Kitchen Tap Query

[woodwind]

I have just read the "Flexible tap connectors" thread so I suspect that there may be some knowledgeable plumbers on here to answer my question! Some months ago I replaced the tap in the kitchen sink. The tap is the same size and design of the original but a different make, which is a swivelling mixer and shaped like a walking stick handle.
No problem with the operation, it lets the water out and stops it without fault, the problem is the excessive time it takes to "switch" between hot and cold or vice versa, i.e. for the cold to get cold after running hot and the hot to get hot after running cold. Only a few seconds of course, but enough to be a nuisance and the original didn't have that problem.
What would I have to look for in another tap?

 

[ChaiLatte]

...shaped like a walking stick handle.

What would I have to look for in another tap?

There will be water of the appropriate temperature in every part of the tap after the valve. That is where it mixes and how it mixes so you can choose your desired degree of tepidity. If that part is very long, changing from one extreme to the other will take time as the new has first to purge the old.

Look for one with a short snout or use two individual taps, one with a red dot, the other with a blue dot. Instant hot or cold and the exciting, free bonus feature of hot and cold at the same time.

 

[Richard_C]

Exactly as above, plus of course the body of the tap/spout will need to warm or cool. If it bothers you then as above and a cheap thin thing with less mass. Or (much cheaper) simply adjust your expectations

(All designs are a trade off. We have the walking stick handle shape so you can fill a bucket under it)

 

[user 35906]

Some tap spouts have a divider inside to prevent the water mixing until it gets to the outlet nozzle

 

[Spectric]

Some tap spouts have a divider inside to prevent the water mixing until it gets to the outlet nozzle

I think that is to do with the bylaws on potable water, preventing any mixing due to backflow of the hot and cold.

 

[Silfi]

As mentioned above I think your previous tap was twin flow or dual flow where both hot and cold reach the spout seperately. This design was for a gravity feed system where pressure of hot and cold were different to allow the mixer function to work correctly. Not sure if this style of tap is still available.

 

[Pedronicus]

As mentioned above I think your previous tap was twin flow or dual flow where both hot and cold reach the spout seperately. This design was for a gravity feed system where pressure of hot and cold were different to allow the mixer function to work correctly. Not sure if this style of tap is still available.

This type of tap is indeed for that type of installation where the supplies are unbalanced to prevent backflow. In that case the Regs require either single check valves in both supplies to the individual tap where the mixing can take place within the body of the tap. If the mixing is to take place at the discharge point then SCVs are not required. Water Reg. G15.13 refers. They are still available as there are very many properties that still have unbalanced supplies installed.

 

[Spectric]

I can say that there is an awful lot of very nasty brassware out there nowadays, all looks nice and shiny but no quality.

 

[Dave Moore]

I have just read the "Flexible tap connectors" thread so I suspect that there may be some knowledgeable plumbers on here to answer my question! Some months ago I replaced the tap in the kitchen sink. The tap is the same size and design of the original but a different make, which is a swivelling mixer and shaped like a walking stick handle.
No problem with the operation, it lets the water out and stops it without fault, the problem is the excessive time it takes to "switch" between hot and cold or vice versa, i.e. for the cold to get cold after running hot and the hot to get hot after running cold. Only a few seconds of course, but enough to be a nuisance and the original didn't have that problem.
What would I have to look for in another tap?

Some taps are for combo boilers and some for the ‘old’ type with a cylinder. It does make a difference but I don’t know if that’s your problem.

 

[woodwind]

This type of tap is indeed for that type of installation where the supplies are unbalanced to prevent backflow. In that case the Regs require either single check valves in both supplies to the individual tap where the mixing can take place within the body of the tap. If the mixing is to take place at the discharge point then SCVs are not required. Water Reg. G15.13 refers. They are still available as there are very many properties that still have unbalanced supplies installed.

This seems to describe my problem exactly! It seems in my ignorance I bought the wrong type of tap, although in my defence I didn't see any reference to this in any of the online stores.
Thanks to all who replied, even the first two, who seem to know as little as I do about kitchen taps.

 

[Bingy man]

Taps taps and more taps -the quality of many is poor to useless, always look at the spec eg is it suitable for high pressure ( combi,s and other high pressure storage systems) or the older standard gravity systems ( standard hot water cylinders) there are many homes with combi boilers but the incoming water pressure is too low for them to work effectively and efficiently. Most of these are fitted by plumbers and not heating engineers who understand how combi boilers work. Many plumbers only know how to fit combi,s and don’t have the knowledge or qualifications to recognise that a stored hot water system is required ( unvented or thermal store etc ) so unfortunately the customer suffers with poor hot water flow or excessive temperatures and this continues until the correct heating/ hot water system is installed. Another key defect is when the hot and cold supplies are run together and in contact with each other- the hot and cold then transfer heat/ cold and the tap will struggle to keep the temperature balanced.