There are many types of kitchen sinks and faucets to consider when you’re upgrading your kitchen, so you might overlook less common options like touch and touchless faucets. Touch and touchless faucets are more than just neat or novel kitchen gadgets. They can make using the sink more convenient, they can help you conserve water, and they can help keep your kitchen clean and germ-free.
If you’re looking to upgrade your standard kitchen faucet, both touch and touchless faucets are great options to consider, but you may not know how to choose between the two. In today’s guide, we’ll explore the differences between touch and touchless faucets. Read on to learn more.
1. Touch vs. Touchless Faucet
Touch faucets and touchless faucets may sound like opposites, but they are actually very similar. Both types of faucets are innovative versions of traditional kitchen faucets. Unlike traditional faucets that require a person to pull or push a handle, touch and touchless faucets minimize the operations required to turn the faucet on and off. The difference between the two is that a touch kitchen faucet responds to physical touch, while a touchless faucet detects if there is an object in front of it. See below for a comparison between the two in different aspects.
1) Contact faucet
Here is information about contact faucets.
#1. How do touch-sensor faucets work?
How to open and close a kitchen faucet with one click? The answer comes down to electricity. Every time you touch someone in the winter and give them an electric shock, we are reminded that our bodies have the ability to store electrical energy, known as capacitance. Touch-sensitive faucets also hold a charge and are equipped with a sensor.
The sensors are even sophisticated enough to differentiate between a single touch and the longer grips that can occur when moving or cleaning a faucet. The sensor is designed to only turn on and off with a single touch and doesn’t respond at all to longer grabs.
#2. Advantages and Disadvantages of Touch Sink Faucets
Touch kitchen faucets offer some valuable advantages, including:
- Save water: There are two reasons to use less water in your home. First, it saves you money. As water becomes increasingly scarce in many metropolitan areas, it is also becoming more expensive. Wouldn’t you like to reduce your water bill if you could? Touch-sensitive sink faucets are a great way to do this. Secondly, saving water is also important for the environment. As mentioned earlier, water is scarce in some parts of the world. We are better off when we have more.
- Cleanliness: Sink faucets can get dirty and dirty. Why? Because when we go to wash our hands, we usually have to turn on the water with dirty hands. This is not a problem with touch-sensor faucets. You don’t need to touch anything at all, so you can wash your hands without spreading germs and dirt around the kitchen.
- Convenience: One of the best things about a touch-sensitive faucet is its ease of use. It’s simple to switch on and off, and it’s easy to avoid the scalding temperatures that can sometimes occur with traditional sinks. If you have small children or elderly people living with you, touch-sensitive faucets are often easier for them to operate, too.
There aren’t many downsides to touch faucets. Some homeowners don’t consider them because they are more expensive than traditional sink faucets. However, they can save you money over time by reducing water usage because they have features that automatically shut off the faucet. However, these faucets are more complicated to install than standard faucets, so you’ll need to seek professional help. If you use electricity to run your faucets, you may notice an increase in energy consumption. Battery power is also an option.
2) Touchless faucets
Touchless faucets: what you need to know.
#1. How do touchless faucets work?
Like touch faucets, touchless faucets (also known as touchless faucets) use sensors. Physical touch cannot be detected by these sensors. Instead, they sense your hand or other object in front of the faucet. Most hands-free faucets do this with an infrared detector and infrared light. When your hand moves in front of the sensor, infrared light reflects off your hand and enters the detector.
This means you can turn your faucet on and off simply by moving your hand in front of it. There are other types of sensors on the market, such as ultrasonic field sensors. With these sensors, moving your hand in front of the sensor disrupts the magnetic field, which signals the faucet to turn on or off.
#2. Advantages and Disadvantages of Touchless Sink Faucets
Let’s discuss the pros and cons of touchless kitchen sink faucets. You’ll notice that these benefits are very similar to those of touch faucets:
- Save water: Touchless faucets are designed for low flow and prevent leaks. This means you can save a lot of water compared to a standard sink faucet. As we mentioned with touch-sensor faucets, conserving water is both environmentally responsible and good for homeowners.
- Hygiene: Cleanliness is an advantage of both contact and touchless faucets, but touchless faucets are the only faucet models that are completely touchless. This means you can completely avoid messes and the spread of germs. The faucet can be operated with just a wave of your hand. This is the main advantage of touchless faucets over touch faucets.
- Convenience: Like touch faucets, touchless faucets are easy to operate. They are ideal for those who may have difficulty reaching or operating traditional faucets. Especially for children, touchless faucets are the easiest to use because they don’t even need to reach out and touch the faucet like touch-sensitive faucets.
Like touch faucets, touchless faucets also tend to be more expensive than traditional faucets. Another disadvantage is that since this faucet uses electricity, a power outage means you won’t be able to use the faucet’s sensors. This is not a problem if you are using batteries to power your faucet. Another problem you may encounter with touchless faucets is accidental activation. For example, you might accidentally turn on the faucet while moving dishes. You can also turn on the faucet if your pet crawls across the sink.
2. How to choose the right faucet for you?
Both touch and touchless faucets offer impressive upgrades compared to traditional faucets. Both options exist because people have different preferences for which is best.
1) Preference
People who find themselves frequently opening the kitchen sink with dough, raw meat, or other food on their hands may want a completely contactless experience. The same may be true for those who regularly work in other jobs such as gardening or pottery. Touchless faucets are ideal when you want water on demand without causing a mess.
Some people prefer touch-sensitive faucets because it gives the user more control. You’re less likely to accidentally turn the faucet on or off when you have to physically touch it instead of making movements in front of it. Since you can activate these faucets by touching them with your wrist or elbow, you can usually still avoid transferring dirt from your hands to the faucet.
2) Installation
What type of countertop is it installed on? Certain materials, such as quartz, can cause problems with the sensors on these faucets. And quartz is clean, elegant, and beautiful. However, it sometimes contains enough metal to carry a capacitive charge from the counter/backsplash to the sensor, which can accidentally turn on the sensor…especially if the quartz is too close to the faucet itself. Obviously, it’s best to double-check to make sure this doesn’t happen to you!
Choose professional installation and be prepared for adjustments. One thing’s for sure: these are not your grandfather’s faucets! They’re full of parts and components, require power (and you know electricity and water don’t mix), and therefore require a skilled installer. With so many moving parts, there’s more chance of going sideways. Don’t let that scare you away, though! We love these faucets and many of us have them in our homes. Note that you’ll need a professional to install it, and some adjustments may be required before you achieve the desired level of functionality.
3) Budget
Of course, budget is the most important thing. Contact faucets are less expensive than touchless faucets. If you have the budget, we recommend installing a touchless faucet. It will be more convenient for you.
3. Conclusion
The above is what we have summarized for you the differences between contact faucets vs. contactless faucets. In fact, you can’t go wrong with any faucet you choose as long as you do your research and install it (or have it installed) the right way. Remember, there’s nothing wrong with classic faucets either. We recommend you consider your options, talk to Nicemoco’s experts (we’re here for you), and make an informed decision.