Consumer demand for touchless faucets has skyrocketed lately — for obvious reasons. 90% of people are washing their hands more frequently, more thoroughly or for longer periods of time. 60% of Americans said that their preference for touchless handwashing fixtures in public restrooms has risen a great deal since the pandemic.
Touchless faucets, also called sensor faucets, used to be a hassle to install and were a little too pricey for the average commercial property to buy. While the price is still higher than the average faucet, the benefits that touchless faucets bring are worth their price tag.
Whether your next project is a school, a hospital or a multifamily building, keep touchless faucets and the seven benefits explained below in mind.
1. Germ Spread Prevention
When most people think of the germiest spot in a bathroom, they usually think of the toilet seat. To offset this assumption, toilet seat covers were implemented across the country. But the reality is far more concerning. While the toilet seat does turn up an average of 1.5 million colony-forming units (CFUs) of bacteria per square inch, it doesn’t even come close to the top two germ offenders.
Trailing behind only the toilet paper dispenser, the sink faucet handle clocks in at approximately double the number of germs as a toilet seat: 3 million CFUs. In fact, public restroom sink faucet handles are ten times dirtier than your pet’s food bowl.
You can’t wash your hands before turning on the sink with a traditional faucet, so it is a hot spot for harboring coliform bacteria, e.coli and even staph. And germs that are transmitted onto the faucet before washing hands are picked back up again after washing, essentially defeating the purpose of washing.
Touchless faucets help prevent the spread of these germs and are an important addition to a public restroom renovation to keep employees, tenants and guests healthy.
2. Water Savings
Touchless faucets were designed to have a lower flow rate to save water and to prevent leakage from happening. Going touchless can save you a considerable amount of water compared to standard faucets, offering a more eco-friendly, sustainable and money-saving solution.
According to HGTV, touchless faucets can reduce your water use by 30 to 50 percent. Based on a study by California State University, Sacramento, facilities that installed touchless faucets reported water savings of up to 70% compared to traditional faucets. Talk about savings! Hands-free faucets can also be programmed to a specific temperature and water flow rate so water and energy aren’t wasted waiting for the temperature to warm up.
3. Convenience
Touchless faucets are convenient for both the users and the amazing people who help keep public restrooms clean. To use, all you do is wave your hands in front of the sensor and the water flow immediately begins. When you’re done, you remove your hands and the water stops. It’s just that simple.
Another bonus feature is touchless faucets are easier to clean. They look less visibly dirty to the untrained eye, and there are not as many cracks or crevices for grime to attach to. Cleaning the spout, replacing worn or damaged moving pieces and even replacing the entire fixture can be much simpler because of the design of the fixtures.
4. Children & Senior Safety
On top of convenience for everyday users, touchless faucets are also easier to use and more accessible for small children, senior citizens and people with disabilities. And when it comes to safety, it’s easier to avoid any scalding temperatures that sometimes occur with a more traditional faucet.
5. Great for Bottle Filling
On top of bathroom sink faucets, infrared sensors can also control other plumbing fixtures like bottle filling stations. An automatic filling faucet eliminates the need for a user to touch a button to turn the water on, again stopping the spread of disease, improving safety and convenience, and saving water.
The touchless faucet in your bathrooms is great for helping your client’s guests increase their water intake, but if they want to be extra fancy, consider adding bottle filling stations in your project plan.
Central Brass’s Sensor Bottle Filler is perfect for upgrading your existing refrigerated bubbler unit. Hygienic, lead-free and low maintenance, this touchless bottle filler is durable, features long life cycles, is engineered for easy installation and is designed to retrofit your existing Elkay water fountain system easily.
6. Easy Install
Ten years ago, a lot of contractors hesitated to add touchless faucets because the installation was more of a hassle than traditional plumbing. But now, with advancements in technology and equipment handling, installation is much easier than it used to be. While there is additional install time required, and we recommend hiring a professional plumber, the end benefits are more than worth it.
7. Variety of Flow Rates
Today, touchless faucets do much more than simply turn the water on and off. They can be a source for real-time data on water usage with special metering technology. Airflow rate and temperature can be adjusted on the fly.
Touchless faucets have fewer moving parts than traditional faucets, and they tend to last longer, too. Pioneer touchless faucets have a long battery life with a low battery indicator and can be used up to 300,000 times before needing to switch batteries.
Central Brass Touchless Faucet Solutions
Designing faucets for commercial use is much more challenging than designing for a residential home, and we understand your challenges intimately. The design needs to be accessible, account for higher traffic and more frequent users, and be able to be installed at a much larger scale. That’s where we step in.
Here at Pioneer, we just released Central Brass touchless faucets that are low maintenance, highly durable and engineered for easier installation. These touchless faucets feature vandal-resistant aerators and long life cycles. Whether you’re interested in touchless faucets for a school, a high-traffic airport, a hospital or more, you can find the perfect solution with Pioneer.
Our plumbing solutions can help make your client’s project dreams a reality. With the benefits of germ spreading prevention, convenience, safety, accessibility, customizability, sustainability, money-saving perks and an easier installation, what are you waiting for? Check out our touchless faucet product offering to get started today.
