There are a whole host of reasons people decide they want to use hands-free taps. At Tapmaster we are uniquely passionate about them since that is our business. But regardless of the hands-free system you decide on there are a number of common key benefits. Check out our short video on the top 5 reasons to install hands-free taps in your home below or read the article. Remember to comment or send us a tweet at @TapMasterInc or follow us on Facebook.
1. Hygiene
The main reason we developed our product line was to meet the needs of dentists looking for a more hygienic way to operate their taps while interacting with their patients. We were approached by a number dentists local to us looking for a good solution that integrated well with their practice, and since dentists are used to using their equipment via foot pedals it was a natural progression.
Numerous studies have shown that the tap is one of – if not the top – places where cross-contamination occurs. Cross-contamination is simply the accidental transfer of bacteria of viruses from one surface to another.
This is not surprising as the tap is one of the key touch points any time you handle food, go to the washroom or work with something dirty. With a traditional tap you have to touch the handle to turn it on before you can wash your hands, and they you have to touch that same tap handle after your hands have been washed.
Hands-free taps of any variety make it easier to avoid that added point of contamination, though it is possible to minimize the risk without.
2. Convenience
After we started using our hands free taps we started to realize how convenient they are to use. Remember, we originally designed our taps controllers to meet the hygiene needs of dentists and doctors – we didn’t really think of them as a convenience item. But, in testing we installed them on our own home taps and after a little while we realized we had begun to rely on them.
There are a lot of things that we take for granted with any hands-free tap solution now that we’ve been using them in one variety or another for almost 28 years.
- It is so much easier to rinse dishes and produce when you have both hands free.
- We rarely have to clean our tap handle to keep it looking clean
3. Water savings
This is a hotly debated topic in the industry. Hands-free tap control systems can be used to help reduce water waste. However, unlike low-flow fixtures the amount of water saved depends greatly on use patterns and the underlying technology associated with the hands-free system.
At Tapmaster we like to group hands-free systems into two broad categories when it comes to water savings, Positive control and Passive control:
- Positive control is our term for hands free systems that put the user in direct control over the water flow. These are systems like the Delta Touch2.0 and our own Tapmaster line of products. They rely on direct user input to activate the water flow and immediately stop when the user tells them to stop.
- Passive control is our term for tap controllers that are not directly controlled by the user. Some examples are sensor based systems, Delta Voice taps and metered water systems. Sensor taps are activated by either ultrasonic or infrared detection of the user’s hands. There is inherent noise in those signals so they have a minimum run-time to prevent rapid cycling of the valve. Some models are better at reacting quickly to a water-off condition without problems but none have managed to overcome the issue entirely.
4. Fun factor
If you are anything like us, it is fun to use gadgets. Those gadgets are even more fun when they serve a useful and practical purpose. Hands-free taps really are fun to play with, when people come over to my house they inevitably make a comment on how neat the tap controllers are. Particularly since they are so intuitive to use. I still get enjoy when people see me use the tap and can’t immediately figure out how I did it. You can almost see them wanting to ask, but holding back because they aren’t sure if they missed something.
5. Fixes a leaky tap
This one is mainly true for retrofit systems like Tapmaster. If you know you want hands-free control, a retrofit system like Tapmaster can solve that pesky drip without having to replace the tap or cartridge first. This may not be a big cost savings, but I’ve never complained when a product I purchase solves two problems instead of one!
Let us know why you think you need hands-free tap controls in your home or business. We love engaging with our customers and coming up with unique solutions to bring hands-free taps to the masses!