Why do I need an aerator for the mixer and how to change it myself?

The aerator for the mixer is a small device mounted on the "nose" of the tap and serves to restrict the flow of water without any noticeable decrease in the intensity of the jet. When using plumbing devices without aerators, water consumption can reach a shocking figure of 15 liters per minute. With them, you will leave no more than 6-7 liters per minute. But the advantages of these “nozzles” do not end there.

Design and principle of operation of the aerator

In most cases aerators They consist of three elements - the case, the rubber gasket and, of course, the “filter” system. The case can be made of plastic (cheap, but short-lived), pressed metal (the middle version, it is also not very reliable because it is susceptible to corrosion) or brass (the best option, it will last a long time and stably).

The main function of the aerator for the mixer is to restrict the flow of water

When choosing a new faucet for a bathroom or kitchen, be sure to pay attention to the quality and method of attaching the aerator. Combs with internal and external threads are available.

Water passing through several grids of the device is mixed with air - the output is visually soft, with a milky tint (foamy) stream. Due to the fact that the mixing of air in the aerator occurs constantly, the pressure in the mixer seems to be unchanged, despite the fact that the flow rate of water decreases.

Washing your hands, dishes, washing, shaving the difference in the volume of “outgoing” water you will not feel unequivocally. But filling pots, sinks or baths will now take twice as much time.

In addition to reducing water consumption, the aerator also performs the following functions:

improves (regulates) the quality of the jet. By uninstalling the aerator and opening the faucet, you can see how randomly water flows and what splashes fly in all directions;
saturates water with oxygen and contributes to the weathering of chlorine;
purifies water of large particles.

It looks like a jet of water without an aerator

And so - with an aerator

You may find it useful to know how the water tap is designed and how it works:https://aquatech.tomathouse.com/en/santehnika/kran/ustrojstvo-vodoprovodnogo-krana.html.

Advantages and disadvantages of such a nozzle

The main advantages of using an aerator include:

low price. The nozzle will cost you 2-10 dollars (depending on the design features);
noise reduction during the work of plumbing devices. The water supplied with the air does not make noise;
ease of maintenance. The elementary design allows even a housewife to understand the intricacies of the device and the work of the nozzle;
performs the function of simple filter.

The only drawback is the fragility of the device. If your house has old pipes, you will have to change the aerators on the cranes every six months - a year.

Aerator nets can be cleaned with a pin or needle.

How is the aerator cleaned and replaced?

If necessary, clean the aerator (and there will be such a need), the work should be carried out in the following order:

Uninstall the aerator by rotating it with your hand, a wrench and pliers clockwise - if you look at the tap from above. If the rubber gasket does not fall out immediately, it must be removed and its condition evaluated.
By pressing a finger from the outlet side of the jet, remove the cylinder with grids.
Having disassembled the cylinder according to the “spare parts” using a jet of water and a needle (toothpicks, thin awl), clean its individual elements.
When all the parts of the aerator are cleaned, you can assemble it and put it in place. Do not forget to put the gasket on top of the nozzle - in a word, twist along with it (counterclockwise when viewed from above). Too tighten the aerator is not worth it - it will be quite enough if you do it simply by hand. If, when you open the water, you see a leak, just take a pair of pliers and a napkin and tighten it slightly.

As you can see, the aerator cleaning process does not contain any difficulties. The same can be said about replacing the nozzle - unscrew the old one, install a new one, and it’s the end.

Cleaning and replacing the aerator can be done at any time with your own hands - there is no need to resort to the services of professional and not always “cheap” plumbing.

You will find more detailed instructions for replacing the aerator in our material:https://aquatech.tomathouse.com/en/santehnika/kran/remont-smesitelya-svoimi-rukami.html.

Aesthetics is known in the details

If there are children in your house or you are just a connoisseur of pleasant things, then you definitely will like the aerator for the mixer with lighting. Cases of such nozzles are usually made of chrome-plated brass.

The design of illuminated aerators implies the presence of a built-in microturbine with an electric generator and a temperature sensor with a diode system inside the casing. The working temperature of such a nozzle is up to 60 degrees Celsius.

Note! The original design of the jet controllers with LED backlight does not require additional power supplies. Such aerators work due to the rotation of the turbine.

A backlit faucet aerator attaches to the faucet spout as easily as a regular faucet. Screwed in by hands, without the use of tools. When the tap is opened, the backlighting of the jet occurs automatically. Its color, as you might guess, is completely dependent on the current water temperature:

at a temperature of less than 29 degrees - green;
at a temperature of 30-38 - blue;
at a temperature of 39 and above - red.

In our next article, you will learn how to choose the right bathroom faucet:https://aquatech.tomathouse.com/en/santehnika/kran/kak-vybrat-smesitel-dlya-vannoj.html.

The beautiful illumination of luminous aerators will not leave indifferent neither children nor adults.

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Thomas

5 years ago

An aerator is necessary, but a S-class aerator is quite enough in the apartment (without limiting the flow of water to a certain size, a-Z-aerators). This shows a simple calculation: hot + cold water consumption = 9 cubic meters per month. 30 percent is the expense in the wash basin and sink, the rest: flush tank, washing machine, bathroom with shower. Two faucets, one in the bathroom with a washbasin, the other in the kitchen as a sink. 9 * 0.3 / 2 = 1.35 cubic meters of water per month through one mixer. Or, roughly, 1.5 / 30 = 1500/30 = 50 liters per day. Or 50/24 = 2.1 liters per hour (2.4 / 60 = 0.04 liters per minute).

The most economical aerator with limiting the flow of water produced in Italy at 3 atmospheres of pressure in the water supply begins to restrict the flow at its value of 1.7 liters per minute, and you have an average daily flow rate of 0.04 liters per minute.Will it work? Yes, it will be when you need to get a bucket of water of 10 liters. You will open the tap to the full, with a flow rate of 15 liters per minute, and the flow rate will be 1.5 liters per minute. Instead of 40 seconds, you will fill the bucket for 7 minutes, otherwise this aerator will behave as usual.

Do I need an aerator at all? Yes, yes, and yes again. It allows you to save up to 2-3 cubic meters of water per month, despite the fact that he is inexpensive. It’s a pity to throw even a small amount to the wind, and the aerator provides decent savings. But we must remember - with the crane as open as possible, there will be no savings. And it is necessary to buy aerators with a flexible membrane for water, they save water. It is easy to distinguish - the upper mesh is slightly convex and bends when pressed with a finger. Well, illuminated aerators are an amateur, albeit very beautiful.

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Natalya

6 years ago

Recently made repairs in the bathroom and in the kitchen. Completely changed the plumbing and faucets. Previously, there were simple cranes without aerators. I must say that the article correctly observes about water consumption - without this useful nozzle, water literally flows in a stream, and it is useless, by the way, without an aerator, you will need to hold the plate more under the tap in order to rinse it. Modern plumbing is not only beautiful and convenient, but also in use is much more profitable than old faucets. Now the amount of payment in the receipt for water has noticeably decreased, this cannot but please us, agree :))

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Irina Osokina

6 years ago

In our apartment there is an aerator not only on the kitchen faucet, but also on the shower in the bathroom. It is so convenient! Water comes from the shower when you turn on the mode with the aerator as if a cloud of water dust. Not all family members like it, but you can turn it off. As my husband says, thanks to these devices, the water consumption (we have had meters for a long time), the water consumption has decreased by one and a half times, and here is the source of savings!

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1. Irina
  
  6 years ago
  
  Tell me, what kind of aerator did you put ?! The article advises brass, what is their price range ?!
  
  To answer