Foot pedal controls for faucets
 

It sure sounds like a good idea. How many times do you have to wash your hands only to find out that they're dirty and the faucet is all nice and sparkly clean. Why not have a foot pedal instead?!

It would also be nice for those hardcore showerers out there looking to conserve more water.

Efficient: Foot Pedal Faucet Controllers »» MetaEfficient Reviews

Wow, would I have loved to installed those when we did our house remodel. Great for when we have paint on our hands and want to turn on the sink. Not so sure how they would save money if you had an infant or toddler that found them!

Why not go further and have the pedal pump the water as well as control it? No need to use electricity to do that.

A couple of the shops that I've done work in have had "clamshell" sinks, which look nothing like a clam shell at all... Instead, they look like a bird bath with a steady water temp that is pre-set by the hot/cold valves on the bottom during installation.

Anyway - these sinks have spray rails that are activated by pedals. They're great, because you've usually already got grease and cleaner all over your hands.

I wouldn't mind getting a faucet with the inferred control, some have a water wheel that powers them, some are a battery that has to be changed but that battery tends to last 2 years or more.

I told my wife jokingly that we were going to move into our house before it was actually finished... she asked if it would at least have running water, and my reply to that was:

"Of course, it will have running water... hand crank right next to the sink, you crank, you get water."

She didn't find it nearly as amusing as I did, until I explained to her that she could crank just a few times and get a few gallons of water depending on the pump, and it didn't require that much effort, but would save on electricity. Then, she found it quite appealing.

Of course, I don't know that I'll actually do this, but hey, it was a good joke, anyway.

LOL that's awesome. I approve of this joke! :thumbup:

I'm glad we had a spammer passing through, because this is a thread in need of a bump. The sinks at work are foot-controlled, so I wet my hands, shut off the water while I lather up, then turn on the water to rinse. It's perfect.

Maybe we don't see them in homes because you'd need two feet to control the temperature (unless your foot controlled the flow rate and a hand-operated knob controlled H:C ratio).

During my renovation, I have installed both IR sensor controlled taps, and pedal controlled.

The first project was the main bathroom. Since I use wastewater heat recovery, we now have three water lines in the house: Cold - warm - hot.

The faucet in the main bathroom is a combination type, where a manual handle opens up for a mix of cold and hot water, in a conventional way. For brushing your teeth of having some water to drink, it is nice to be able to get the cold water. For shaving, the hot water is great to clean the razor blade. But the automatic one, the sensor driven, is great for washing hands. It is a mix of cold and warm (the warm being cold pre-heated by waste water recovery).

This is called an "Oras Ventura" tap, see it here: http://kauppa.taloon.com/kuvat/k/ora...ntura_8010.jpg

For the kitchen sink, we did something similar. We tried a different brand first, but it did not work, so we went for the kitchen model of the Oras Ventura: http://www.lavprisvvs.dk/images/orasnynyddff-p.JPG

If you search for Oras Ventura, looking for images, you will find more pictures, as well as technical drawings.

For the secondary bathroom (which only has toilet facilities, not shower/bath), we went for a foot pedal. Since the sink there is purely used for washing your hands, we only have the "warm" water (pre-heated from waste water recovery). The foot pedal is the same type used in many hospitals and other medical facilities. At around 200 USD if purchased online, it is even cheaper than a regular faucet. From the foot pedal, I have a chrome tube from the floor, up through the sink, then two 90-degree angled joints, to direct the water downwards. This setup is awesome, works really well - and it looks so cool and clean (no faucet, just chrome tubing).

Next up was the utility room. The foot pedal comes in 4 versions from brand "Tempostop" (they also make other valves, like public shower timed valves). Choose between single feed or dual feed, floor mounted or wall mounted (all is on the floor, but where the bolts actually go, wall or floor). The dual feed means you have both hot and cold water. When at first you press the pedal, the flow will increase, with cold water. If you keep pressing it furhter down, it will mix in more hot water. It is so simple, and works brilliant. I have added a valve inside the sink enclosure, so I can regulate the flow. Unregulated, the water just bursts out and splashes all over. It is now set at a low rate. If I need more flow, I just turn this valve up.

This is the dual feed version:

http://www.catalogo-ceapat.org/foto/182403_4_3667

Had I known about the foot pedal, I would have used them all around from the beginning. The foot pedal advantages are

Simple design and installation
Hands free operation, and no need to touch anything with your dirty hands
Saves faucet (offsets the cost)
No pre-set timing, you get water for just as long as you press the pedal
Press it harder, you get more water
Press it even harder, it gets more hot (for dual line installations)
Just like the accelerator in your car!

If you want even more control, put two pedals right next to each other (for hot and cold). As required, place one foot on either pedal, or both, and press down as required - for the flow. If the pedals are right next to each other, you can operate them even mixed, with one foot. Angle the foot to get the water colder/warmer, or ... use two feet if really required!

That sounds like a great setup Osolemio. Do you have any pictures of your chrome pipe setup? I'd like to see it. :) I really like the idea of the tempostop valves where you can get hot and cold water with one foot pedal.

Also, what heat recovery system are you using?