Kitchen faucets with a water filter: description, types and selection

Drinking water quality often does not meet sanitary standards. Kitchen faucets with a filter can solve this problem and make the water clean and safe.

Faucets for the kitchen with a filter are increasingly used in everyday life for the purification of drinking water. The use of such models with two spouts has a number of advantages:

• they give a full guarantee of valid water purification, as opposed to purchased bottled water, the quality of which cannot be sure;
• the constant availability of clean water eliminates the need to buy bottled water;
• no space is required for storing containers with water cluttering the kitchen, especially if the containers are large;
• clean water does not mix with ordinary water, since it is supplied through separate channels of the common spout;
• these mixers are simply mounted, and after dismantling, they can be easily replaced with others;
• availability of a large assortment with different designs and styles.

However, there are also disadvantages:

• these kitchen faucets are quite complex with multiple connections, which increases the risk of breakage.
• periodic replacement of consumable filter materials is required.
• tap water, although purified, is less useful than real artesian and spring water;
• these mixers are very expensive.

Kitchen filter faucets can be divided into two types.

• Stationary (or separate) mixer, which is a small tap connected to the water supply network with one pipe.The connection to a separate filter is made using a flexible tube.

The tap is installed in a hole in a sink or worktop. Filling large containers from such a mixer is extremely inconvenient and takes a long time, since the water jet in it is very weak.

• Double (combined) kitchen mixer. It has a more complex device for supplying ordinary water and is equipped with a tap for clean filtered water. Its feature is a three-channel method of connection to the water supply network, that is, there is an additional third branch pipe connecting the mixer to the filter.

The spout is also characterized by its peculiarity: it has a two-channel design principle (tube in tube) and has two outlets. The inner tube with a separate outlet is intended for supplying filtered liquid, and the outer tube is for ordinary tap water.

Combined or 2 in 1 mixers can differ in their designs.

• Models with 1 spout hole. The spout contains two channels for ordinary untreated water and clean water. The base of the mixer has one lever with a switch for the filter, which regulates the supply of a particular liquid.
• Mixers with 2 holes. The supply of purified or ordinary water to them is regulated by means of 2 separate valves or levers.
• Mixers with two spouts on a common body, one of which can be with a pull-out mechanism, which allows you to fill large containers. They have two modes of jet pressure - normal and aerated (diffuse).

Various filters are used to purify tap water in everyday life.

These models are installed separately from the mixer under the sink and connected to the water supply. They have a water filtration system in several stages. Filters consist of several containers with filter cartridges, which are periodically replaced. Such filters are able to purify water from chlorine and iron, hardness salts and microorganisms. They are connected to the mixers using hoses.

Such models have a design of 3 vessels, each of which is equipped with a filter. The vessels are mounted on a common body and can be removed. Cleaning includes the following steps:

1. preliminary water purification from mechanical impurities; a porous element is used for filtration;
2. the water is cleaned of organic and chemical substances and the remaining smaller impurities, at this stage a carbon filter is used;
3. filtration through a fine-mesh porous membrane that allows only water molecules to pass through.

This type of filter is mounted directly to the mixer and is able to clean the liquid from chlorine, small mechanical impurities, and rust. The inner part consists of a special cassette (cartridge), the main filtering component of which is activated carbon. The cassettes are replaced after 1-3 months.

Their peculiarity is that they only need to be connected to the mixer during filtration. They filter water efficiently, eliminating unnecessary hazardous impurities. Some models have indicators that remind you to change the cassette.

Different materials can be used to make filter mixers.

Stainless steel and brass for the manufacture of double mixers are used more often than other materials. This is due to the fact that products made from them are of higher quality, durable and reliable. Often they are coated with coatings that imitate gold, silver or bronze, and then they acquire the appropriate color: yellow, gray-silver or golden brown.

Brass Models, thanks to the chrome plating with added nickel, they have high wear resistance, which guarantees a long service life even under heavy operating load.

Plastic also used to make such mixers. Plastic models are characterized by good resistance to aggressive environments: they do not corrode, but they do not differ in durability.

Expensive and exclusive models are glass and ceramic products... Ceramic models, like glass ones, made of high strength tempered glass, have good resistance to high temperatures, moisture resistance, do not deform and do not corrode.

In terms of color solutions, preference is given to traditional golden, silver, bronze shades.

The range of filter mixer models is huge and represented by manufacturers from different countries.

Mixers of this Japanese brand are characterized by an unusual design, excellent quality, since each model is tested and meets all the standards and specifications adopted in Russia.

Model Omoikiri Okinawa-AG has not only a unique design and unusual color silver or gold with a yellow or pink tint, but also quality and durability, as it has a brass coating.

