FEATURE 33 use of their hands , sensor faucets can allow for easier access . This is particularly true for gooseneck faucets in health care applications .
In high-traffic venues like public transit facilities where the goal is to funnel guests out of the restroom as quickly as possible , touch-free integrated sink systems that place every step of the handwashing process within arm ’ s reach are a preferred solution . With a sensoroperated faucet , soap dispenser and hand dryer , these integrated sink systems help make the handwashing process more efficient while guarding against water drips on the floor , which can contribute to slip-and-fall incidents .
Educational settings are often prone to student vandalism . Students can at times abuse equipment , while also trying to flood the restroom by intentionally leaving the water running . Touch-free faucets , along with sensor-operated water closet and urinal flushometers , not only promote hygiene in schools , but prevent this problem of water waste , vandalism , and flooding . This additional type of water savings can be found on both touch-free faucets and flushometers when compared to their manual equivalents .
Touch-free is no longer high-tech ; it is mainstream As recently as the 1990s , a large percentage of the public had no idea what to do when confronted with a touch-free flushometer or faucet . Now , 30 years later , most people take them for granted . Some individuals may even catch themselves placing their hands under a manual faucet and wait for it to turn on automatically . Others do not bother to flush a public toilet any longer because they expect a sensor to take care of things – often to the frustration of maintenance staff .
Blutide
Almost 20 years ago , I was personally involved in efforts to support water treatment systems in Hong Kong hospitals during the SARs outbreak . Pure , safe water was needed for drinking , dialysis , medical formulations , and a host of critical uses . But due to lockdown , we had no way to get trained service technicians into the facilities and no way to get equipment condition or failure mode data out . Fast forward to several years ago when Sloan started to build IoT capabilities into its sensor products . We did so with learnings from those situations .
Fortunately , retrofits can eliminate these situations and ease the burdens on cleaning and maintenance personnel . Sensor-operated restroom products also come with several interesting technological benefits for facilities considering potential retrofits .
Touch-free technology can accomplish more than just effective handwashing . With the Internet of Things ( IoT ) having made its way into restroom products , faucets are able to store information which enables maintenance teams to remotely diagnose issues . It is even possible to monitor the percentage of CDC ( Centres for Disease Control and Prevention ) compliant handwashes taking place within a particular location . ‘ Smart ’ restroom fittings and fixtures are now making it possible to measure water usage at the actual faucet or flushometer . Facility teams can see which devices are being used and how often , which has incredible implications for scheduling maintenance . It is one of the key advances expected to help buildings move on from preventative maintenance to the new world of ‘ predictive maintenance ’. None of this was possible before sensor-operated products brought power to fittings and fixtures , enabling a host of monitoring and measurements to take place that had never been possible until now .
This type of information is also helping facility maintenance teams to manage their restroom products more efficiently and easily than ever before — all in real-time .
Ushering in a new post-Covid era Accurate , actionable data is a fundamental ingredient in the recipe for change — and that goes for restroom hygiene as well as public health .
July 2021 Volume 27 I Number 5 www . plumbingafrica . co . za