BathEmpire

What to Look for When Choosing a New Bathroom Tap

Posted on 15. Feb, 2012 by Nitin in Advice

There are a number of options available to you when purchasing a new tap, with a multitude of different styles and designs available for you to choose. It can also become very confusing, with mixer taps, separate taps, bath shower taps, and overflow fillers – where should you start?

To help you make the right choice, we have listed the following steps and to help narrow down the options available:

Overall Style
Firstly, look at the overall decoration and style of the wider bathroom, and select a tap accordingly. A sleek chrome mixer tap, such as the Khone Basin Mixer Tap, would be a better option than trying to push a traditional style on a modern bathroom.

The Shape
It is always a good idea to match the shape of taps. So, if you are going for a bathroom with a rounded style overall, then match it with rounded taps. Similarly, if the shower head and bathroom suite have an angular design, make sure you purchase square taps. Generally, for traditionally styled showers, rounded bathroom designs suit better.

Bath or Shower Bath?
For the bath, there are a few more options – separate bath taps, bath shower mixers, and overflow fillers.

Basically, the bath shower mixers have a hand held shower outlet option connected to the main tap valve. The alternative to these are the bar mixer valves, or bar shower mixer valves; the only difference is that the bar shower mixers are thermostatic (only allowing the hot water temperature to reach 38 degrees Celsius). If you prefer, you can manually override this feature to allow hotter showers.

Overflow fillers can be fitted to straight baths; because you can use them to fill the bath, you will not need to purchase bath taps to install onto the bath. The overflow filler will let water trickle into the bath, and there are many styles available, some even with pop-up wastes. These fillers are great for a contemporary, minimalist finish.

Ease of Use
One thing you must look at is who is most likely to use the taps. If you have young children, or elderly persons using the bathroom who may have difficulty turning the tap on, then look for a lever operated tap. Another factor to look out for is ceramic disc technology. These ceramic discs have replaced the rubber washers, and so will prevent tight taps. A little consideration before the purchase ensures that everyone will be able to use the bathroom with ease!

Tags: bath tap, bathroom, Bathroom Design & Installation, bathroom design ideas, mixer taps