Wall-hung washbasin
Suspended are not only ceilings. And not only the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. In the early 80s, the history of the development of plumbing equipment was marked by the appearance of suspended, or as it is also called, wall-mounted plumbing, and toilets became its pioneers. “Suspended miracle” has become an alternative to floor plumbing. Just do not think that innovation has arisen from design delights and quirks. This fashion was formed under the influence of specific and completely mundane requirements of hygiene, comfort, and economy.
The first such examples appeared in the West in public toilets, where hygiene requirements are extremely high. Ten years later, in the 90s, wall-mounted toilets, urinals, bidets, washbasins have successfully migrated to home bathrooms. Every housewife knows that the most difficult and difficult places to clean are around and under the plumbing equipment. Suspended models allow you to quickly and efficiently clean the room.
Bathroom design with them becomes more refined, graceful and open. You’ve probably already looked at the illustrations. Such bathrooms look not quite familiar, they are distinguished by a certain airiness and lightness, a “floating” effect. Due to the fact that the floor area is not occupied by the equipment, the space of the room looks more spacious. Tiles wins very much, the pattern of which is clearly visible on the floor and walls. No connections visible, no rusty pipes, no shut-off valves. They are hidden behind the cladding, simultaneously forming useful additional areas. The washbasin siphon is closed with a half-column or half-pedestal, hiding the eyeliner and water drain. Even if the siphon remains open, it no longer looks like itself, but becomes a downright “alloy of new technologies” played out by the designers. Lightweight, graceful – in fact, an extension of the shell. This is a completely coordinated design. Well-known manufacturers usually present a ready-made version within the collection: the sink is offered together with a siphon, underframe, mixer.
In the offered collections, you can often find a variant of a wall-hung toilet with a built-in cistern and a variant of a toilet with an external cistern. Cisterns, as a rule, have two flush modes. By pressing one button, half the volume of the tank is consumed – 3 liters, thus saving a large amount of consumed water, by pressing another button, the full volume of the tank is consumed – 6 or 9 liters. Such convenience is fully appreciated by residents of Western countries, where water meters record every used liter, for which you have to pay. For us, saving water is a concept that is still unknown.
What is so special about hanging plumbing is that it allows designers to design a custom bathroom that suits your needs. There are bathrooms and toilets of a non-standard configuration and layout, with problematic wall slopes and corners, in which, it would seem, you cannot place anything. Using installation systems, you can use every square centimeter with maximum benefit (for example, move a toilet bowl or sink to a corner). There are models of washbasins with a standard width of 60 cm, there are the most comfortable ones, 100 cm wide, and there are mini-models with a width of less than 50 cm.The latter will be especially interesting for those who have small bathrooms or have guest bathrooms that often do not have extra meters.
We mentioned installation systems. This is what made suspended plumbing possible. At low cost, ready-to-install elements (steel self-supporting frame for single or rail mounting with complete insulation from condensation moisture, fasteners, fittings, bolts, etc.) are simply installed anywhere in the sanitary room. With the help of this versatile installation system, you can easily plan the layout of the bathroom elements by rearranging toilets, washbasins, sinks, etc., redeveloping in record time (for example, erecting an additional wall and organizing a toilet cubicle in the middle of the bathroom) … The advantage is independence from the existing connections for all plumbing fixtures. The complete installation takes only a few days. Gouging and masonry work is eliminated, the system is installed on existing walls. (There is even a dedicated secure installation system for attaching this equipment to a plasterboard wall).
High strength and reliability are the distinctive features of the suspended models. But there remains a certain psychological barrier, the distrust of Russian consumers in them. They look painfully fragile. Beautiful, of course, hygienic, elegant, but … Still, the hunt at such a crucial moment to sit on something reliable that will not let you down. And this beauty – will it stand? The toilet can withstand a load of up to 400 kg, experts say.
What kind of design is it? Most different. In the offered collections, among the samples of high design art, you can find models with soft outlines, slightly rounded shapes, close to the classic ones. There are models with very clear and laconic outlines in a minimalist spirit. From sophisticated matte shades of jasmine, pearls to deep blue, black and chocolate colors. Materials – faience, glass, metal, wood. For any design idea and for any wallet.
Hanging plumbing isn’t necessarily expensive. There are inexpensive solutions, at the economy class level, in which a wall-hung toilet costs a little more than a hundred dollars. Adding to this, however, is the cost of the installation system, which costs about $ 200. Alternatively, you may be offered special brackets on which you can hang the toilet and cistern, sometimes these brackets are supplied with the models themselves. But the installation system is aerobatics! Experts do not recommend saving on it, because the performance and durability of your equipment depends on the correct installation. Equipping your home or office with such a system can be a company that has experience in this area, is able to select equipment, mount it and maintain it in the future. No serious company will ever be able to offer you modern equipment and a high level of service at “bargain prices”. Deal with professionals.