Hands Free Faucet

Many people have had the experience of using a hands free faucet, especially in public places like airports, bus depots, hospitals or other public buildings like libraries. The purpose of a hands free faucet is to control the transmissions of germs, as nothing on the faucet has to be touched, but studies show that hands free faucets are not entirely germ free. They also save water because the water flows for a set amount of time, usually from five to 40 seconds. The water also turns off automatically when the hands are removed from beneath the faucet. Both the timing of the water flow and the water temperature can be preset. However, hands free faucets are more expensive to install than traditional faucets. Installation can cost as much as $600. Some hands free faucets also come with a side sprayer attachment. Yet, they come in the same kind of sleek and modernistic designs as traditional faucets and are manufactured by top selling and high recommended companies that specialize in kitchen appliances.

A hands free faucet works by an infrared motion sensor at the base of the faucet. The sensor can be powered by electricity or battery. The water flows when the sensor picks up the presence of hands or other objects like drinking glasses of cooking pots beneath the faucet. Besides their expense, another drawback of hands free faucets is that their plumbing is more complicated than that of traditional faucets. They have extra valves, pipes and filters to stop water from flowing backwards down the wrong pipe when the faucet is off. Some health experts believe that these extra valves and pipes give harmful bacteria more places to breed.

Some hands free faucets don’t use sensors, but use a foot operated pedal. These faucets, which stop when the foot is removed from the pedal, also save water, and so cut down on energy costs.