It is very often that when selecting a mixer for kitchen or bathroom or a shower, you settle for visual qualities. Enjoyable enough if a given series is to your liking and matches the style which an interior is to be furnished in. Even if you not really go for conveniences or additional functions and are not intended to scan detailed descriptions of individual models and analyse technical data, it is worth taking a look at pictograms.

Picture presentation of principal advantages of individual models of kitchen and bathroom tapware was created with visualisers in mind. However due to a fact that a single symbol may evoke different associations, we prompt you how to read pictograms at our website and what do they actually mean.

Certification

	All tapware category products by Laveo have attestation of the National Institute of Public Health which is a guarantee of hygienic safety. This means that products covered by the attestation can be connected to systems used to transport water intended for human consumption.
	Mixers marked with “European quality of cartridge” are models equipped with high class ceramic cartridges manufactured by the internationally recognised Spanish company QUORE – the world’s undisputed leader in the production of cartridges. The pictogram means that a given mixer is equipped with a top quality cartridge.

Savings

	All mixers which ensure “Saving water” are marked with a thumbnail of a tap with a dark drop or a dark drop only. Saving water results from low flow class of a mixer – mainly Z, which means a minimum flow of the order of 9 L/min. Remember! Saving water feature applies mainly to washbasin and sink mixers. Shower mixers and bath mixers should not at all have a low flow class as their task is to fill a tub as fast as possible or rinse soap when showering quickly and thoroughly.
	Special “Neoperl aerators” aerating the water stream coming out of a spout increase its volume owing to which you use less water to carry out the same tasks. An aerator, in simple words, is a fine strainer which divides water into smaller streams. Neoperl brand stands for the highest quality.
	Saving water largely depends on whether the water tap is being closed during basic operations such as teeth brushing or washing up by hand. A perfect solution for absent-minded are “sensor mixers”, also referred to as touch-free ones. Such models are equipped with a safety valve which automatically turns water off after a defined time.

Not all spouts are the same

Type of spout is of an utmost importance, particularly in kitchen mixers, where provision of the highest possible functionality is key. All sink taps have movable spouts which rotate around – by 360 degrees. This allows you to put large pots into the sink freely and mount a mixer with lever at either right or left.

If you want to improve comfort of use of kitchen mixers, you should consider one of three options: 

	“Pull-out spout” significantly increases the reach of spout and allows for a comfortable rinsing of the bowl or filling vessels placed by the sink with water. The hose hides on its own thanks to a weight attached under the worktop.
	“Elastic spout” also increases the reach but to a slightly lesser extent. However the range of movement is much larger. Some elastic spouts maintain the given shape which is particularly useful when carrying out routine operations.
	“Foldable spout” will do well in sinks under the window. The mixer can be folded into the bowl and the window can be wide open.

Types of aerators

Each mixer with spout is equipped with aerator. The main task of this solution is to aerate the stream to increase its volume. The strainer additionally retains any contaminations which are present in the system, especially after water supply downtime. Therefore it is worth selecting a mixer with a top quality aerator such as Neoperl aerator.

Despite its small size the aerator can perform additional functions.

	Due to a constant contact of aerator with water it is the element of the mixer which is the most exposed to collection of limescale from hard water. If you are faced with a problem of highly mineralized water, you would find an “aerator with anti-calc system” useful, in which you remove the scale by rubbing the strainer with finger.
	„“Movable aerator” allows to change water stream angle which is particularly useful when the reach of spout is too small to have the stream near the centre of a washbasin or sink.
	Aerators should be cleaned on a regular basis as they retain all contaminations from the sanitary system. This is relatively easy – just unscrew the strainer with a special key which is included with the mixer. Unfortunately due to its small size it tends to be lost very often. Any aerator with a special slot allowing to open it is referred to as “Coin slot aerator”.

Easy to clean

High frequency of use of the tapware makes it require cleaning on a regular basis. Although there is nothing better in this respect than human effort, some models can considerably facilitate keeping everything clean.

