What Is A Water Aerator And What Is It For On A Tap Or Mixer

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Why do you need an aerator?
• What are the pros and cons of the aerator?
• What types of aerators are there?
• How does the aerator work?
• Housing
• Plastic module
• Gasket
• How to dismantle / install aerators and clean them?
• Which aerator manufacturers are the authorities on the market?
• How to choose the right aerator?

Modern plumbing faucets are equipped with a small element called an aerator, which is attached to the place where the water flows from the tap. If we touch on the issue of linguistics, then we can to some extent understand what this device is, since there is a Greek word "aeration", meaning "air". Based on this, an aerator should be considered a device that is installed on a water tap in order to saturate the water with air.

Why do you need an aerator?

An important aspect of the nozzle is that it saves water

Firstly, the water flow passing through the aerator becomes, as it were, soft, that is, its power is normalized, which is always constant. This provides savings in terms of water consumption. It is believed that at least 15 liters of water per minute passes through one single tap. In the case of installing an aerator, this situation radically changes, since there is a global decrease in water consumption (on average, 2 times).

Secondly, the aerator allows you to use water with great comfort by changing the quality of the stream of water, which stops hitting in one place, thereby causing a large amount of splashes. The stream of water passing through the aerator becomes foamy to a certain extent, acquiring a soft effect on everything where it gets. Therefore, additional convenience is acquired, for example, when washing dishes, since in this case there are practically no splashes, and a kind of enveloping water stream effectively rinses the detergent from both dishes and human hands.

Thirdly, the design of the aerator leads to the purification of water from large compounds in the form of various kinds of deposits, which has a positive effect on water quality. Also, an important circumstance is the decrease in chlorine compounds in the water flow due to its saturation with oxygen, since this creates conditions for the weathering of such compounds.

What are the pros and cons of the aerator?

The advantages of using an aerator include the following points:

• a significant reduction in water consumption when, as already mentioned, a two-time reduction in its consumption is achieved;
• less water noise due to softening the flow pressure;
• improving water quality (less chlorine and preventing the passage of large sediment particles);
• ease of installation, which can be done without the involvement of specialists;
• low cost, rarely exceeding the price tag of 600 rubles.

As for the cons, there are few of them, but they are still there:

• a decrease in the volume of water passing through the aerator, which somewhat complicates the process of filling large containers, for example, a bath;
• frequent repair of aerators or their complete replacement is associated with poor water quality, when such a need can arise quite regularly, for example, once every six months.

What types of aerators are there?

1. Vacuum, allowing you to save water not 2 times, but 4 times, which becomes possible due to the special design of the vacuum valve, which provides strong compression of water to eject a powerful jet.
2. Adjustable, also called rotary, capable of cutting the flow of water, which leads to a change in its power. As a result, two modes of operation of such an aerator become available with the formation of a jet or spray.
3. Unregulated, as a result of which it is impossible to influence in any way the power of the outgoing water flow.
4. Backlit, used not only to add aesthetics to the water consumption process, but also to obtain specific information. So, depending on the water temperature, a color gradation occurs: green (up to 31 ° C), blue (up to 43 ° C) and red (up to 45 ° C). Aerators of this kind are capable of working in conditions where the water temperature is within 60 ° C. Their operation does not provide for the presence of an energy source, since such aerators include a special microturbine, supplemented by an electric generator.
5. Decorative, for example, in the form of bright figurines of animals, which may interest children, or forming a spiral of water flow, but these are already design solutions.

How does the aerator work?

The main components of the aerator are the body of this device; a plastic module that includes a certain number of filters; gasket based on rubber or silicone.

Housing

One of three main versions can be used as a body material:

• non-ferrous metals in the form of brass and bronze, as well as ceramics, which guarantee the durability of the device in question;
• ordinary metals, with the help of which they create budget structures that are prone to corrosion, which significantly reduces their service life;
• plastic, affordable models, but of lower quality compared to those made from metal.

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Plastic module

The design of the module, which directly saturates water with air, assumes the presence of a so-called slotted cartridge with slots, or a disc reflector with holes, due to which this process takes place. As for the filter, it consists of nets with fine cells, laid in a cylindrical body, where two layers of such nets are responsible for cleaning, stopping large fragments of deposits, and those going further provide excess air in the water flow. At the same time, aerators produced by different manufacturers may differ somewhat from each other in terms of the device.

