Faucet for baths and saunas: mixer, hot water tap

Properly supplying water to the steam room or shower room is just part of the problem; at a minimum, you will need to select a faucet for the bath. So that it looks nice and is safe and convenient to use in a sauna or steam room. The faucet for baths and saunas is usually chosen to match the interior of the room; it can be bronze or stainless steel. In any case, the device must be reliable enough not to burn your hands or scald with boiling water.

What to look for when choosing a model

It seems that when choosing a model, it doesn’t really matter how to choose and what to focus on when deciding to buy a bath faucet. But the difference still exists; experts recommend paying attention to several basic parameters of the product:

• Case material. The harder the metal, the longer the bath faucet will work;
• Availability of a protective coating if the device is planned to be used in a steam room. Simple steel and plastic structures, as well as steel-aluminum ones, are not used in bathhouse conditions;
• The reach of the faucet spout and the shape of the rotary handle. This is especially important if you plan to collect water in an awkwardly shaped container;
• Design of the faucet locking mechanism. A leaking valve in a bathhouse is a disaster;
• If you select a bath tap for hot water, then the handle of the axle box must be elongated and must be insulated with wood or ceramics.

Advice!
In addition, a faucet with a wooden handle should be, if not beautiful, then at least stylish, so that using it evokes a positive mood. The design of the device is extremely important for maintaining the interior design, especially in cases where you have to select a model for an unusual bath, for example, for a hammam, decorated in an oriental style.

In this case, you can use a simple model with ligature, like SM68 photo.

Or buy a designer faucet for the bathhouse with a dragon head.

Features of cone plugs

The operation of a plug valve is generally elementary, which is why it is most desirable for inclusion in the water supply system in a bathhouse. It was created on the basis of an ancient samovar design. The spindle function is performed by a cone-shaped plug with a horizontal hole for water flow. We turned the faucet handle so that the hole in the plug coincided with the pipes, and the water flowed at full strength. We returned the handle to its place, the stream does not flow. Repair the plug valve by tightening the tension nut. It didn’t help, buy a new cone plug.

According to the requirements of GOST 6127-52:

• the body of the bath faucet must be made of cast iron;
• parts of the working unit made of steel alloys, malleable cast iron or bronze;
• handle made of wood or plastic so that it does not heat up in hot bath conditions.

The standard sizes of bath taps are designed to connect to pipes of 20 mm and 25 mm, which in inches will be 3/4 inch and 1 inch, respectively.

Reliability of the valve mechanism of the faucet

First of all, you need to pay attention to the material of the case. Bathhouses are made from the most corrosion-resistant materials:

• Bronze;
• Brass;
• Stainless steel;
• Steel-aluminum alloys.

Sometimes less resistant alloys are used, but in this case the taps are necessarily coated with galvanic chromium or nickel, titanium nitride, and cadmium. They look very beautiful, but most often such a product is less suitable for a bathhouse than brass or bronze.

The best option is to use a bronze bath faucet. The alloy of tin and copper is quite hard and wear-resistant. The bronze thread inside the faucet lasts twice as long as soft brass and can withstand the load, even if one of the bathhouse visitors decides to close the valve with maximum force.

In a bathhouse, bronze darkens and becomes more beautiful, while brass blooms with a greenish “patina.” Both materials are great for hot water taps.

Cast iron, steel or stainless steel?

Quite a lot depends on the material from which the tank is made - both the rate of heating and cooling of water, and the durability of the tank itself.

Cast iron: hot water all day long

For a long time, the tank in the bathhouse was made of heavy cast iron - the water took a long time to heat up, a lot of firewood was consumed, but it was hot until the evening and the whole family could wash all day. In addition, cast iron is not afraid of either corrosion or high temperatures. But its considerable weight is, of course, an obvious drawback.

Stainless steel sauna tanks: lightweight and durable

But today, a stainless steel sauna tank is becoming increasingly popular - there is no need to isolate moisture from it, it has excellent thermal conductivity, and the deformation coefficient due to sudden temperature fluctuations is negligible and cannot be compared with the properties of ferrous metals.

The best brands for such tanks are 8-12X18H10 (304) and 08X17 (430), which are also used for making dishes. They are resistant to even extreme temperatures, hygienic and do not corrode or deform.

