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

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

Faucets in 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 the actual water purification in contrast to the purchased bottled water, which you cannot be sure of;
• the constant availability of clean water eliminates the need to buy bottled water;
• no place is needed for storing containers with water cluttering the kitchen, especially if the containers are large;
• pure water does not mix with ordinary, as it is supplied through separate channels of a common spout;
• these mixers are simply mounted, and after dismantling are easily replaced by others;
• the presence of a large assortment with a variety of designs and styles.

However, there are disadvantages:

• such kitchen faucets have a rather complex device with numerous connections, which increases the risk of breakdowns.
• Periodic replacement of filter media is required.
• water from a water tap, although purified, is less useful than real artesian and spring water;
• such mixers have a very high price.

Kitchen faucets can be divided into two types.

• Stationary (or separate) a mixer, which is a small faucet with a single pipe connection to the water supply network.Connection to a separately located filter is carried out using a flexible tube.

The faucet is installed in the hole on the sink or countertop. It is extremely inconvenient and time-consuming to fill large volumes of containers from such a mixer, since the water jet in it is very weak.

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

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

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

• Models with 1 hole in spout. The spout contains two channels for ordinary untreated water and clean. The base of the mixer has one lever with a switch to the filter that controls the flow of a particular fluid.
• Faucets having 2 holes. The supply of purified or ordinary water in them is regulated by 2 separate valves or levers.
• Mixers with two spouts on a common housing, one of which can be with a retractable mechanism, which allows filling large capacity containers. They have two modes of pressure - normal and aerated (diffuse).

To clean tap water in the home, various filters are used.

These models are installed separately from the mixer under the sink and are 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 faucets 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 housing and can be removed. Cleaning includes the following steps:

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

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 cartridge (cartridge), the main filtering component of which is activated carbon. Cassettes are replaced after 1-3 months.

Their feature is that it is required to connect to the mixer only during filtration. They qualitatively filter water, saving it from unnecessary dangerous impurities. Some models have indicators that remind you to change the cassette.

For the manufacture of mixers with a filter, different materials can be used.

Stainless steel and brass for the manufacture of double mixers used more often than other materials. This is because the products from them are better, durable and reliable. Often they are applied coatings that imitate gold, silver or bronze, and then they acquire the corresponding color: yellow, gray-silver or golden brown.

Brass modelsThanks to the nickel-plated chrome coating, they are highly resistant to wear, which guarantees a long service life even under heavy operating loads.

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

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

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

The range of models of mixers with a filter is huge and presented by manufacturers from different countries.

Faucets of this Japanese brand are characterized by unusual design, excellent quality, since each model is tested and meet all standards and specifications accepted in Russia.

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

Swiss-made Franke mixers have been on the market for over 100 years. Mixers with a tap for filtered water are superior in quality to products of other brands and have only positive feedback from consumers. The warranty for the mixers is quite large - 5 years.

Model Franke neptune clear water It is made at the enterprises of Italy. Only high quality materials are used that are resistant to corrosion and rust. At the spout - two holes, on the body - two levers for switching the water supply.

The model also has a stabilizing membrane, flexible supply to the water supply, ceramic cartridges of the disk type, guaranteeing a long service life. The price, accordingly, is very high.

Ukinox is a brand of a Turkish manufacturer, but mixers are manufactured in China. The Russian market presents models with a tap for clean water at a relatively low cost.

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

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

However, there is a lack of staffing for connecting to the water supply, as well as somewhat heavy weight.

When 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.
• Type of shut-off valve. Ceramic cartridges or aluminum discs are the best option, as they can withstand heavy loads and last long. Valves made of plastic and rubber are unreliable, they have a minimum life. Therefore, it is not recommended to purchase models with such locking mechanisms.
• Management method. These can be models with 2 valves or levers, touch and combined controls. The most reliable is considered the touch method, but such models are very expensive. The arrangement of levers is also important: it should provide convenience during work.
• Product Dimensions. They must correspond to the dimensions of the sink. Low models are necessary for a deep sink, otherwise water will splatter. Tall spouts are suitable for shallow washing so that liquid can be collected in large containers. Pull-out models are recommended for washing with 2 or 3 compartments.

In addition, you need to consider other points:

• since the cartridges in the filters are periodically replaced, models should have available filters, which are always on sale;
• you need to check the complete set of the mixer: it is necessary to have fasteners, hoses for connecting to the water supply system and 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 any damage 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 for placing filter cartridges: they should be located so that you can easily change the filters, while at the same time there is space for access to the siphon and a place for a garbage container.
• Before installing a new combination faucet, you must first turn off the water supply in the apartment, closing the taps on the riser. Then, opening the taps on the mixer, drain the remaining water.
• After that, unscrew it with a wrench and disconnect the hoses from the water pipes and from the old mixer, unscrewing the screws on the fastener located under the sink with a screwdriver.
• Typically, the taps are fixed in the sink hole with a rubber gasket and a clamping plate pressed against the nut. You need to unscrew it and then remove the mixer.
• The place of fixation of the crane 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 slightly with a key.
• Then the gaskets are installed. One is placed in the hole on the sink so that it fits snugly against it. Then you need to insert the hoses into the hole and pass them through it.
• The second gasket is installed on the tap from below under the sink and fixed with a washer with screws. 2 hoses from the faucet must be connected and connected to the pipes for cold and hot water.
• 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 mandatory use of a tee. A third filtered water hose is connected to the outlet on the filter from the mixer.
• The final point is the installation of the spout: it is placed in a special hole in the housing and screwed with a nut.

For a double mixer to serve for a long time, you should follow simple recommendations.

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

To care for the mixer, it is better to use a soap solution. The use of abrasive sponges, cleaning products containing acids and solvents is strictly prohibited.

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