While the traditional standard setup for kitchen sinks is two separate faucets controlling hot and cold water that both feed into a central spout, there is a better option. Many have found that installing a kitchen sink mixer offers most of the same advantages found in a shower mixer.

A single lever is used to control the amount and temperature of the flow. This allows quick, one hand activation and adjustment of the water flow. For those with health problems that making turning regular faucet knobs difficult or impossible, this is an absolutely essential thing. Even people without health problems will likely discover that the one hand use allows greater freedom to multitask, and thus increases productivity in sink related tasks.

Thermostatic control is also an available option with sink mixers. The mixer has a sensor that ensures that the temperature remains stable by adjusting water flow on the fly when the supply of hot or cold water fluctuates. Thermostatic control is really the best way to avoid a nasty burn in the event that the cold water suddenly stops flowing to the sink.

Kitchen mixers will frequently have heads mounted on flexible hoses. This is a tremendous advantage when rinsing dishes or cleaning the area around the sink. Being able to direct a spray to the exact spot at the precise angle necessary vastly reduces the overall amount of rinsing required. This saves both time and money.

A good kitchen sink mixer is generally built in a far more robust manner than a standard kitchen faucet fixture. As an extremely simple fixture, manufacturers of traditional faucet sets often try to maximize profits by minimizing costs. Sink mixers, on the other hand, are a relatively complicated piece of plumbing and require more precise engineering and better materials to operate properly. Even a high end traditional faucet fixture will usually have rubber washers to prevent leaks, while ceramic washers are not uncommon in mixer fixtures. Where rubber will warp and degrade, ceramic maintains its shape and integrity. The cheaper washers will eventually leak when they degrade, while the higher quality ceramic washers will work perfectly for far longer. This is but a single example of how the more complicated engineering involved in manufacturing sink mixers proves to be an advantage over a traditional faucet.

To make life easier, more efficient and cost effective, having a good kitchen sink mixer installed as a replacement for the traditional faucet fixture is a decision no one comes to regret.

While many rave about the accessibility value and convenience of converting to a mixer shower, too few understand the aspect of better mixer showers that is literally the realization of generations of bathers – thermostatic control. Below, we will look at what thermostatic control is and how it benefits anyone who uses a shower equipped with it.

Thermostatic control is basically a sensor at the valve where hot and cold water are mixed together that monitors both temperatures of water. Should the supply of either hot or cold change, the valve itself compensates to keep the temperature steady, resulting in both safety and convenience benefits.

Safety Benefits of Thermostatic Mixer Showers

The safety benefit is essentially a protection from sudden bursts of flaming hot or icy cold water. Sudden cold water absence is the more common issue that occurs when someone flushes a toilet or turns on a faucet, which decreases the cold water available to the shower. The result is a stream of nearly pure hot water flying out of the shower head. If something happens to obstruct the hot water entering the shower, the opposite effect occurs, with suddenly very cold water streaming out. The danger of hot water is obvious, a person in the shower can get scalded. The shock of suddenly standing in very cold water can hurt people with certain health issues. Without thermostatic control, a person’s reflexes determine how long he or she stands in the suddenly dangerous stream of water, but with it the valve reacts before the water even gets to the shower head.

Convenience Benefits of Thermostatic Control in Mixer Showers

One of the benefits for people who prefer that showers be as brief as possible is the ability turn the water on full blast. Normally, this is not done because having the water on too high makes those shocking changes in water temperature more severe. With thermostatic mixer showers, full blast showers are perfectly safe for those who want to get the job done as quickly as possible.

Thermostatic control can be even more convenient for those who enjoy long, leisurely showers. A really long shower can drain the preheated water from the home’s water heater. The result of this is a shower that must constantly be monitored and adjusted to maintain that perfect temperature. With thermostatic mixer showers, this all goes on automatically so that the temperature remains constant as long as there are both hot water and cold water available.