Home Improvement

Thoughts & Stuff I Like When We Redid Our House

Diverter Spout

Best Tap for Your Home

Know your mixed measurements

New plumbing fittings come in metric sizes, but if the plumbing in your house dates from before the mid 1970's, your pipe work is in imperial sizes (1/2in, 3/4in and 1in. inner diameter). Modern copper pipe comes in diameters of 10mm, 15mm, 22mm and 28mm. Choose 15mm pipe to join to existing 1/2in pipe work and 28mm for 1in pipe work. You will need special connections for joining 22mm pipe to 3/4in pipe work. Contact you plumber if you are not sure about this.

High neck taps

The spout on an ordinary tap is about 22mm above it's base, whereas the spout on a high neck tap will be at least 95mm above its base. With a shallow sink this allows a bucket to be filled or large pans to be rinsed with ease. High neck taps are available with capstan, hand wheel and lever handles. These are modern and really great for the kitchen.

Pillar tap

The type still often used and is still works really well in bathrooms, with a vertical inlet that fits through a hole in the sanitary ware. The conventional tap has a bell shaped cover and a capstan (cross-top) handle.

Lever handle

Another type of shrouded head has a lever handle, which is easy for elderly or disable people to use as it can be pushed rather than gripped. There lever handle taps are increasingly popular and stylish. Most lever-handle taps have ceramic discs so require only a quarter turn of the handle.Hand wheel handle On modern taps, the cover and handle are replaced by a shrouded head that forms a hand wheel.Shrouded heads not only give a neater appearance but also prevent water from wet hands going down the spindle and allowing detergent to wash the grease out of the tap mechanism.

Mixer tap

Two taps with a common spout are known as a mixer. The taps are linked either by a deck block (flat against the surface) or a pillar black (raised). Most mixers are tow-hole types that fit into a standard tow hole sink: one for the hot tap and one for the cold. Some mixer taps, however, need three holes (a centre hole for the spout) and some (mono bloc types) only one.

Bath or basin mixer

Hot and cold water merge within the mixer body, as both taps are usually fed from a cistern. It is illegal to fit this type of mixer on a fitting where cold water is supplied from the rising main and hot water comes from a cylinder. This is because, if mains pressure alters, differences in pressure might result in stored water being sucked back into the mains, and create the possible risk of contaminating drinking water supplies. A plumber will know all about how to install a mixer basin and bath correctly.

Mono bloc mixer

A single-hole mono bloc mixer tap has a compact body with the handles and spout close together. Some designs have very narrow inlet pipes. There are mono bloc designs for kitchens and bathrooms. Some kitchen monobloc mixers include a hot rinse spray and brush fed from the hot water pipe by a flexible hose, so that the spray can be lifted from its socket for use. Very modern and very useful!

Kitchen mixer

The spout has separate channels for hot and cold water. This is because the kitchens cold tap is fed direct from the mains, and it is illegal to mix cold water from the mains and hot water from a storage cistern in one filling. The spout usually swivels and should be able to reach both of the bowls in a double sink. Kitchen mixers are available with capstan, hand wheel and lever handles.

Bath/Shower mixer

Bath/Shower mixer taps have a control knob that diverts the water flow from the spout to the shower handset. It will not provide a forceful spray but is a convenient addition to a bath.

Knowing your taps can make choosing the best easier. Your home is very important so getting it right should be a priority.

About the Author

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Tub diverter question?

OK...so I bought this house and realized the tub/shower diverter does not work. There is a diverter in place, but when you turn it, nothing happens. I took it out and looked at it and it looks as if someone replaced the old diverter with the wrong one. However, at the Bath spout there is a diverter...so we can induce flow to the shower, but this is an unprofessional job. I'd like to get the diverter working, so any thoughts on how to determine what time of diverter I need?
FYI: When I look into the pipe I see a seat about a few inches from the 1/2" thread at the opening of the pipe. THANKS IN ADAVANCE!!!
sorry...should be 'what type of diverter..'
....this is a three knob faucet

You need a new diverter as you already know. (It is almost impossible to find new "guts" to an old fixture). These are installed from the back of the shower wall. If you don't already have access to the back you will have to make a hole big enough to get to the diverter and the supply pipes. You will also need to shut off the water (obviously). My advice is to call a professional. Otherwise, if the present set-up works with the tub-spout diverter, use it and save a lot of money and hassles.

Rain Barrel Downspout Diverter