Full turn v 3/4 turn taps

[mo]

Hi We currently have QUARTER turn taps which I feel are pushing the water out too fast (very high pressure - putting it on full causes the water to splash everywhere)

I want to retain the same pressure but change the taps so it coemso ut slower.

Quetsion is are 3/4 taps just that - you literally only turn them 3.4 because with our old 'full turn; taps we had to spin them aorund like 2 times before they maxed out

Will I notice much difference between them and comapred to a quarter tap?

Screwfix are doign a cheap deal on bath and basin taps as apackage and they are 3/4 turn

[BigWallop]

Why do you have to turn the taps full on all the time? Because the head only turns by ninety degrees, doesn't mean that you can't turn them a quarter of that, or a half of that amount. Your water pressure will never change, but the flow rate will. It will be smaller amounts coming out of the taps if you don't fully open them all the time.

I don't get what your problem is. Is it just that you want new taps for Christmas, or what?

I'm lost. Anyone else getting the problem here? Help..........please. :-)

[John Rumm]

So turn down the flow rate at the service valve... (install one if needs be!)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I've got 1/4 turn ones too in the kitchen and find them easy to regulate. They have quite long levers so a fairly large movement at the end only translates into a small alteration of flow.

Changing taps doesn't affect pressure - only flow.

I've not seen 3/4 turn taps. They sound like they'd look strange. You expect the levers to probably point straight forward when off - and 3/4 turn would stop them being used in confined situations. Unless, of course, they have a knob rather than lever - or a very short one. Which kinda defeats the object.

[Rod]

I'd guess you are talking about these:

(and the bath taps in the range)?

It would probably be cheaper (and might even be easier) to insert some sort of service valve (as suggested by John Rumm). E.g.

Then you can adjust the flow to work with the tap/appliance combinatino you have.

The only other ways I can think of trying to address your needs are:

o Add some sort of sprinkler/aerator to the tap (common in Germany). Maybe an option for your existing taps? o Change to a tap design where the nozzle is larger and likely to result in a 'softer' flow. But it would be difficult to be sure until you have fitted them.

Sometimes mixer taps have a much less strong flow - typically they allow hot and cold to be full on but you rarely do so.

In any event, it would be a good idea to start with adding service valves. It might be neough. And that would also make changing taps in future less of an impact on the rest of the house.

[Dave Liquorice]

Well with 1/4 turn taps you only have 90 degrees of movement from zilch to flat out, with high pressure behind the tap this makes opening them so the flow is not bouncing out of the basin difficult. A 3/4 turn tape gives 270 degrees zilch to full, much easier to control. For example on the 1/4 turn tap say the flow you want occurs after 15 degrees of tap movement on the

3/4 turn tap the same flow occurs after 45 degress movement.

Personally I'd keep the 1/4 turn taps and balance the max flow rate with the abilty of the basin or what ever to contain that flow rate without excessive splashing or zooming up and out the opposite side.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Surely the idea of 1/4 turn taps is you don't need to grip them to operate

- if the levers are long enough. So if your hands are sticky etc you can turn them on with the back of the hand. Of course 'design' probably means some are impossible to operate like this...

That really applies to taps of any type.

[Simon Stroud]

I'd second that advice on fitting aerators.

On our Bristan taps it's easy to unscrew the normal "nozzle" and replace it with an aerator. Makes a quite remarkable difference. Instead of the water shooting out, bouncing off the sink and hitting you in the face you just get a lovely smooth stream of, well, "aerated" water.

Regards, Simon.

[Dave Liquorice]

Levers? Our kitchen mixer has 1/4 turn but no levers just a square knob you can just push it and the tap comes on no need to grip or have a lever.

The cottage bathroom mixers have knobs as well. Finger tip control 'cause

1/4 turn taps operate so smoothly and easily unlike a tarditional tap that requires quite a twist to open then can vary from stiff to loose depending on how much packing is left...

[John Rumm]

You can get 1/4 turn mechanisms with all sorts of knob/lever designs. Some look like traditional tap tops etc.

The main problem is that many are prone to drip after a few years of use.