THE MIXER IS FLOWING - WE FIX THE PROBLEM WITH OUR OWN HANDS

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Cartridge or ball single-lever mixers are quite popular today. They are convenient to use, and are considered the most modern version of stop valves. Over time, however, they can leak. What is the reason for this failure and how to fix it?
This phenomenon, unfortunately, is not uncommon. Since taps are the final devices in the wiring diagram, water pressure drops have a detrimental effect on their moving part. In ball valves and mixers, cartridges are most often affected, which are responsible for the preparation of water at the right temperature. How to replace them correctly without damaging the faucet, we will tell you now.

Ball Mixer Cartridge Device

The cartridge is a small plastic cylinder with a square rod sticking up. The swivel mechanism of the cartridge changes the position of two adjacent to each other ceramic plates or disks. They are polished and greased with silicone grease. Each of them has three holes - for cold, hot water and a tap outlet. Their combination gives a certain proportion and pressure of water. At the outlet from the holes of the disks, seals are fixed, which are responsible for sealing the cartridge with respect to the crane body.

What will be needed for work

New cartridge;
Adjustable wrench;
Knife or screwdriver;
2.5 mm hexagon (for presser foot bolt).

Change the cartridge in the mixer

Before starting any work related to the repair or replacement of valves, it is necessary to shut off the water supply to the mains so as not to cause a flood. For the majority in home and apartment wiring, the first ball valve in the assembly with a water meter, located on a riser or main pipe, is responsible for this.
To get to the cartridge, you need to disassemble the inside of the mixer. We start by dismantling the rotary switch or crane foot. On its case there is a small cap with a designation of the type of water: blue - cold, red - hot. We pry it with a sharp tool - a knife or a screwdriver - and unscrew the clamping bolt located on the stem sleeve with a hexagon.

By loosening the clamp of the square sleeve on the back of the foot, remove it manually. The next element will be a decorative hemisphere ring repeating the internal shape of the foot. It can be inserted through a plastic gasket or held onto a thread. It is most often removed manually.

Using an adjustable wrench, unscrew the clamping nut, which fixes the cartridge in the tap. Over time, this part of the crane soups in limescale and scale, and it is not so easy to remove. To facilitate the dismantling of the nut, you can use WD-40 aerosol or vinegar, pouring thread on them and leaving for a while. If such measures do not help, it is permissible to break the nut by pressing it with a gas wrench. These nuts can easily be found in specialized construction stores. Breaking the clamping nut, do not damage the mixer body!
Advice!
Sometimes the residual pressure of water in the pipeline does not make it possible to unscrew the cartridge clamping nut made of plastic or brass. To reduce it, you must completely open another faucet or mixer in the system.

The cartridge inside the mixer is not fixed. It is easily removed by hand, and is replaced by a new one of the same size. Please note that the landing recesses are located at the bottom of the crane cavity. The cartridge must be positioned so that the semicircular protrusions at its bottom coincide with these recesses, and fix its correct position.
When choosing a cartridge for your mixer do not guess about its size. It is most practical to take it with you to the store, and buy an identical one.

We assemble the mixer in the reverse order, and enjoy a working cartridge. After all, any plumber will say that it is happiness when nothing flows in your house!

Practical tips

Cartridge wear is affected by the quality of water, its hardness and the presence of hard impurities - debris, sand, rust, etc. Due to friction, they wear plates and gaskets, which can lead to leakage or “crushing” in the system when hot water displaces cold water through the formed slots in the mixer through excessive pressure.
Experienced craftsmen advise including a cleaning filter in the wiring diagram, having previously determined the composition of water and impurities in it.
It is also worth paying attention to the quality of the purchased taps and mixers. Savings in this case may cost not only the cartridge repair, but also the room, and not only your own.

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