Just as any other industry has advanced over time thanks to technology, the same is true with the plumbing world. Even though you may assume things stay rather consistent with plumbing, there have certainly been developments over time to improve efficiency, aesthetic appearance and even overall functionality. One plumbing fixture, in particular, that has witnessed improvements in each of these categories is faucets. The faucet industry certainly is one that’s extremely competitive and brands are constantly looking for ways to improve their products, which has definitely been beneficial for homeowners!
For this week’s blog post though, we’re going to be focusing on the commercial world. Since opening our shop, we have had the opportunity to work with several businesses throughout the Kansas City area. It doesn’t matter if it is a retail store, office building, car dealership, warehouse or any other type of business, time is of the essence with any commercial project. After all, it’s not hard to see how a plumbing issue at a commercial facility could cause issues with the day-to-day operations.
And when it comes to commercial facilities, one thing that we’re seeing become more and more popular are touchless faucets. While they have slowly found their way into the residential world, it’s safe to say they’re far more prevalent on the commercial side of things. Today, we’ll discuss why this is the case!
Less Germs Spread
Perhaps the biggest reason why touchless faucets are becoming such a hit with commercial facilities is because they’re extremely effective at limiting the spread of germs. It’s not hard to see why this would be so important. Take an office building, for example. Think of how many times people will turn a faucet on and off throughout the week. It’s likely quite a few times! If someone, whether it be an employee, customer or visitor, is sick and uses that faucet, it won’t take long for it to spread around the office.
Enter a touchless, or hands-free, faucet. You’re now effectively eliminating one potential way for germs to spread. Now…there are obviously a number of other ways in which germs can spread, but this is a start! After that, you can think about moving to touchless soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers and so on. Before long, you’ll have done all you can to prevent the spread of germs!
More Efficient
Efficiency is something that all businesses strive to achieve, no matter what industry they operate in. Over the years, plumbing fixture brands have continued to emphasize efficiency, as they’ve consistently improved their products. With faucets, this is clearly important to limit how much water is actually used and you’ve maybe even seen faucets advertised as being “low flow.”
Having said all of that, the reason that we’ve said commercial touchless faucets can be “more efficient” is rather straightforward. Since they’re only dispensing water when someone’s hands are underneath the faucet, there should be much less water wasted, right? In turn, with less water being wasted, you may even find yourself saving a little on your water bill and conserving water at the same time. A true win-win!
Easier Maintenance
Maintenance. Maintenance. Maintenance. In order to get the maximum years out of your plumbing fixtures, you’ll want to make sure you properly maintain them. This can be said about water heaters, faucets, sump pumps and so on. With faucets, we often talk about two main points. First, because of the presence of hard water, you’re going to want to stay on top of clearing any mineral deposits that can build up and clog the faucet’s aerator. This will be extremely important in maintaining the faucet’s productivity.
The second half of the faucet’s maintenance will involve keeping it clean. Depending on the finish that you select, you may find yourself having to clean it more or less often. For example, chrome faucets are extremely popular and common, but they are also prone to water spots and fingerprints. On the other hand, another common finish (matte black) doesn’t seem to show water spots as often. Regardless, the reason I mention this is because it’s important to stay on top of the cleaning to ensure it keeps that stunning appearance from when it was first installed.
The nice thing about touchless faucets is that they can help limit some of this cleaning. No matter what finish you pick, touchless faucets will have less water spots and fingerprints simply because the user won’t be moving their hands around to turn the faucet handles on and off. Keep in mind though that doesn’t mean there’s no maintenance at all. You’ll still need to clean the faucet and sink from time-to-time, as well as replace any batteries with the sensors or make repairs to the sensors (as needed).
Price Point
Whenever we evaluate plumbing fixtures, there are a variety of characteristics that you can use and price point is surely one of them. After all, with so many options available (especially with faucets), you need to filter the possibilities to avoid being completely overwhelmed with the various styles, finishes, brands, types and so on!
With a commercial facility, price point will undoubtedly be something you take into account. We understand that you have other expenses and repairs to take care of, thus a plumbing project like this will potentially be impacted by the cost of the faucet. In the sections above, we’ve highlighted how touchless faucets can provide some unique benefits that are not necessarily available with regular faucets. So…in the instance that a touchless faucet is more expensive than a regular faucet, you’ll need to decide whether this increase in price outweighs the unique advantages provided by a touchless faucet.
When it comes to faucets, we always recommend looking for faucets made by name brands (think of brands like Delta, Moen, American Standard, Kohler, Sloan, etc). With touchless faucets, you’ll likely find the faucets coming at a slightly higher price than regular faucets. Furthermore, unless it’s a smaller office building, some commercial facilities could have multiple faucets they’ll be looking to upgrade from regular to touchless, so you’ll want to keep that in mind too when making a decision.
Touchless Faucet Installation in Kansas City
Faucet installation and repair are certainly popular services that our team provides to our customers all around Kansas City. This includes both residential homeowners and commercial facilities. In regards to the commercial side of things, we’ve shown throughout this blog post how touchless faucets can be a worthwhile investment for businesses.
However, as we wrap up this blog post, I did want to mention how touchless technology has also found its way into the residential world too. While we don’t typically come across a ton of residential touchless bathroom faucets (you can get them though!), we’ve seen the touchless technology more utilized in the kitchen setting when it comes to the residential world. With a bathroom touchless faucet, hygiene and germ prevention are the most important goals. Even though those are also undoubtedly important with a kitchen touchless faucet, convenience is an attribute that also bears merit. It can make it much easier when you’ve got your hands full and are trying to cook. Not to mention, if you add in the voice-activated capabilities, you’ll have yet another tool at your disposal.
Are you interested in learning more about touchless faucets and getting an estimate on having one installed at your home or business? If so, give us a call at (816) 348-3481 and we would be happy to do just that!