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In a world where having contactless options is essential to people concerned with staying healthy, sensor faucets are becoming more prevalent in commercial settings. If you are designing a building focusing on high-tech hygiene fixtures, there are four innovative faucets you need to know about.
Plumbing fixtures have been around since the Egyptians used them in their palaces in 2,500 BC. However, sensor faucets have only been around since October 1981. It was then that Australian inventor Norman Wareham developed the first sensor-activated faucet.
Since that time, sensor faucet technology has continued to advance. Let's take a moment to look at the latest sensor technology in these futuristic fixtures.
Before you do that, let's review the commercial kitchen and restroom design checklist so that you know exactly what goes into these high-tech hygiene spaces. You will also learn common issues with these innovations and how to troubleshoot them.
Key Takeaways:
- Whether you're designing a kitchen or bathroom, for a restaurant, community center, or other commercial building, you have many factors to consider. These factors include facility traffic, design budget, and ADA compliance, to name a few.
- Four types of high-tech hygiene-centric commercial faucets are popular among designers right now. These include programmed faucets, touch sensors, and hands-free metering.
- Innovative kitchen and bathroom technology can sometimes mean you will have to troubleshoot issues. You'll need to know how to replace the sensor power source. You'll also need to know what to do to fix water pressure problems.
Commercial Faucet Design Checklist
If you are designing a bathroom or kitchen for a restaurant, community center, stadium, or other commercial structure, there are several things to consider. You already know you will be designing the bathroom of the future with the latest sensor faucet technology.
Yet, what else do you need to factor into your design checklist? To determine the best commercial faucet design for a facility’s kitchens and restrooms, ask yourself the following questions:
- How much traffic will the restroom get?
- What is your budget?
- Is water conservation a priority?
- What must you do to ensure the faucet is ADA compliant?
- What can you do to make the best use of space?
Answering these questions will help you determine the styles, quantities, and features you will want for your commercial kitchen and restroom faucet designs and layouts. For instance, if you don’t know how many people will use the restroom faucets throughout the day, you won’t know how many to install.
Likewise, if you don’t know the budget you are working with, you may get sensor faucets that are over the price point you can afford. Answering these questions will help you choose the best faucets for the facility you are designing.
4 High-Tech Sensor Faucets in Commercial Kitchens and Restrooms
The touchless faucet market size as a whole will grow at a rate of 4.2% CAGR. Experts expect the commercial market to reach the highest growth rate by 2025, with the global kitchen faucet market growing to be over $9 billion.
According to market research studies, the recent global pandemic caused a surge in the sensor faucet market size. Here are the top four most technologically advanced models of these sensor faucets.
1. Programmable Faucets
These faucets allow you to program them from a smart device like your cell phone or tablet. You can monitor water usage and set the amount of water that flows from the sink when it is on.
If you install them in a commercial setting, the user can set each one with differing flow rates according to who will be using them. For instance, the building manager may want to restrict how much water flows from the restrooms but allow more water flow for the staff in the kitchen.
2. Touch Sensor Faucets
Not all sensor faucets are hands-free. Some have an infrared sensor that activates the fixture with the touch of their hand to the spout. These are especially helpful in a busy kitchen environment or a medical facility. While most plumbers install touch sensor faucets in the residential market, they're making their way into commercial settings.
3. Metering Touchless Faucets
When people think of metering faucets, they think of those in a public restroom that don’t stay on long enough to get soap off. That leaves you repeatedly touching the faucet handle to activate the water flow.
Users don't have to touch the handle to turn on the water with a metering touchless faucet. Even if the water turns off in the middle of washing your hands, just wave your hand over the sensor, and the water will begin to flow again.
4. Turbine-Powered Faucets
These renewable energy faucets run on the power they generate from the water that flows from the spout itself. Developers place a tiny turbine at the end of the faucet. A battery pack stores the energy generated by the turbine to power the faucet's sensor.
How to Troubleshoot Issues With Your Faucet Sensor
One issue with having a technologically advanced kitchen or restroom in your commercial building is troubleshooting problems that arise from these innovations.
For example, sensors require power, and it's always a good idea to have a backup power source, like battery packs for turbine-powered faucets or hardwired plugs for battery power backup.
Another common issue sensor faucets have is that the water pressure can begin to weaken over time. The power source is sometimes the problem. You may also need to replace the solenoid valve.
This video will help you troubleshoot these more common issues.
Are You Ready for the Future of High-Tech Hygienic Commercial Faucets?
Designing a modern, technologically advanced bathroom means incorporating sensor faucets that seem like they come from the future. In the last two years, we have learned the importance of a contactless world where we touch as few surfaces as possible.
At Chicago Faucets, we help you bring these innovations to life at the facilities you design. From fully programmable faucets that focus on water conservation to touchless fixtures with metering options, we have the futuristic faucets you are looking for in commercial kitchen and restroom designs.
For more details on innovations in sensor faucet technology, contact us today.
