Upgrading your bathtub faucets in the bathroom is a fairly simple process that many homeowners overlook. Ideas for replacing your bathtub faucet are virtually unlimited with new bathroom faucet designs coming on to the market regularly and you will have a vast array of bathroom faucet ideas to choose from. Upgrading faucets for water use, design reasons or to fix a plumbing problem are the common reasons for bathroom faucet replacement.
Bathtub faucet ideas
Before you select a faucet to replace your existing one with, you should have some basic concepts to work from so that you choose the most appropiate faucet for your bathroom and needs. Faucets are incredibly diverse, and understanding simple differences in design can help you make the most of your upgrade
Quality Faucets
Choosing a solid brass faucet rather than stainless steel, chrome plated or even brass plated faucets will mean that you will have less chance of needing to repair or replace your faucet during the lifetime of your bathtub. Other metals are simply not as durable as brass and it is a better idea to choose a high quality fixture once rather than paying for multiple lesser quality bathroom faucets over the lifetime of your tub.
A good looking tub design
Matching your faucet with the style of tub that you have is important not only for design reasons, but to also maximize the efficiency and practicality of your bathtub design. Older, or vintage bathtubs can be retrofitted to include modern faucets that produce a better result. For example, a clawfoot tub can be fitted to include a modern “Victorian style” faucet that is designed to work with your vintage tub. These types of faucets can be fitted to the tub itself, or as an alternative, they are installed on the outside of the bathtub and flow over into the tub.
Modern bathtub faucet ideas
These days, you can find just about any style of faucet for your bathtub that your imagination can allow. A contained unit can accommodate multiple heads that produce water flow from every direction. There are also semi-portable shower heads that are adjusted to the individual using the bathtub, and importantly, low flow faucets that help to reduce your utility bill and lessen your impact on the environment by saving water that can be used for cooking and drinking instead. An important note on bathtub faucets for the DIY repair people out there is that your sink and bathtub require very different rates of flow and it is important to choose a bathroom faucet over a kitchen faucet.
Bathroom faucet repair
Repairing a leaky bathroom faucet is a resource saver that you should be concerned with. Letting a small leak continue can translate into thousands of litres of water a month that is simply wasted. This is the equivelant of turning on your faucets to full and leaving the room for a very long time just to listen to the water and your money flow down the pipes. Most people would not do this, but ignoring a leaky faucet is exactly the same but on a longer time scale. Even small drips from the faucet can add up to hundreds of litres of wasted water per month that you will have to pay for, so it is simply a better option to purchase a higher quality bathtub faucet and save money in the long run with a unit that does not leak.
Some DIY homeowners are able to tackle a bathroom faucet repair or replacement job if they have the right tools and some basic plumbing knowledge. Keep in mind that some simple mistakes can add up to costly repairs if you need an emergency plumbing service to fix your problem. Plumbing can become a complex job, depending on the style and condition of your existing plumbing and if you are not completely familiar with the type of plumbing that you do have and the differences between bathtub faucets that are designed to work with different styles of plumbing, then you should leave this job to a professional to make sure that the faucet is installed correctly the first time.
Bathroom renovation article by Greg Escott of Contractor Quotes