Such bath tanks are made from durable and thin stainless steel sheets, into which special ball valves are installed to enter and supply water. Caring for such tanks is extremely simple.

Enameled tanks - good if handled with care

Enameled tanks will also get rid of unpleasant rust. Their only drawback is possible chips, which will lead to corrosion. But they can be treated with special heat-resistant paint - unless the tank itself is inserted into the oven.

Installation of bath taps

The range of shut-off devices used in water pipes and on water tanks in the bathhouse is divided into three large groups:

• Valve or axle box structures;
• Single-lever valves with ball or cylindrical valves, also called single-handle devices;
• Faucets, or double tap blocks, allow you to regulate the water temperature by turning a hot and cold handle.

A damper insert is installed inside the single-lever faucet; to shut off the water, just turn the head part 90°. Such devices are easily recognized by the thickened central part of the body.

Valve devices have a massive, thick-walled body, inside of which there is a threaded insert - axle box. To turn off or open the water, you will need to turn the handle several times. The valve is easy to distinguish from other types of shut-off devices; the inlet pipe and the body spout are always located at different levels.

Valve devices and their operating principle

They are also called sliding spindle taps. The simple device operates by screwing and unscrewing a head that has internal and external threads. The external thread is designed to install the head into the valve body, the internal thread serves as a spiral rail for moving the stem with the valve attached to it. It is the valve fixed in the lower part of the rod that locks and unlocks the seat, i.e. hole in the valve body. Through the saddle, when opened, the stream rushes from the water supply into the bathhouse. The stroke of the valve is controlled by a rod, which is actuated by a flywheel or, popularly, a handle.

The tight fit of the working body to the valve seat is ensured by the valve gasket. To prevent water from leaking through the working unit, the space around the metal or metal-ceramic body of the head is filled with stuffing box. The sealing packing is compacted and pressed by a bushing located on the flywheel side.

The majority of problems with valve taps are caused by:

• worn valve gaskets, which can be determined by water leakage and rattling water pipes;
• leaky stuffing box packings, which will be indicated by oozing water in the area between the stuffing box bushing and the spindle;
• deformed surfaces of valve seats, due to which the water will not shut off at all, but will constantly flow from the tap.

All three causes of failures standard for valve devices can be eliminated independently, without fear of breaking anything irreparably. The parts are durable, the devices are wear-resistant. This is the reason for the undying popularity of valve taps. The repair is indecently simple:

• We replace the valve gasket by unscrewing the stem and removing the damaged cause of loss of tightness from the valve in the same way. We attach a new gasket to the vacated space with a size slightly larger than the socket hole. In taps for cold water it should be made of rubber, in hot versions it should be made of leather. In order for the new gasket to help create a tight connection with the seat, it is advisable to chamfer its outer edge;
• We will replace the stuffing box after removing the flywheel and bushing. Then we remove the old seal and fill the seal with fresh hemp or fluoroplastic. They need to be laid in the direction of twisting the bushing. Wrap the spindle with twine or thin twine to compact the new material. There is an opinion among plumbers that the old filler does not have to be removed, you can just add new filler. All freshly laid material must be soaked in any oil to increase moisture resistance;
• Repair of the deformed surface of the seats is carried out after disassembling and drying the tap. We insert several circles cut from sandpaper into the dry socket, then insert the rod there and twist it with force in all directions to rub in the surface of the hole.

The entire simple crane system is simply disassembled and reassembled in the reverse order, which is what attracts home craftsmen. Any of the valve devices included in the water supply of the bathhouse can be repaired with your own hands without much effort. You just need to approach threaded connections with special patience and care. If one of the head threads breaks, it is wiser to purchase and install a new similar model or a working unit of a different design. There is a limitation - valve taps are not used in water supply systems with low pressure, i.e. up to 0.3 kgf/cm2.

Axle box systems for hot water in the bathhouse

Valve taps are considered to be the most reliable and repairable. Even in the hot atmosphere of the bathhouse, the axle valves work without any particular complaints. If you need to choose a reliable tap for hot water supply, then a valve will be the most suitable solution.