Faucets of the Franke brand from a Swiss manufacturer have been on the market for over 100 years. Faucets with a tap for filtered water are superior in quality to products of other brands and have only positive consumer reviews. The faucets have a fairly long warranty - 5 years.

Model Franke neptune clear water manufactured in Italian factories. Only high quality materials are used that are resistant to corrosion and rust. There are two holes on the spout, on the body there are two levers for switching the water supply.

The model also has a stabilizing membrane, flexible connection to the water supply system, ceramic disc-type cartridges, which guarantee a long service life. The price is therefore very high.

Ukinox is a Turkish manufacturer's brand, but the mixers are manufactured in China. On the Russian market, there are models with a tap for clean water of a relatively low cost.

Model Ukinox UM 2191 - the best option for a sink with 2 compartments, since it has a low (medium) height. This combination model with 2-way water supply has 2 openings in the spout and 2 control levers on the body. The model is characterized by a fashionable design with gentle curves.

At an affordable price, it has quite good quality, consumer reviews are mostly positive.

However, there is insufficient completeness for connection to the water supply system, as well as a slightly high weight.

Choosing a 2 in 1 mixer with a tap for drinking water, first of all, you need to pay attention to its design and technical characteristics.

• Model throughput rate, that is, the volume of water that is supplied in one minute.This indicator should correspond to the parameters of the water supply network and be in the range from 6 to 8 l / min.
• Shut-off valve type. Ceramic cartridges or aluminum discs are the best option because they can handle heavy loads and last a long time. Valves made of plastic and rubber are unreliable and have a minimal service life. Therefore, it is not recommended to purchase models with such locking mechanisms.
• Control method. These can be models with 2 valves or levers, touch and combined control. The touch method is considered the most reliable, but such models are very expensive. The location of the levers is also important: it should provide convenience when working.
• Product dimensions. They must match the dimensions of the sink. Short models are necessary for a deep sink, otherwise water will spray. High spouts are suitable for shallow sinks so that you can draw liquid into large containers. Models with pull-out spout are recommended for sinks with 2 or 3 compartments.

In addition, you need to consider other points:

• since the cartridges in the filters are periodically replaced, the models must have available filters that are always on sale;
• you need to check the complete set of the mixer: you need to have fasteners, hoses for connecting to the water supply and to the filtration system, as well as a tee, since it is he who distributes the water supply to the tap and filter;
• the assembly of the mixer must be of high quality, so that all elements correspond to each other, are securely fixed and there are no damages or defects; the operation of the moving elements should also be checked;
• preference should be given to reliable and well-known manufacturers, and it is advisable to buy in specialized stores.

Combined mixers can be installed and connected to the filter yourself. Before installing a new mixer, preliminary work is required.

• First, you need to choose a convenient place under the sink to place the filter cartridges: they should be located so that you can change filters without interference, and at the same time there is space for access to the siphon and a place for the waste container.
• Before installing a new combined mixer, you must first turn off the water supply in the apartment by closing the taps on the riser. Then, by opening the taps on the mixer, drain the remaining water.
• After that, unscrew with a wrench and disconnect the hoses from the water pipes and from the old mixer by unscrewing the screws on the mount located under the sink with a screwdriver.
• Typically, faucets are fixed in the sink hole using a rubber gasket and a clamping plate, tightened with a nut. Unscrew it and then remove the mixer.
• The place of fixation of the tap should be cleaned of the appeared rust and mucus, washed and treated with an anti-corrosion agent.

The next step is to install a new crane.

• First, the mixer itself is assembled: flexible hoses are screwed to the holes. You can twist them manually, and then tighten them a little with a wrench.
• Then the gaskets are installed. One is placed in the hole in the sink so that it fits snugly against it. Then you need to insert hoses into the hole and pass them through it.
• The second gasket is installed on the faucet from the bottom under the sink and fixed with a washer and screws. The 2 hoses outgoing from the tap must be brought in and connected to the pipes of cold and hot water.
• The installation of the filter system itself is simple: filters of any kind have 2 connection points (output and input) and they cannot be confused. To connect the hoses to the filter, a tee must be installed on the cold water pipe.
• Cold tap water is connected to the inlet pipe with the obligatory use of a tee.A third hose for filtered water from the mixer is connected to the outlet on the filter.
• The final point is the installation of the spout: it is placed in a special hole in the body and screwed on with a nut.

In order for the double mixer to serve for a long time, simple recommendations should be followed.

After replacing and installing the mixer, the aerator must be removed from the spout before turning on the water for the first time. Water will wash away any dirt and debris accumulated during installation. Only then can the aerator be reinstalled. This procedure must be done after each water cut-off and maintenance work.

It is best to use soapy water to clean the mixer. The use of abrasive sponges, cleaning agents containing acids and solvents is strictly prohibited.

An overview of the kitchen faucet with two spout holes awaits you further.