Replacing a faucet or mixer is difficult or simple, on the shoulder of each owner, or is the inheritance and bread only a plumber? Let's get it right.

Table of contents

1. How to choose a crane? video
2. Ceramic crane box what is it, where is it used?
3. The device of a ceramic crane box
4. Installation issues video
5. Noname China or famous manufacturer?

How to choose a crane?

Crane element shutoff valves. Provides overlap or change in the flow rate of the fluid in the pipeline. In industry, household valves are widely used.

and ball valves.

They have been serving in our apartments for decades. But they have to be repaired often. Both valve and ball valves use rubber (plastic, leather) gaskets that become unusable over time and water and must be replaced. To do this, you need to buy repair kits, cut off the water supply in the house or apartment and repair the crane. To avoid problems with the constant replacement of gaskets, a ceramic box crane will help.

Ceramic crane box what is it, where is it used?

Ceramic crane-box replaced the well-known valve. The locking elements are ceramic-metal plates made of aluminum oxide. This material has great strength and durability. The high frequency of the surface of the locking mechanism creates intermolecular attraction between the plates. This eliminates the need for seals to seal the tap or mixer. Very often, the crane box is also called a cartridge.

You can also use crane boxes on old mixers; they can completely replace valve shut-off elements.

Unlike valves, the full opening of the crane is carried out by turning the flywheel 90 or 180 degrees, depending on the model.

For use in mixers and taps of different manufacturers, cartridge rods are made in several versions:

• under the square;

• 12-point sprocket;
• 16-point sprocket;
• 20-point sprocket.

This element of stop valves has a significant drawback. Since the surfaces of the plates used in the crane box are polished very carefully, the installation of this product in an environment where there are solid suspended particles can lead to depressurization due to their ingress between the plates. To avoid such situations, it is recommended to install a coarse filter in the water supply system, which will retain solid impurities.

The device of a ceramic crane box.

Ceramic box crane, like any locking element, consists of several parts:

1. Swivel stem for opening / closing the valve.
2. The body of the crane box has a threaded thread for screwing into the body of the crane or mixer. To seal the connection, a rubber gasket is installed.
3. The locking washer is inserted into the rotary rod to fix it in the crane body.
4. The adapter provides the connection of the rotary rod with the upper plate of the locking mechanism.
5. The top plate is a metal-ceramic plate that rotates 90 or 180 degrees, ensuring the opening of the crane. The plate provides technological grooves for the adapter and openings for opening water. The shape of the holes and technological grooves will depend on the manufacturer of the crane axle box.
6. The bottom plate is fixed, fixed in the crane body. The plate has holes for overflowing water, the shape and size depends on the manufacturer.
7. The rubber gasket provides a tight and reliable installation of the axle box in the valve seat.

The principle of the mechanism is very simple. Using the handle of the tap, we turn the stem of the crane-axle box, it shifts the top plate relative to the bottom by opening / closing water. If the holes match, the axlebox is open and water through the holes in the plates and the body of the axlebox enters the tap. If the holes on the plates do not match, the tap is closed.

Installation issues

If you decide to change the crane box, you should pay attention to the tap itself or the mixer. The valve seat should not have shells or cracks, be well milled and sanded. In this case, the sealing rubber gasket will provide reliable sealing of the seat and the valve will not leak.

When installing the crane axlebox, care must also be taken not to crush the gasket. If you squeeze her, she will not serve for long. Very often, a crane drips through it. If the axle box screw is fully screwed into the seat and the valve is leaking, the height of the rubber gasket may be insufficient. Then it needs to be increased. The easiest way to apply a thin layer of silicone around the gasket perimeter. When it dries, install the crane box in place. The tap should not flow.

Noname China or famous manufacturer?

We are tormented by this question very often when choosing many products. This case is no exception. The price of ceramic crane boxes is not sky-high, but very reasonable. Spending 50 rubles more and buying a quality product from a well-known manufacturer is still better than buying a pig in a poke. Among the global brands in our market are represented: Vidima, Armitage Shanks, Ceramica Dolomite, Jado, Ferro, Haiba and many others. The choice is yours.

Author: Sergey and Svetlana Khuentsov

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