Size
The size of the overhead shower head supplied in the set (see "Complete set"). For round watering cans, this paragraph indicates the size, for other shapes - the length (the largest of the two main sizes).
The larger the overhead shower - the more space it covers, the easier it is to "fit entirely" under the jets and the higher the throughput can be (see "Water consumption overhead shower"). On the other hand, the cost of a watering can directly depends on the dimensions. As for specific figures, the size
up to 20 cm is relatively small, although such watering cans are very popular due to their availability and low consumption. Models
21 - 25 cm can be classified as medium,
26 - 30 cm - relatively large, and the largest watering cans for the overhead shower have dimensions
of more than 30 cm.
Tap type
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Double lever. Classic version with two separate swivel taps, one of which is responsible for hot water, the second - for cold. The advantages of twin-valve mixers are simplicity, reliability and accuracy of temperature setting. On the other hand, they are less easy to adjust than single-piece.
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Single lever (joystick). One lever capable of moving in two planes is responsible for all adjustments in such mixers. When moving in one plane (usually right-left) the temperature is adjusted in the other (up-down or from itself - on itself) - pressure. In addition, such a mixer allows you to «remember» a certain variant of temperature - it is enough to close the water without moving the lever in another plane. But tuning accuracy in such models may be lower than in two-valve.
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Thermostatic. Mixers equipped with a thermostat - a mechanism for maintaining a constant temperature of water at the outlet. This is the most advanced and convenient option, but expensive. It is enough for the user to choose the desired temperature (in degrees) and pressure, and the thermostat will automatically adjust the proportion of hot and cold water. There are models both classic with swivel regulators and
thermostatic with button (read more about the button below).
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Buttoning on. Typ
...e of mixers controlled by pressing a button. This way a certain amount of water is supplied, which helps to save money.
— Single-valve. A variety found in hygiene kits (cf. «Type»). In fact, such a device is not a mixer, but simply a tap designed only to open and close the water. The idea behind this design is that only cold water is often used for hygienic showers, for which one valve is sufficient.Swivel spout
Ability to turn the spout from side to side. In this way, you can change the location of the water jet, which can be useful in many different cases.
Spout length
The length of the spout characterizes the distance from the rod (in built-in ones from the wall) to the place where the water is poured out, i.e. the actual length of the conventional “spout” of the mixer.
Jet depth
Distance from the wall attachment point to the aerator. It is a characteristic that determines the “reach zone” of the faucet spout.
Divertor
The diverter is a device by which the flow of water can be switched between individual components of the system - for example, the spill (if it is present) and the shower box, or between the watering can and the upper shower. The design of such a device and the way it is controlled can be different; in modern shower systems, you can find, inter alia, such options:
— Levery. Diverters are in the form of a swivel lever; most often this lever is driven directly by a valve that switches the water flow, but in advanced models there is also an electronic working principle. In any case, lever switches are most popular in modern shower systems: they are very convenient and intuitive to operate, and mechanical diverters of this type are also very simple and inexpensive.
— Push-button. Diverters of this type have the form of a button; but its specific design depends on the features of a particular system. In relatively simple mechanical models (such a majority) the button is also made mechanical, and to switch to the shower watering can be pulled up. And switching to the other side - from the watering box to the drain or the top shower - can often be carried out not only manually, but also automatically, when the water is turned off. Due to this function, the next time the tap opens, the water begins to flow not through the shower hose, which may be in the wrong place, but through the spout or the upper shower, which usually does not cause problems. In some models..., the autoswitch can also be locked at the user’s request (usually by turning the button at the top).
In turn, in advanced electronic devices, such a diverter is made in the form of an electric button, which closes the contacts that control the valve.
— Bend. Rather rare and specific variant: the role of a lever controlling the flow of water, performed directly draining, to the base of which a shower hose is connected. This control usually works as follows: as long as the spout is perpendicular to the mixer housing (that is, directed towards the bath or pan) the water flows through it; and to switch to the shower, the pour is rotated under the mixer. Such devices look interesting, and in use convenient. On the other hand, they are quite complex and expensive, and the flow itself, for a number of reasons, is usually made quite short. Therefore, this option is not available.
— Rotate the drain + push button. The combination in one system of two divers described above. As a rule, the flush turns are responsible for switching the water between the flush and the «shower part», and the button switches between the shower hose and the upper shower. Due to its complexity and cost, this combination is extremely rare.