Do-it-yourself mixer repair is a great alternative to its expensive replacement. The most common problem is constantly dripping water from the spout. The reason is a faulty axle-box crane. How to replace the crane box yourself will be described in this article..
The following signs indicate the need to replace the valve box in the mixer:
- water drips from the spout or constantly flows, rotating the handles does not correct the situation;
- the rotation of the adjusting knobs is difficult;
- oozing water from under the flywheel.
It should be understood that, despite the great difference in the appearance of various mixers, they are all subject to a certain classification, that is, they are divided into certain groups according to their device. For example, you can read about this in the article “How to choose a mixer”. Within each group, the design of the various mixers is the same. Therefore, for all crane-axle-box mixers, the procedure for replacing the crane-axle box is the same..
Required tool
To carry out the work, we need:
- Wallpaper knife.
- Slotted (flat) screwdriver.
- Adjustable wrench.
Replacing the crane box
It should be noted that there are only two types of crane-axle boxes: ceramic and worm gear, but there are a lot of types. Therefore, it makes sense to go buy a new crane-axle box, having a sample on hand.
To obtain a sample, we need to remove the original valve box from the mixer body. If for some reason you are unable to dismantle the broken crane box, then you will have to buy a new mixer, therefore, all the works described in the article are required not only to obtain a sample, but also to convince you of the maintainability of your mixer.
Let’s get started. We will describe the procedure for replacing the faucet axle box using the example of a bath-shower mixer of this type.
- Be sure to shut off cold and hot water at the inlet from the riser.
- Remove the flywheel handle. To do this, dismantle the decorative cover. In some cases, it is screwed onto the handle body, therefore, it must be turned off. In our case, it is simply inserted. Gently pick it up with a flat object, such as a knife, and take out.
- There is a screw under the cover. We turn it off with a screwdriver.
- Removing the flywheel handle.
- A number of flywheels have an additional element – a skirt that covers the upper part of the crane box. We turn it away with our hands.
- The crane box is available for dismantling. Using any wrench of a suitable size or an adjustable wrench, turn the crane box counterclockwise.
- We only loosen the threaded connection with the key. Then you can turn it by hand. We take out the crane box.
We go with a crane-axle box to the store and buy a similar.
- The mixer assembly must be carried out in the reverse order. The most important thing is not to overtighten the threaded connections. It is best to do everything by hand, and then tighten it slightly with a wrench. In the end, if after assembly it will dig somewhere, then at any time it is quite easy to pull up the current connection.
Separately, we should consider the situation that is quite common with axle-box crane mixers. During operation, when excessive forces are applied when opening / closing the crane-axle boxes, the flywheels often turn. This cuts off the retaining notches inside the handle. In this case, the flywheel must be replaced. To do this, you need to complete the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and, if necessary, 5th points. It is not necessary to cut off the water. With the flywheel removed, we go to the store and buy the necessary new one.
