hydropowered hydro technology
Posted on June 30th, 2007 – 10:22 AMBy Jason Hammond
Occasionally when I’m looking for products for our house I find something that is so cool that I just want to talk about it to everyone. My most recent find and the one you’ll hear me talking about with people all the time, is the faucet I’ve selected for our downstairs washroom. The TOTO Helix faucet, it’s part of their Ecopower® line and is much like the commercial faucets we’ve all seen a million times over in the sense that it is activated by a motion reading sensor. However, what makes these faucets so ingenious is that they use the power of the water going down the drain to charge itself using a hydro powered turbine for the next use, meaning it’s energy is completely self renewing and eliminates the need to use external electricity or batteries. I got so excited about these that I was originally thinking of how we could uses them in all of our bathrooms but then thought it would probably work best for just the downstairs washroom where it would be used most frequently for hand washing. As well as saving energy it’s designed so that you get it set for a 10 or 60sec. wash interval and has restricted water flow features to control and conserve the water use of the faucet. This may be one of my favorite features as I have more than once found my boys playing with the water in the bathroom creating various ballistic spray patterns by holding their hands over the faucet opening. The fact that the users don’t need to touch the faucet to use it also makes it more hygienic and helps to avoid all the water spots and finger prints that wet hands seem to add to chrome — I mean seriously who wants water spots or finger prints on anything that looks like such a piece of art.
Simple yet sophisticated modern lines and earth friendly
features make these faucets one of my favorite products
to date.
12 Responses to "hydropowered hydro technology"
The faucet certainly has a stylish look, but don’t people use their sinks for tasks other than just washing their hands after using the toilet? There seems to be too much loss in flexibility, at least for residential applications. Maybe that’s why people require as many (or more!) bathrooms as bedrooms now. But I guess if you need to highly regulate water quantity and temperature, this does it.
Yes that is why I used it only in the powder room where the main use is to wash your hands after using the toilet. Even at that you could use one of the 60 sec. ones in the bathroom as it provides a .5 gallons per minute while still providing enough to clean your hands. This is also a significant savings over traditional faucets which use 2.5 gallons per minute yet provide no more clean performance.
Jason
We had these here I used to work. They do make it hard to brush your teeth, etc. Then there’s the problem of later using a regular faucet, where you stand there waiting for the faucet to turn itself on, or walk away expecting it to turn itself off.
Don’t forget this factor, too: Doctors recommend that you wash your hands for as long as it takes to sing a verse of “Old McDonald Had a Farm.”
Otherwise, sounds neat, and I really like the look - even though I’m not at all into the modern look you like.
I’ve heard people say you need to sing “happy birthday” twice t ensure they were clean.
Jason
There are few statements in your introduction statement that need some refinement. Turbine is not located in drain system but in water supply (faucet has nothing to do with drain) . In addition the battery is included with this product. The reason why you need the battery is that if the faucet is not used for some time the energy to scan the environment for hand presence must come from somewhere. The faucet looks great , but I have to agree with Oscar about flexibility loss.
Hey James,
I’m sorry if it was confusing but my intention was not to imply that the turbine was located in the drain itself. My use of the term “water going down the drain” — rather that the action of running the water resulting in the charge was done out of an attempt to create a little drama in the writing. After reading it again I see the confusion that it may have caused.
As well You are correct that it does have a battery however it only take 5 or 10 uses a day to keep it fully charged which eliminates the need for using the battery back up or an external energy source.
Jason
I have to agree with James…
I see what you’re saying. I don’t think I’ll change the post however since you’ve made the clarification.
One more note: Regarding flexibility, I can’t say that it’s perfect for every use but great in a small washroom where it’s main use is for washing hands.
Jason
Glad I found this blog. The faucet looks nice, but it seems James is spot on in his observations (he must be an engineer and not an architect). Five to 10 uses a day to keep the unit fully charged does not seem practical, considering vacation schedules, let alone a second, third or fourth bathroom with limited use.
T-Bone, James and Oscar rock.
Tony M3,
10 uses a day isn’t that hard to achieve especially with 2 small children and this being or main floor bathroom. Additionally the battery back up is there specifically for periods of times when you would not use it up to 10 times as day. I guess it’s all a matter of opinion and specifics to each user to determine if it’s practical. However I will tell you these are great for water conservation as they regulate water consumption well.
Jason
Jason
Tony M3,
10 uses a day isn’t that hard to achieve especially with 2 small children and this being or main floor bathroom. Additionally the battery back up is there specifically for periods of times when you would not use it up to 10 times as day. I guess it’s all a matter of opinion and specifics to each user to determine if it’s practical. However I will tell you these are great for water conservation as they regulate water consumption well and are becoming popular in countries like Japan where water conservation is crucial, if not essential.
Jason
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