Gasket

A rubber or silicone ring for hermetic connection of the aerator with a water tap, the density of which depends on the degree of fixation carried out using a threaded connection. There are nozzles for aeration of water that have an internal or external thread, which consumers should take into account when purchasing this type of product.

How to dismantle / install aerators and clean them?

Usually, aerators come complete with water taps, so initially it becomes necessary to dismantle them for cleaning, and not vice versa. Tap water contains various impurities that cause sediment to appear on the filter nets, which leads to a decrease in the water pressure, up to the complete cessation of its outflow from the tap. Based on this, it becomes necessary to dismantle the aerator in order to clean it or completely replace it, if it is not possible to restore the operability of this device. To do this, you must adhere to the following procedure:

1. Use a special locksmith wrench or regular pliers to remove the aerator. You can also try to unscrew the nozzle by hand, but this usually does not work, since over time the threaded connection builds up sediment that prevents it from unscrewing. There are two notches on the body of the aerator for gripping with the tool In this case, it is necessary to unscrew the nozzle clockwise, starting from the view from above. To avoid scratching the case, wrap the pliers with tape or other suitable material, for example.
2. After removing the nozzle, remove the gasket and check the degree of wear. If the condition of the rubber (silicone) ring is unsatisfactory, then take care of its replacement.
3. The next step is to go directly to disassembling the aerator. To do this, remove all filters in the form of nets and clean the cells with a needle, awl and (or) a toothbrush under running water. Such an operation does not always end with success, since not all types of deposits can be removed mechanically. Which makes us turn to a chemical cleaning method using apple cider vinegar, which can be replaced with any detergent used in everyday life. In particular, it is necessary to place the filters in the agent of your choice until the deposits are completely dissolved. To remove rust, you can turn to special chemical compositions that are designed to care for plumbing equipment.

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If the cleaning of all elements of the aerator was successful, then you can proceed to the installation of the device, trying to repeat your previous steps related to dismantling in the reverse order. In this case, one important condition must be observed in relation to the filter nets, which must be laid so that the edges of the cells of each layer form an angle of 45 ° to the other layer.

Remember to make sure the rubber ring gasket is in place before you begin installing the bit. Otherwise, it will not be possible to achieve sealing, and this will cause a leak. During installation, the aerator should be twisted counterclockwise without fanaticism, observing the principle of applying efforts only to the proper extent and no more. If you do not follow this advice, then you can easily ruin the nozzle or faucet of the faucet.

Since aerators are different, in particular, to a certain extent, high-tech, as for devices with backlighting, the question may arise: how to mount such models? The answer here may be one, implying that the installation of illuminated aerators is done in the same way as traditional devices of this type.

Which aerator manufacturers are the authorities on the market?

As you know, any device is guaranteed to work without problems for a long time if it is of high quality workmanship, which is not least due to the authority of the manufacturer. Today there are a sufficient number of aerator manufacturers on the market, but not all of them can offer users really high-quality devices. Although there are pleasant exceptions, for example:

• Grohe is a German manufacturer that occupies a little less than 10 percent of the world market and is distinguished by the fact that it produces high-quality products with a long service life of up to 10 years (350–1000 rubles);
• Oras is a company from Finland that offers an assortment of attachments both as separate products (250–500 rubles) and as a set with mixers;
• Timo is again a Finnish manufacturer that uses modern technologies to create their products, which provides them with a 5-year warranty (180–500 rubles);
• Jacob Delafon is a French manufacturer that has received recognition in the category "bathroom design", but offers nozzles of a more expensive segment with a maximum price tag of 600 rubles.

How to choose the right aerator?

Going to the store to buy an aerator, you need to pay attention to the quality of the nozzle, which is directly related to its price. As a result, the cheapest models are plastic devices with the shortest lifespan. Nozzles made of ordinary metal are recognized as slightly better quality, and, finally, brass products are considered the most durable.

If your home is equipped with a relatively large number of faucets, and each of them individually is not used very often, then they may well be equipped with inexpensive aerators. The situation is quite different in those families where one crane is used by all family members on a daily basis. In this case, it is desirable to purchase a more expensive model from the same brass, as this will lead to greater cost savings due to a longer service life.

Also, when buying, do not forget about the existence of two types of attachment of the nozzle, the thread of which can be internal or external, depending on the type of mixer. If you are an adherent of modern design in everything, including plumbing, then pay attention to aerators with multi-colored illumination, and children can be interested in attachments in the form of animal figures.

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