	“Easy cleaning” pictogram marks products the surface of which facilitates cleaning. As a rule it is used to mark models with rounded shapes (water runs down them easier), smooth (easy to clean) and in bright colours (hardly visible runs).
	One of the most cumbersome problems as far as products having contact with water are concerned, is the limescale which looks unaesthetic and limits unobstructed flow through aerators, hand showers and rain showers. Products with “anti-calc system” have special silicone ends (protrusions) which facilitate chipping of the scale.
	A more advanced system to remove limescale is CaClean, providing for “Self-cleaning”. These are special needles which by protruding, ensure an unobstructed flow through nozzles, e.g. in a rain shower. The system is operated with a button.

Switches

Many kitchen mixers as well as bath mixers and shower columns are fitted with function switches. In kitchen they are used to change stream types, and in bathroom also to switch water stream from spouts to hand showers or rain showers.

	Models, in which a switch in a form of a button are marked with “Button operated switch” pictogram.
	In the case of bath mixers and shower columns it is worth drawing the attention to the type of switch. The basic version is a pressure switch, or a valve head, which operates depending on what the water pressure is. A more robust and comfortable in use (operates regardless of intensity of the stream) is “Ceramic shower switch”.

Cartridge

Pictograms for cartridges depict their size. 25, 30, 35 & 40 mm is a diameter which is relevant mainly if it is necessary to replace this element. Dimensions of a cartridge have no impact on the flow class or saving water but it is worth knowing these to be sure that the bought spare part will fit in the body of the mixer.

Comfortable assembly and maintenance

When selecting elements of sanitary equipment of kitchen and bathroom, pay attention to product characteristics which facilitate their assembly, particularly when you plan to have it done on your own. 

	Upright mixers – either kitchen, washbasin, bidet – may include elements which are referred to as “Easy assembly”. This means a special bushing is provided which ensures stability and requires no tools for assembly. All you need is your muscle power. Use of wrenches, on the contrary, is inappropriate as when too much of a force is applied, the mixer elements can get damaged.
	Box is a solution that facilitates assembly of mixers for concealed installation – either washbasin, shower, bath (also upright) ones. This is a special plastic housing in which key elements of a mixer are provided. These are not tiled but in most cases covered by a decorative cover which is easy to remove for maintenance or replacement of parts.
	“Adjustable fitting span” is useful particularly when old shower is replaced. It allows old holes in the wall to be used without having to drill new ones.

Comfort of use

	“Adjustable height of overhead rain shower” is of a great importance for comfort of use of shower, particularly for tall people. This enables a column to be suited to the height of any user.
	Hoses with “anti-twist system” will not tangle. A hand shower is easier to operate when showering and put in the bracket. Prevention of twisting of shower hose also has an impact on the aesthetics of the bathroom and keeps it in an optimum arrangement, owing to which it is not subject to damage.
	In descriptions of sink mixers you can come across information on “2 spout streams”. This means that the tap is fitted with a special push-button allowing to change the stream from constant (aerated) to rain. With the former one you can fill, e.g. a pot efficiently and quickly, while with the latter you can rinse sand from vegetables and fruits.

Showers – this mainly applies to hand showers, but also some rain showers – are provided with information on the available streams. Each of them has a different intensity and allows for taking a shower suited to individual needs of any household member.

Innovations

	Thermostatic mixers enjoy great popularity mainly due to comfort of use. When setting a constant water temperature (usually 38°C), you lose no time for adjustment, and thus reduce consumption of water.
	“Cool touch” means that regardless of the temperature of water that flows from a mixer its body will remain cool and will not heat up. This solution will prove to be useful especially in homes where small children and elderly people live, protecting them from burning.
	“Start/stop cartridge” is a solution which makes a mixer an interior design gadget. Opening and closing of water outflow is effected by means of a push-button. With this the mixer can be operated with one finger by a single push.
	Cartridge with “cold start” technology guarantees that after each opening of water outflow the stream is cold, so no energy is wasted to heat it up, e.g. when pouring water to be boiled. In standard mixers in the home (vertical) position of the lever mixed water runs at once.