Advantages and disadvantages of valves

Initially, axle-box valves were developed to shut off water under pressure up to 16 atm. Therefore, if hot water in the bathhouse is supplied from a centralized water supply system, then it is better to install an axle-box model.

Valve systems have two serious disadvantages. Firstly, in a bathhouse, when using hot water, the rubber seal that seals the central rod of the axlebox wears out very quickly. This leads to valve leakage and the need for further repair.

Secondly, opening the valve by rotating the head several turns is not very convenient. Especially if it is in a steam room or sauna and, accordingly, heats up to a high temperature. Usually in such situations, the handle on the valve is replaced with a wooden one or the head is wrapped with a dry cloth.

Turkish and Chinese bath models

You can find quite a large number of valve taps on the market, most often made in Turkey, China or Italy.

Italian products are very impressive, have an expressive design, often stylized as antique faucets, such as the Morelli Francoforte models, photo.

The case is cast from bronze, with a protective coating on the surface that imitates gold plating. The cost of the model is about 200 euros.

Turkish bath models are much simpler; they are made of brass casting and painted bronze.

The average cost of such a product is just over $100.

Chinese taps are pressed using powder metallurgy and cost between $30-50, but in conditions of high temperature and humidity, the baths rot in a few months.

How to properly install and connect the tank

Depending on the conditions in the bathhouse, the connection diagrams for the container may be different. For example, if water supply is installed in the washing room, i.e. water will be supplied under constant pressure, then a closed water supply system is needed.

The photo shows an example of installing a tank in a washing room.

In this case, the ideal option is a stove with a coil inside, which is connected to the tank. You can, of course, implement another method - hang the container on the stove itself. For this, the simplest design of a tank of 50-120 liters is suitable, which you can weld yourself, in which case the price of the product will be determined solely by the cost of the material.

If the connection was made correctly, then the water heating circuit looks like this - the water is heated in the register and, according to the law of physics, rises. There it gradually cools down and goes back into the register. Thus, natural circulation is obtained.

Connection instructions are as follows:

• The container is installed in the steam room of the bath under the ceilings and connected to the coil using pipes.
• For normal circulation, the upper outlet of the tank must be connected to the upper outlet of the coil, and the lower outlet must be connected to the outlet from below. Thus, hot water is discharged from above, and cold water will flow from below.
• At the entrance of cold water, check valves and safety valves are installed, the latter is also called a blast valve.
• Then the threshold pressure is set according to the instructions of the storage tank, at which the safety valve is activated.

This system will work as follows:

• A filled tank is heated through a coil and when hot water is drained, it will automatically begin to be filled through the cold inlet.
• If hot water is not used, the pressure in the tank will increase as it heats up. When the critical point is reached, the explosive will go off and release the pressure.

Single lever taps

If valve devices are installed mainly in Turkish baths and showers, then for a hot and humid steam room atmosphere, a single-handle faucet is considered a more preferable option.

The valve design with a ball valve has its advantages:

• It is very convenient to open the water, especially if the container has to be held suspended;
• Insensitive to water temperature; faucet models specifically designed for hot water use special ceramic and fluoroplastic liners that practically do not wear out;
• The single-lever faucet does not leak, even when the valve is very worn.

For your information! Systems with one lever have the ability to stick to the inner walls of the case if the device has not been used for more than a year.

Faucets with ceramic discs

The mechanisms under consideration are structurally not much different from the previously described cork ones. The difference is the use of a porcelain module that fits very tightly to the disc. Turning the lever allows you to align the hole in it with the water supply.

The peculiarity of the disc type is the small stroke of the handle and greater sensitivity. That is, if necessary, the jet pressure can be easily adjusted very precisely, which is generally very convenient.

However, all the advantages of this design are canceled out by one drawback - the demands on water quality. The presence of solid impurities can very quickly render the faucet unusable. However, if you install an additional filter in the system, you can avoid trouble.

Variety of single-lever models for baths

When choosing a suitable faucet for a sauna, you need to pay attention to the correct design of the handle, the material of the product and the shape of the drain spout. These are three fundamental points on which the reliability and comfort of using a water shut-off device depends.

