Effective savings: choosing and installing an aerator on the faucet in the bathroom and kitchen

Due to the constant increase in the price tag for utilities, many residents of apartment buildings began to think about the rational use of water resources and purchase an aerator - a nozzle to save water. This simple device is part of modern mixers and taps. If the house has old plumbing, then the aerator can be purchased separately and installed with your own hands without much difficulty. The result will exceed all expectations: water consumption will be halved; due to air bubbles it will become softer; the stream will be more uniform and the delivery will be silent.

How to save water for domestic needs?

You can reduce the consumption of water in different ways - for example, do not fill the bathtub, but use only the shower, or do not wash dishes with running water in the sink, but use the dishwasher. One of the helpers in saving money is an aerator installed on the faucet tap or between the watering can and the hose in the shower stall.

To verify the effectiveness of the aerator, you need to do an experiment: completely unscrew the tap and measure how much water flows out in 60 seconds. Under normal conditions, this figure is 12 liters. After installing the aerator, the liquid consumption at the same pressure will be approximately halved.

Savings are achieved not by reducing the amount of leaked water, but by increasing the time required to pour out a certain volume.

There are several types of aerators, and each of them has its own structural and control features.

• Vacuum — a vacuum valve is provided inside the device, with the help of which the jet pressure rises. As a result of the operation of this device, the consumption of liquid is reduced to 1 liter per minute.
• Rotary — two operating modes are provided: they can throw out water in the form of a spray or a regular stream. Such models are the most in demand. The swivel joint allows you to quickly change the angle of the water jet, making the process of showering or washing dishes more comfortable.
• Unregulated — the stream of water cuts and pours out in a set mode, which cannot be influenced.
• Backlit — using special LEDs, the water turns different colors depending on the degree of heating. Such devices are in great demand when arranging modern bathrooms, when not only functionality is important, but also the appearance of the faucet.
• Decorative – made in different shapes, for example in the form of a dragon’s or a dolphin’s head. Devices with such an unusual design are in demand in homes where there are small children. Some aerators have a mesh with cells arranged in such a way that the flowing stream of water takes the shape of a spiral. Using a mixer with such an attachment is a pleasure.

You can make a mesh metal aerator yourself. To do this, you need to cut two circles from the mesh, the diameter of which is equal to the size of the tap outlet. The pieces are placed on top of each other so that the sides of the cells form an angle of 45°, and the entire structure is attached to the tap using a washer of suitable diameter.

Aerator design

The operation of this simple device is based on mixing the water flow passing through the device with air particles. The aerator works as follows:

• A metal diaphragm is installed in a metal cylinder, which ensures uniform pressure over the area of ​​the device. When all the holes of the mesh are activated, a zone of increased pressure is formed in the upper part of the membrane, and a vacuum effect is obtained on the other side.
• Due to the pressure difference, air rushes through the side holes into the aerator cylinder, which enriches the water stream with air bubbles, displacing up to 50% of the water volume from the flow.
• As a result of the operation of the device, more than half of the output stream consists of air, which contributes to significant savings in water resources.

The device is easy to use and install. If after some time the aerator becomes clogged with salt or lime, which is always present in tap water, it will be easy to remove and clean it yourself.

Advantages and disadvantages

The aerator has its positive and negative sides, which are determined by the structure and principle of operation.

Positive properties of the device:

• reducing the flow pressure, resulting in a reduction in the amount of splashes and noise of flowing water;
• liberation of water from chlorine due to connection with air particles;
• ease of installation and use of the nozzle;
• variety of types of structures;
• affordable prices.

In addition to its advantages, the aerator also has several disadvantages:

• Short service life. This device is constantly washed with tap water, the quality of which leaves much to be desired. Therefore, filters and nozzles quickly become clogged and fail.A high-quality, expensive product will last three years at most, while a device from the budget segment will require replacement after just six months of use.
• With an aerator, any container will be filled one and a half times slower.
• There are models with internal and external threads, so when purchasing a divider, you must carefully check whether the selected aerator will fit the previously installed mixer.

Despite some disadvantages, economical owners are happy to install aerators in their homes in order to reduce water consumption.

How and where is the aerator installed?

Installing the aerator will not cause any particular difficulties and can be done independently. The work consists of several stages:

1. Install a rubber gasket to ensure sealing of the connection between the aerator and the tap. If such a part is not found in the kit, it must be cut out of elastic or purchased additionally.
2. Carefully screw the device onto the thread at the end of the tap and tighten it with pliers.
3. Open the water and check the operation of the device. When checking, pay attention to ensure that no water leaks through the O-ring.

Illuminated aerators do not require additional power sources, as they are equipped with an autonomous power source in the form of a small turbine. They are attached in the same way as traditional models.

In the shower stall, the aerator is installed at the junction of the watering can with the hose.

To fully experience water savings, experts advise installing aerators on all faucets in the apartment. An inexpensive, easy-to-use device not only saves water resources, but also makes the water softer and cleaner.