One of the most relaxing parts of your day is a soothing, warm bath, and mixer taps make it easier to maintain the water temperature where you want it. These baths can help to refresh you after a hard day at work, and bring relaxation to tired muscles. A mixer tap will let you keep your water at the temperature you want it, whether you are bathing or taking a shower. These taps mix cold and hot water by letting them pass through the valves, using pressure from both temperatures of water.
Browsing through the various types of taps available, you will notice that the most popular are digital, traditional and modern mixers. If you decide to choose a modern mixer tap, you may be given the option of choosing from exposed or concealed features. The main differences between these two relate to the position of the valves. With exposed taps, you can utilize valves that are mounted on the surface. These taps are used quite often, because they are easy to install. The pipe work of these taps will be installed onto your bathroom wall. It also has the advantage of a hose that can be adjusted while you are bathing.
Concealed mixer taps use valves that are recessed, and they can only be installed if your bathroom walls are hollow. This type of tap is handy when you have plasterboard walls in your bathroom, or if your wall contains an airing cupboard. Airing cupboards will give you room to hide the valve plumbing within the space behind the bathroom wall. This looks neater from the bathroom, because the pipes will not be seen outside the wall.
These shower taps may be classified as manual or thermostatic as well. The thermostatic mixer tap costs more, since it's very convenient to adjust the cold and hot water mixture. A manual mixer tap doesn't regulate the temperature constantly, and you will notice this immediately if someone else turns the cold or hot water on in the sink. Sudden temperature changes make the manual tap a less popular choice.
In addition to thermostatic and manual, you can select another type of mixer tap, which will help you to balance the water temperature in your shower or bath. You can use a mixer tap in bathrooms that have low or high water pressure. Check with your plumbing contractor to make sure that the mixer tap you select will suit the plumbing system you already have in your bathroom.
To effectively use a mixer tap in the shower, make sure that the hot and cold water pressure is the same. If you have uneven pressure between cold and hot water, install a balanced mixer tap. This valve ensures that you will feel equal pressure between cold and hot water.
Some homeowners believe that if they install a mixer tap, it will give them more water pressure. There actually isn't any difference in the flow rate when you use a mixer tap. If you want to have the same pressure in your shower regardless of what other water fixtures are being used, you can lay pipes separately for hot and cold water, and then use mixer taps to enjoy comfortable showers.