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I'm looking for a way to find a certain type of tap but I'm not native English and have no idea of the terminology, or even what I need exists...

Wall has 2 pipe endings, 15cm apart. I need one big lever to mix both hot and cold (ceramic thing?). Output is 1 tub filling normal flow. Another output is to handheld shower head.

The most important is that the switch between the 2 outputs should NOT be automatic. I've seen those with 2 different controls (one hot, one cold) where the switch is manual. But I haven't seen any solution with manual switch that also has 1 big lever for mixing. enter image description here

The reason is that the automatic is very fiddly for me. I almost exclusively use the handheld shower output and I hardly ever want the tub filling output (but it's nice to have). I don't wish to fiddle every day with the pressure-sensitive switch, since it all defaults to tub-filling mode as far as I know.

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  • The "manual valve" is a type of diverter valve. Typical bath faucet diverters are held in place by the water flow that they are diverting. This is actually considered a feature that the shower won't be automatically on for the next water flow.
    – Tyson
    May 24, 2017 at 20:50
  • I happen to dislike that feature :)
    – Firsh - justifiedgrid.com
    May 24, 2017 at 23:09
  • In an apartment I had in college, I wrapped the shaft with silver duct tape to hold it up.
    – Tyson
    May 24, 2017 at 23:32
  • If I were to buy a diverter valve-less design.. Does such device exists that splits the single showerhead output to 2 outputs with a manual switch? Which is a screw-on addon maybe.
    – Firsh - justifiedgrid.com
    May 25, 2017 at 6:06
  • What kind of water heater do you have--tank or tankless?
    – Jim Stewart
    Dec 15, 2018 at 20:07

1 Answer 1

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Google 'bar mixing valve' or 'thermostatic bar mixing valve'.

The one you picture looks to me like it is not thermostatic nor pressure balancing. It has no 'anti-scald' protection. Anti-scald valves are now required for a shower in nearly every plumbing code as far as I know.

The bar mixing valve type has the advantage that the entire valve is outside the wall, enabling repair or complete replacement without disturbing the wall.

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  • A downvote is OK with me, I will sometime pipe up on a question that I'm not sure about just to get the discussion started, but I wonder what is wrong with my answer here. Is it false that all codes now require a thermostatic mixing valve for the shower? Or is something else wrong with my answer?
    – Jim Stewart
    Dec 15, 2018 at 20:05
  • It's not me who's downvoting. I still haven't found the name for this, but I found a brand. They add a "secret" state to the switch that lets the user lock in the flow on the showerhead, and not only rely on the water pressure keep it on the showerhead.
    – Firsh - justifiedgrid.com
    Dec 15, 2018 at 23:07
  • The dropping of the diverter when the water is turned off allows the water in the shower pipe to drain promptly into the tub. If the diverter is locked in the shower position, won't the trapped water slowly drip and keep the tub wet for hours? I have an in-wall diverter and after every shower I manually turn the diverter to the intermediate position so the shower drains promptly. Have I been putting unnecessary wear on the diverter for decades?
    – Jim Stewart
    Dec 15, 2018 at 23:23
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    @JimStewart No, but external is much more common. Bar mixers are specifically the ones that are bar shaped - this is a bar mixer bit.ly/2PPSh5q but this isn't bit.ly/2Gx7YiR . The tap that OP posted is a very common feature in bathrooms, though now it's mostly as a back-up to electric showers/for cost-cutting ( eg. bit.ly/2EuqANw ) which are used instead of mixers as many/most homes have heating/plumbing systems which give very poor performance with mixers. Mixers are used where the system suits, they give much better performance than electric showers.
    – Niall
    Dec 19, 2018 at 20:18
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    @JimStewart Anti-scald devices are required on new-builds and new bathrooms(when the use of a room is changed to become a bathroom) but not for any replacement/refurbishment in an existing bathroom.
    – Niall
    Dec 19, 2018 at 20:19

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