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Introduction of Automatic Faucets
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Automatic
faucets were first developed in the 1950's but were not produced
for commercial use till the late 1980's when they first appeared
(to the general public) at airport lavatories. Story has it
that the first airport to adopt the new technology, is O'Hare
Airport. Called by other names such as Electronic
Faucet, Sensor Faucet, Hands Free Faucet, Touch-less Faucet,
even Infrared Faucet, automatic
faucets have become a central theme in the American experience.
They are now found in places far removed from airports and
other institutions, places like restaurants, hotels, casinos,
malls, sports arenas, as well as residential properties.
Known for their assistive qualities, automatic faucets are
making their presence felt at assistive living establishments
and places where the elderly and/or handicapped individuals
call home. Automatic faucets are water saving devices, helping
save 70% of the water that would otherwise swirl down the
drain unused and conserve as much as 3-5% of the water used
by a standard household. Other benefits of automatic faucets
are found in inhibiting the spread of gems which are known
to thrive on faucet handles, as well as help prevent or mitigate
scalding incidents caused by hot water flowing out of the
faucet, having said that, I should caution the readers that
automatic faucets, on their own, are
not considered anti-scalding devices.
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Disclaimer
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This page was designed for educational
purposes only. Data obtained from 3rd party is deemed
reliable. You may use the information contained in
this page for reprint and publishing purposes, but
we cannot be held liable for inaccuracies that is
inherent in all educational material. Comic approach
and levity is used here primarily to present an otherwise
technical subject in a more interesting and unique
way but without taking away from the importance of
the subject.
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| PART I |
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Overview
Automatic faucets are created by combining four key components:
Solenoid valve, sensor and control electronics, power source,
and faucet. Although there are variations to this theme, these
are key tools each with a distinct function that, once combined,
constitute an automatic faucet. Here's an overview break down
of these components:
1. Solenoid operated diaphragm valve which is entrusted with
the task of physically starting and stopping water flow. A
small number of foreign manufacturers use geared motors to
achieve valve opening and closing.
2. Sensor and control electronics who's combined mission is
to sense the presence of an object in front of the faucet
(automatic faucets employ presence
sensors and not motion sensors) and order the solenoid
valve to initiate the flow of water. Then, when the object
is no longer present, the sensor and
control electronics order the solenoid valve to terminate
the flow of water, but only after a predetermined time have
passed. This "off delay" time is generally measured in seconds.
3. Power source, generally batteries or AC transformer. Since
both solenoid valve as well as sensor and control electronics
require power source, this readily available component is
crucial to insure faucet operation. Commonly used batteries
are C, AA, 6Volt and 9Volt Lithium batteries. Automatic faucets
using AC transformer as power source are generally inexpensive
to produce and are priced accordingly in the marketplace.
A notable exception to this cost basis detail is the type
of automatic faucet specifically designed for either power
source (MAC Faucets FA400 and FA444 series are clear examples).
4. Faucet spout, for water delivery. Most automatic faucet
spouts are design to house within them the sensor capsule,
or in the case of a notable competitor, the faucet spout houses
fiber optic cables to carry infrared signal from the sensor
to the spout. Some spouts house within them the whole "enchilada"
sensor, control electronics, solenoid valve, and even, batteries.
Component details is cover in Part II. >>
Part II
In Part II. We will discuss here the most common type of automatic
faucets available on the market, those faucets that utilize
solenoid valves, and active infrared sensors and control electronics.
I am unable to quantify the phrase "most common type" with
an exact figure, but feel confident enough to guess the percentage
to be well above 90% of the faucets produced and sold in the
USA. |
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