Ever since the pandemic started last March, it’s safe to say that all of our lives changed in one way or another. Here in the plumbing world, that was definitely the case! Since “plumbing” was considered an essential service, we still certainly kept busy, but there’s no denying that it looked a little different. Customers were hesitant to have strangers for quite some time and facemasks were definitely a must amongst our technicians. Nonetheless, as things slowly start to get back to normal, it’s clear there may be some lingering effects on the plumbing world from the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of these could possibly diminish in the coming months, while others are likely here to stay!
With that all being said, we’ve arrived at the topic of this week’s blog post: “Covid’s Impact on the Plumbing World.” For those new to our blog, welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing. Started in 2014, our mission since day one has always revolved around providing timely and reliable plumbing services WITHOUT breaking the bank. Furthermore, with our website blog, we aim to educate our readers on the latest news in the plumbing world. Sometimes that entails easy tips any homeowner could implement into their own daily lives, while other times it involves highlighting different plumbing brands on the market. Nonetheless, as mentioned above, today we’ll be discussing how the Covid pandemic impacted the plumbing industry as a whole.
Safety First
A common theme you’ll notice throughout this blog is an increased emphasis on safety. As you’re likely well aware, words like cleanliness, disinfecting and sanitizing have become household names since the pandemic started. On this particular subject though, the plumbing world has seen safety from a few different perspectives. Prior to the widespread vaccine administration, our team made sure our customers felt safe at all times. Any time a technician would enter a customer’s home, we wore our masks and followed the proper precautions per the CDC. While masks are no longer required for those fully vaccinated, that doesn’t mean the pandemic doesn’t still have lingering effects on various plumbing-related topics.
Touchless Fixtures
With that introduction about safety in-place, it’s now time to look at something which will continue to become extremely popular post-Covid and that is touchless fixtures. Keep in mind that while these are available in the residential world, it’s in the commercial world where you’ll start seeing them everywhere. If you think back to pre-pandemic, touchless fixtures are nothing new to commercial facilities. Whether it be touchless toilets, faucets, soap dispensers or anything else, they have gradually been adopted by facilities across the world. In fact, the original sensor-activated faucets first hit the market in the 1980’s.
Anyways, given that germs have now taken center stage, it’s safe to say more and more Americans would prefer to have touchless restroom fixtures. Unsurprisingly, they almost always result in a more hygienic restroom and since they are activated by a sensor, they usually end up saving water as well!
Touchless Technology in the Workplace
As mentioned above, employees are going to increasingly be adamant about their employers implementing touchless technology in the workplace. As a commercial plumbing company, we’ve already had a handful of projects this year upgrading traditional fixtures to touchless ones. A few examples of these touchless fixtures?
Touchless Faucets – Without a doubt, the most popular touchless fixture is the faucet. Having been around for a few decades now, these have certainly grown in popularity over the years. In today’s market, you’ll notice there’s no shortage of styles and brands to pick from either. One of our favorites in the commercial world is Sloan. They’ve been at the forefront of innovation on countless occasions and odds are you’ve used their products before in a public restroom too!
Touchless Soap Dispensers – If a public restroom were to have a traditional soap dispenser that required you to push on it, think of how many times that it would be touched on a daily basis. Yikes! As with any of the other touchless fixtures mentioned throughout this blog, touchless soap dispensers result in less germs being spread, while also typically avoiding over-usages.
Water Bottle Filling Stations – There’s nothing better than staying consistently hydrated throughout the day, right? Not only is it good for your health, but you typically end up feeling better too. As you might guess, public drinking fountains can be a source of germs being spread. The perfect alternative? Water bottle filling stations. Here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, we love installing Elkay’s ezH2O Bottle Filling Stations. From the sensor-activated filler to the filtered water it produces, it’s not hard to see why these have become so popular in gyms, schools, office buildings and plenty other commercial facilities.
Touchless Toilets – While all of the items mentioned above are certainly fairly common, this final one is still going to be considered more of a luxury, as opposed to a necessity. If you browse through any of the major plumbing fixture companies, you’ll see that a few of them sell touchless toilets. Even though they are quite a bit more expensive than the traditional options, there’s no denying that they are pretty cool products! Take Toto’s Neorest toilet for example. The toilet seat can be opened and closed through the use of either a remote or sensor. However, when you add on a night light, air deodorizer, air dryer and plenty other functions, it’s not hard to see why it comes at a steeper price tag.
What Will the Future Hold?
While it’s anyone’s guess what new technological advancements will hit the plumbing industry, I’m sure there will be plenty of them! As you’ve seen throughout this blog, whenever something as big as a global pandemic occurs, it is clear that it’ll affect how we live our day-to-day lives. Over the past year and a half, Americans have become more and more cognizant of health and safety. Considering public restrooms are notorious for not being the cleanest of places, Americans are going to expect commercial facilities to emphasize the cleanliness of restrooms. One of the easiest ways to limit some of the germs from being spread is by preventing people from touching things in the restroom. Simple enough, right? If I were to guess, I’d suggest that touchless fixtures will continue to grow in popularity and end up being something you see in every single public restroom.
Your Touchless Fixture Experts in Kansas City
Do you own or manage a commercial facility and feel it’s time to upgrade your fixtures from traditional models to touchless? Maybe you’re interested in incorporating touchless fixtures at your own home? If so, you’re not alone! While they were already becoming quite popular around the world, it’s safe to say that the Covid-19 pandemic has sped up the transition. As mentioned above, in addition to being a much cleaner fixture, you’ll also notice there’s a significant water savings associated with using touchless fixtures.
Here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, our technicians have plenty of experience touchless fixtures from a number of different brands. Whether you need some fixtures installed or are even looking for recommendations on quality manufacturers, we have you covered. To speak with a member of our team and request a free quote, feel free to give us a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE. We look forward to working with you!