The most affordable models for single-lever saunas, made in China, are made of cast brass with a chrome or oxide coating, which makes it quite durable in sauna conditions.

An aerator is installed on the body spout of the FKS-272 model, which can easily be replaced with a fitting for a hose or extension. At first glance, it’s a small thing, but if someone has had to draw water from a tank over a hot metal stove, they will appreciate the innovation. The model costs about 30-35 dollars.

Turkish bath models, as always, are produced mainly in a stylized form. Often with imitation of gilding and the use of openwork casting. Such a faucet is of little use in a sauna, primarily because of the handle.

In saunas and steam rooms, experienced lovers of strong steam traditionally use sauna taps with a wooden handle.

This is the only correct solution, since the metal handles used with ceramic or polymer inserts burn your hands no worse than metal. The FKS-03 model costs only $65, it has a convenient design, but the handle clearly needs improvement.

Of those recommended for use in baths and saunas, we can note the Turkish model Sonder 001 BW, photo.

The RG-183 model with a handle lined with a wooden attachment looks good.

Other fittings

There are several types of fittings, the main ones:

• tap;
• flap;
• valve;
• valve;
• valves

These models have one similarity - they are used to supply water. Due to the many differences, it is recommended that you carefully study the technical characteristics of each type of fittings before making a purchase.

Shut-off valves

Using a shut-off valve, you can shut off the water and remove the pipeline or plumbing fixture during installation and repair work. In other cases, the valve is closed.

The shut-off valve may be located:

• at the beginning of the pipeline;
• on a section of pipe leading to a bathhouse or sauna;
• on all pipeline branches;
• on a vertical riser;
• in front of the plumbing.

The design of the shut-off valve resembles a spindle tap for a bathhouse. In this case, the shut-off valves can be movable or fixed, and the valves themselves can be straight-through, angular, or direct-flow.

Important! Despite the fact that shut-off valves are used extremely rarely, they require high-quality and timely maintenance.

Drain taps for water supply

In order to be able to completely empty the pipeline, a drain valve is installed in the water supply system. As a rule, in the summer, water is drained only after the end of the summer season; in winter, this procedure must be carried out every time the system is not fully used.

The drain mechanism is installed:

• before the water pipe enters the building;
• in front of each plumbing fixture;
• at the very beginning of an autonomous water supply system.

Often, solenoid valves are used as an alternative solution to the drain valve. Such options are much more convenient, since they can be controlled remotely.

Advice! It is best to choose plumbing fixtures for baths and saunas in branded stores.

Mixer for baths and saunas

Separately, it is worth mentioning special double blocks of two taps, in design and principle of operation, reminiscent of household faucets for bathtubs and showers.

The main purpose of the mixer is to be able to regulate and select the water temperature. Often you need to wash off the shelves, or clean the floor in the steam room; you can’t do this with boiling water or cold water, so a good bathhouse always has a twin tap.

Unlike a shower device, a sauna faucet is equipped with only a small drain fitting, with which it is convenient to draw water into a container standing on the floor of the bathhouse.

If you are looking for a universal type of bath faucet, you can use the option with axle-box taps and a drain spout, similar to those found on kitchen sinks. This model can be used in almost any bathhouse.

An exception is the mixing taps for the Turkish bath - hamam. The device is no different from the model for a shower cabin; it has a more interesting design and a distinct stylization of an antique product.

Valve model

Valve taps have a head with an external thread and an internal thread. Thanks to the external thread, you can mount the valve head, and with the help of the internal thread, you can ensure the movement of the rod fixed in the regulated section in a spiral. As a result of such manipulations, the valve, having fixed the stem at the bottom, can control the position of the seat, that is, the hole for the flow of liquid. From the outside, the rod can be controlled using a conventional handle. For strength, the saddle is equipped with a gasket, a structure that ensures that the mixer adheres to the saddle. To stop the flow of water, the head body is sealed using a special packing and tightly compressed by a sleeve on the side where the device handle is located.

The features of valve models include simple and cheap repairs during repairs: the mechanism is easy to disassemble, the prices for parts are low. They differ from other varieties in their high wear resistance and reliability. In addition, such products can withstand high water pressure. But it is worth keeping in mind that if the thread is damaged, the device becomes unusable.