The taps are responsible for so much of your shower experience (whether it’s a quick scrubbing or a deep soak), that it really pays to get them right.  If you are looking for taps that are easy to use and look great, you really can’t go past shower mixer taps. Here’s what you need to know.

What is a Shower Mixer Tap?

A mixer tap can be defined as any tap system in which hot and cold water comes out of the same spout (or, in this case, shower head), so for the purposes of this article, a mixer tap is defined as a tap that controls both the hot and the cold water at the same time, or a single lever tap.

Shower mixer taps are available as manual or thermostatic. With manual shower mixers, you are completely responsible for adjusting the temperature of the water (same as with standard taps). A thermostatic shower mixer, however, has a special thermostatic valve which controls the temperature so that you don’t get scalded or surprised by a blast of freezing water – even if someone turns on the water somewhere else in the house!

Benefits of Shower Mixer Taps

Mixer taps are absolutely ideal for the shower for a number of reasons.  Firstly, they are a breeze to operate.  Simply turn the lever to the left to get progressively hotter water and to the right to get progressively cooler water.  Flick the lever up to release the flow of water. The higher you lift the lever, the stronger the flow of water from the shower head will be.  To turn the water off, just press down on the lever until it is fully closed.  Because they don’t require any hand or wrist strength, they can be used by young children just learning to shower right through to elderly people that suffer from arthritis.

If you opt for a thermostatic mixer tap, the water has temperature controls attached so that the water is never too hot or too cold. This is a great safety feature, and reduces the risk of scalding.

Another benefit of the shower mixer tap is that is so flexible design wise. They are available in many different styles and finishes so you can coordinate them with all types of showers. Chrome is the most common finish but you can also find mixer taps that are made from stainless steel, brushed steel, porcelain, brass, nickel or pewter.