Taps – A buying guide for the UK

Your choice of taps along with your choice of tiles greatly affect the overall style of your bathroom, and can be where your own personal taste influences the final stylish look of your bathing or showering room. The big advantage that taps have over tiles is that they can easily be replaced to suit the current fashion, if you end up selling or renting your property in the future.

The main types of taps are:

Basin Mixers – These are taps that sit in the single middle hole of your basin and mix hot and cold water together in a way that you can control by the handle or lever.

Mini Basin Mixers – These have the same function as basin mixers but are much smaller and are mostly used on little cloakroom basins, as their spouts project less.

Tall Basin Mixers – These taps are tall versions of a basin mixer that normally sit on a countertop and reach over a sit on or countertop basin that has no tap holes.

Wall Mounted Basin Mixers – These are basin mixers that come out from the wall in various configurations such as 2 tap hole or 3 tap hole. They are normally used to get water into basins with no tap holes (but please check the spout length is suitable for your chosen basin). You often cannot install these mixers on the inside of an outside wall. That is because they need space behind the spout (and the levers/handles) to hold the brass body that mixes the water.

Basin Pillar Taps – These are 2 individual taps, one for the hot water and one for the cold water that  are used when your basin or sink has two tap holes.

Bath Shower Mixers – These are normally deck mounted (but there are wall mounted versions) taps that can be used on a two-tap hole bath to mix the hot and cold water using the levers or handles to set a temperature that you desire when filling your bath. They also have a showering head attachment on a hose (that sits in a cradle) that you can use to shower yourself. This is operated by a lever on the tap which switches the water from filling your bath to the shower attachment option and vice versa. 

Bath Fillers – These are the same as the bath shower mixers but they don`t have a showering attachment.

Exofils – These are devices that sit in your baths overflow hole and mix the water entering your bath like a bath filler does (they do need a shower valve to pre-mix the water to them). They should only be used on baths with no tap holes.

Bath Pillar Taps –  These are 2 individual taps, one for the hot water and one for the cold water that are used when your bath has two tap holes

Bidet Mixers and Douches – Bidet mixers are taps that sit in the hole in your bidet and mix the water to a comfortable temperature that you can control with the lever or handle.

Douches are basically a shower head on a hose that comes out of the wall. It pre mixes the water (with the aid of some type of shower mixing valve) to a temperature that you can set. Douches are more flexible that Bidet taps and are normally used on bidets with no tap holes.

Sensor Taps – Are automated mixers taps (normally used on basins) that are activated when you pass your hands under the spout. They usually deliver mixed warm water at a temperature that you can set when installing them.

Waterfall Taps – Are taps that mimic the effect of a waterfall with a wide stream of water rather than a small narrow stream of water that most taps give.

Kitchen Taps – Are taps that are specifically designed to work in a kitchen and often have a swivel function for ease of use above a kitchen sink.

We at Bathrooms at Source have over 110 years bathroom experience (sad but true) between us in matching a customers taste in design style to what is practical for your bathroom. If in doubt, give us a shout, as we are a friendly knowledgeable bunch who are always willing to help you achieve your designer bathroom look.

We have thousands of taps for both basins and baths, in contemporary and traditional styles, that can be wall mounted, deck mounted or even fill your bath from the overflow hole. All in a dazzling array of colours including, Brushed Brass, Matt Black, Chrome, White, Brushed Bronze and Rose Gold to name but a few. Supplied from some of the best bathroom brands in the UK. Including Perrin and Rowe, Vado, Crosswater, Zucchetti, Burlington  JTP and Saneux to name but a few.

Know your water pressure, below is a picture of one of our basin mixers, it looks beautiful but it will not work properly in every bathroom due to it needing one bar of water pressure to operate well.

If you have low water pressure (water storage tanks) or a combi boiler, and order a tap needing at least 1 bar of water pressure then the water will most likely only dribble out and that is an avoidable outcome if you consult our one of our experts before you buy. They can help you find the look you desire to match with the water system you have.