The other day "brought" me into a huge hardware store "Leroy Merlin". Walking between the shelves, ran into a sale mixer, single-lever, for cold and hot water in total for 331 rubles! The price for this type of plumbing is very low. What is it? Dempeng and attract new customers? Or is it made from "pressed Chinese rice"? I had to take it apart and find out why it is so "cheap".
We open the packaging
The packaging of this miracle is very small, so the device itself is "mahanky". We didn’t regret the pimpled polyethylene, but at the same time there are already "scratches" on the chrome coating. The coating itself is very well done. Usually, the reflection on cheap mixers is blurry, but you can even see yourself in it. Product weight: 370 gr.
We disassemble the mixer
In order to understand why its cost is so low, you need to disassemble it. To do this, unscrew the countersunk screw from under the lever. And then the first surprise. Himself plastic lever. The second amazing part of this mixer is iron clamping nut. Which we managed to unscrew with difficulty without breaking it.
Got to cartridge, the part responsible for mixing cold and hot water. As you might expect, it is "nameless", but there is a mesh in it. As in expensive analogs. Aerator, nozzle mixing the flow of water with air, made of plastic. There are water droplets on the inside of the case - they are checked before being sold under pressure, thank God.
What is the body made of? We drill.
In order to finally find out what the body of a cheap mixer is made of, I decided to drill it a little.
Otherwise, manufacturers of cheap mixers like to spray bronze paint on the inner surface. As in the photo.
We get at the exit a case, cast from silver metal, and his name is zinc alloy.
We must pay tribute to the manufacturers
They clearly state that the mixer is not intended for potable water supply. The maximum pressure is 0.2 MPa, and the operating pressure is only 1 bar. And it can only be installed as a temporary solution for repairs or in low pressure systems. For example, in a country house, where the risk of damage due to the breakdown of the "mixer" is minimal. Read the instructions inside the gallery.
I am surprised
The most striking thing for me was the discovery that the brass nuts from the fixture of the mixer are not strong, but MAGNETIZE !!! Is it possible that the Chinese began to add a lot of iron to an alloy of copper and zinc. Or does it happen?
Whether or not you should use this mixer on the farm is up to you. And an inexpensive mixer due to the fact that they used the cheapest materials. As much as possible. Only a plastic mixer is cheaper.
Don't forget to like it!
By the way, earlier I disassembled a cheap valve-type mixer from "Galamart" link - here