Handwashing fountains can be configured with a variety of controls. The two most popular types of control are infrared activation and foot control activation. At face value, most people would instantly assume that the more advanced technology of infrared, which is renowned for water conservation, is the more economical route to take. This is not always the case. Commercial hand wash fountains with foot control are less expensive to purchase and less expensive to install. While they do consume more water than do infrared controlled equivalents, the cost savings associated with strict water conservation can take years to pay back the initial purchase and installation costs. Even with foot activated controls, wash fountains are still more water efficient than an equivalent number of commercial lavatories.
There are many organizations that can benefit by gaining a clearer picture of just how much savings can be realistically expected from infrared technology. While we sell products that are equipped with the latest touch free activation mechanisms, we do not misrepresent the potential savings that it generates. Touch free activation offers the highest level of value in restrooms where lavatories and hand washing fountains are in near constant usage. In such environments, it makes sense to regulate the flow of water as strictly as possible in order to avoid the compounded expense that results from waste.
However, few restrooms witness heavy traffic and usage to such a degree. Commercial hand wash fountains are typically used in spurts (no pun intended) by groups of people that enter the restroom at periodic intervals. In factories, most workers wash their hands before lunch and after clocking out. During the work day, traffic in and out of the restroom is minimal. A similar level of traffic occurs in public schools. Large groups of students are present in the restroom only during periods between bells, before and after school, and before and after lunch. During class time, student traffic to and from restrooms is deliberately kept to a minimum.
When viewed from this perspective, we can quickly see that commercial hand wash fountains with foot controls really do not waste as much water as many would assume. While it is a fact that pressing on the foot control will activate all the spray heads on the fountain at once, the amount of excess water expended is minimal when viewed in the light of intermittent use.
At the same time, immediate cost savings on the front end come to any organization that purchases a foot controlled fountain. Infrared units require electricity to operate. To install them, contractors must also plumb electrical connections. Units not only cost, on average, at least one thousand dollars more, but they also compound this cost by adding man hours associated with additional electrical wiring.
Commercial hand wash fountains with foot controls do not require electricity and therefore do not require any special wiring to be run prior to installation. Operating only on the manual release of water pressure, their innately simpler design keeps labor costs within the margins of acceptable expense.
XPB Lockers & Supply carries a wide variety of Commercial Lavatories, Commercial Outdoor Furnishings, Storage Lockers, Bleachers,Commercial Mailboxes and deliver nationwide. If you can not find what you are looking for call us toll free at 1-877-483-9270 and we will find it for you. Our home office is located in New Braunfels, Texas with distributors located in all 50 States including Houston, TX, New York NY, Los Angeles CA, Miami, FL. Chicago, IL. Denver CO., Dallas TX, San Antonio, TX., and Austin, TX.
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