of hassle without proper guide and knowledge.

For instance, you can't put Pillar basin taps to fill up your bath because the water pressure capacity for pillar basin taps is low, it would take forever to fill up. Mis-information and lack of buying guide would often put the buyers with a products that does not fit and suitable for their needs. Furthermore, choosing a right fixtures and accessories is an important decision as they will be perfect for usability but also can complete the look of your kitchen and bathroom.

For starters, we compile some of the guide for you to understand a bit about the world of fixtures and fittings for your home.

 

Water Mixers or Taps? What is the differences?

The most easy and fundamental differences between taps and mixer is Taps use separate line to deliver hot or cold water while Mixer combine both of the line to deliver either cold or hot water, or both, depending on how you want it. In short, Taps only allow ONE instances of hot or water line to be delivered one at a time while Mixer combine BOTH of the line thus giving you the advantage to control the temperatures of the water.

Long spout basin taps

Long Spout Basin Tap

Taps have several variances and types depending on your needs and usage.

For instances :

  • Basin Taps - Basically a taps for your Wash basin. With a short body and spout.
  • Bib Taps - Taps with a bent nozzle fixed at the end of the pipe. Commonly used for outdoor.
  • Hose Bib Taps - Bib taps with male-threaded end that can secure water hose easier.
  • Sink Taps - A faucet with a long bent for the nozzle. Giving a comfortable height of space from the base for the users. Usually used for washing dishes and foods in the kitchen.
  • Two Way taps - A practical faucet that give you flexibility to use it as a basin taps along with bidet spray.

Same goes for Mixers, but mixer have two main variances i.e Single Handle and Dual Faucets.

An easiest way to differentiate these two apart is Single Handle Mixers only has ONE handle on top which control the temperature along with water pressure simultaneously while Dual Faucets Mixer has TWO Handle which control the temperature and water pressure separately, one for hot water and the other for cold. Single Handle Mixers are a single valve which mix water from both hot and cold water simultaneously from the line and are more complex in term of design and mechanic compared to Dual Faucets Mixer which mix the water from both lines, usually Y-Lines is used, and the users need to set up the water manually using both valves and tend to be more difficult to set the perfect temperatures. In term of cost, Single Handle Mixers is more expensive than Dual faucets due the ease of usage and simplicity of it.

Basin Mixer

Single Handle basin mixer

 Just like taps, there are some types of Mixer such as :  

  • Basin Mixer - A sleek and small faucet for the wash basins. Some of the design also comes with the Pop-up Waste to prevent clogs that would compromise the efficiency of the drainage operation system.
  • Bidet Mixer - Bidet is designed to wash the user's genitalia and/or anus, a bidet with a mixer can also be convenient for cleaning feet or even bathing babies. Whatever the intended use for a bidet, a mixing valve can control the temperature, preventing accidental scalding during use. On a bidet, the user generally sits facing the bidet mixer or tap. Sitting on a bidet with the user's back to the bidet mixer is also not uncommon, however. Facing the mixer may make it easier for the user to control the flow and temperature of the water. 
  • Bath / Shower Mixer - There are two type of Bath / Shower mixer available i.e. Exposed and Wall Mounted. An exposed shower features the valve and pipe work mounted on the wall, while concealed showers hide everything behind the tile work. Exposed showers are quicker and easier to install, but take up a bit more space within the showering area.
  • Wall Mount Mixer - The mixer which installed under the tiles of the wall. This type of mixer offer the minimalist looks for the bathroom as it takes a little space in the showering area.
  • Kitchen Mixer - There are several variation for Kitchen Mixer such as Extended Spout, Single Lever Pull-out and Goose neck spout. Essentially, they're used in the kitchen to wash dishes and foods. Different designs are choosed based on yor preferences and styles, for instances, Extended spout is more or less like a larger version of Basin mixer with extended spout, Pull-out is the version where the user can extend the spout granting more flexibility and Goose neck is the common Sink mixer's look with long neck for the spout.

Brands like Senna, Paffoni, & Grohe deliver high quality and exclusive styling Faucets and Mixers without sacrificing function. Choose from a great arrays of Taps and Mixer that fits your concept and styles.