The humble shower is a necessity in any home, whether it’s for that hurried shower before work or for a long relaxing shower at the end of the day.  While all showers do the job well, how easy it is to use is determined by the types of taps that you have.  Here we outline the different types of taps that you might find in the shower.

Single and Double Lever Taps

When it comes to your shower taps, it can be said that they are all technically mixer taps as the hot and cold water come out of the same showerhead.  Therefore, in this article, a mixer tap refers to single lever taps. Single lever taps control the hot and the cold water flow from the one tap – turn it to the left for hotter water and to the right for colder water.  To adjust the flow of water, simply lever the tap up and down as necessary.  The biggest advantage of single lever taps is that once you’ve found the perfect temperature, you can leave the lever in that position to have that temperature every time you take a shower.

As well as single lever taps that are also taps that have separate levers for the hot and cold water. How far you lever these open determines the temperature of the water. They are convenient to use and give you good control.

The More Traditional Types of Taps

As well as the lever type of taps, there are also the more traditional types of taps such as cross taps and screw down taps.  By traditional, we mean how the taps operate rather than how they look.  Cross taps are like screw down taps in how they operate but the handles looks like a cross. There are separate taps for hot and cold water.  Screw down taps open to the right to let out water and close the left to turn off the water. Again, there are separate hot and cold taps.

Options in Shower Taps

As well as the different types of taps that are available for use in the shower, you have options in what the taps actually look like. The taps are available in all designs from traditional, to country to ultra modern, and tap finishes range from the standard chrome to plastics, brushed steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, and much more.