The basic function of a bathtub faucet is to dispense hot and cold running water for bathing purposes. Bathtub faucets, in the past, were designed to be things of beauty, elegant and ornate, designed to sit proudly next to antique claw footed tubs. Eventually, as decorative tubs made way to more functional fixtures, the bath faucet gradually moved to a great emphasis on function rather than form. As consumers have once again begun to demand bathrooms that are beautiful as well as functional, creating more of a calm retreat than a boring bathroom, bathtub faucets are once again focused on combing form and function into fixtures that as just as visually appealing as they are practical in nature.
Bathtub Faucet Styles
All in all, there are four unique styles of bathtub faucets that each work in one of two designs. While some of the styles are designed for specific bathtub styles, others are more versatile in nature. The two basic designs are somewhat interchangeable and often a matter of personal preference and price range more than anything else.
Single Lever Bathtub Faucets
Single lever bathtub faucets contain a single waterspout and a single water control lever. The up and down movement of the water control lever adjusts the water pressure, increasing or decreasing the flow of water coming through the spout. Side to side movement if the lever controls the amount of hot and cold water being used, effectively controlling the overall water temperature. Single level controls are almost always wall mounted and are ideal for smaller spaces where fixture size may be an issue. Some single level faucets also control a shower unit as well, if one is present. They will often be fixed with a plunger device that controls whether the water should be diverted to the shower head or the bath tub spout. Delta bathtub faucets are frequently found in single lever designs, as are Kohler bathtub faucets.
Double Lever Bathtub Faucets
Unlike single level bathtub faucets, double level faucets have individual controls for the hot and cold water supplies. The lever on the left is typically used to control hot water, increasing or decreasing the flow of the hot water in order to create the ideal temperature. Likewise, the cold water lever is almost always mounted on the left side and controls the flow of the cold water. A balanced temperature is reached by adjusting both flows until the hot and cold water supplies are in ideal balance. Like single lever designs, double lever designs can also be used to control attached shower units as well and are typically mounted onto the wall behind the bathtub. Many styles of faucets, such as those included on many of the Kohler bathtub faucet collections, operate in a double lever manner. Delta bathtub faucet collections also contain a large percentage of double lever designs.
Roman Bathtub Faucets
Unlike both single and double lever designs, a roman bathtub faucets mounts to the inner wall of the bathtub itself, as opposed to being attached to the wall. Since the mounting height of this style of faucet is therefore lower, adjustments are needed to the overall style of the faucet to accommodate. This is typically done by adding a high are to the water spout itself, allowing it to rise above the top of the tub and then arch back down slightly. Roman tub faucets are almost double lever models, having separate controls for hot and cold water controls. Roman tub faucets are so named for the fact that they were originally used with Roman tubs. These were essentially designed as stand alone bathtubs without built in shower features. Since there were no walls surrounding the bath tub, mounting the faucets to the tub were the easiest option.
Free Standing Bathtub Faucets
Similar to Roman tub faucets, free standing bath faucets were designed to be used on stand alone tubs that were not wall mounted. Unlike Roman faucets, on the other hand, the free standing faucets were not mounted into the tub but, instead, completely separate fixtures altogether. Free standing faucets were very popular in the 1800s and are still found to day in use when a vintage or antique feel is being sought. Often built with copper or bronze piping for a more visually appealing design, some free standing faucets even incorporated the means to use a shower feature in a free standing tub. They were typically connected to plumbing lines that had been run in the floor and relied on their own piping to build a framework for the faucet fixture that would extend over into the tub itself. Some models relied on the same piping to extend above standing level, allowing the water to flow vertically from above the head for a shower effect. Lighter piping was also used to circle the tub itself, allowing for a privacy curtain or drape.
Bathtub Faucet Designs
As stated before, the majority of all bathtub faucets on the market work in one of two designs, compression faucets and washerless faucets. Compression faucets rely on caps, valves, and washers to control water pressure. Found in both single and double lever designs, the valves on compression faucets are opened and closed as the levers are turned, increasing or decreasing the water flow. Washerless faucets, on the other hand, use valves as well, but also use faucet diverter cartridges in place of the caps and washer mechanisms. Washerless faucets are the more modern of the two designs and, while currently being slightly more costly to purchase, they are believed to be growing enough in popularity to eventually replace compression faucets as the fixture of choice for bathtub faucet needs.
Another modern day feature added to the majority of newer bathtubs faucets is a built in anti-scald device. This piece prevents the water from reaching a temperature that could potentially cause burns or other injuries, regulating the flow of the hot water to ensure the water flow never reaches above a pre-set temperature. For older faucets without anti-scald mechanisms, this is often dealt with on the water heater itself, where controls can be adjusted or added that place additional regulations on the water temperature as well.
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