Kitchen Mixer Tap - Pressure Problems

[Ian:)]

Bought & fitted a tap from a well-known orange DIY chain. As with many others in store, it was labelled as suitable for all water systems. However, I now discover that my gravity fed hot supply is being overpowered by the mains cold. Presumably being pushed back up the pipe. What are my options here ? Do I fit a check valve (I think that's what it's called ?) to the hot pipe to stop the flow reversing ? If so, won't this just mean that in most cases, the tap will just provide cold rather than mix i.e. stop the hot, unless the cold is on very slow ? Instead, is there a valve which will balance them both i.e. reduce the cold pressure ?

Any advice appreciated. I don't really want to remove the tap and return as the kitchen is finished !

Thanks.

 

[ChrisR]

Any LEGAL tap doesn't mix the hot and cold until the very end of the spout, to prevent backflow. B&Q sell some junk though.
Is there a gauze sort of thing on the end of the spout - an "aerator"? If so unscrew it, it might be full of scale etc.

 

[bathjobby]

You have to have equal pressure hot and cold for mixers which is why they are typically fitted upstairs in a gravity fed systems. It is also why you fit a 'monoblock' tap where different pressures are present e.g. downstairs kitchen. As the name 'monoblock' suggest it is a single block but houses 2 separate taps and spouts in the one block. Look at the end of the old spout and you will see 2 outlets, they are individually fed for the separate hot and cold tap, so the water does mix at all in the monoblock, it only mixes as it emerges from the spouts.

 

[Ian:)]

Thanks for the quick responses. The tap has a long swan neck and is effectively a single tube from the top of the tap base to the end. It seems therefore it's only meant for balanced systems. Is there a handy valve I can utilise ? Am I limited to the check (anti-reverse) valve ?

Thanks !