Foot pedal faucet controllers allow you to control a faucet hands-free. These devices are efficient and hygienic — they are commonly found in commercial kitchens and hospitals. I’m not sure why we don’t see them in more homes. You can reduce water use by 50% using pedal controllers, and if it’s hot water, you’ll be saving power too.
At a sink, you control the flow of a faucet with a pedal much like the accelerator in a car. It’s easier to turn off the faucet when you are brushing your teeth, shaving, or doing the dishes. In a four-person household, the use of pedal controllers in the kitchen alone can save up to 7500 gallons of water annually, as well as conserve the energy needed to heat those gallons.
Hand-free faucet controllers also guard against the transfer of bacteria between faucet fixtures and hand. They are particularly useful when your hands have paint or soil on them.
Pedal controllers can be installed relatively easily under the sink, although most do require an electrical connection.
Some foot pedal faucet controllers retailers are: Faucet Control, Foot Faucet and Chicago Faucet Shoppe.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Susan the Eco-Broker // Apr 23, 2008 at 9:26 pm
This is a great idea! Makes it a lot harder to keep the faucet running when you’re not using it.
2 Saul Wall // Apr 24, 2008 at 1:59 pm
A great idea. I have seen them in the academic settings during my medical lab training, likely for the same reasons as commercial kitchens and hospitals; the sanitation aspect. Not having to touch the faucet when you have touched raw meat or held colonized petri dishes just makes sense.
Home users may wish to keep a squirt bottle handy until the cat learns not to fall asleep on the nice cool foot pedals on a hot day.
3 Greener Pastures // Apr 30, 2008 at 6:48 am
This is a great idea, but i think I’m getting old. It’s too much of a Jetson thing for me.
Best,
Lisa
4 Vanessa // May 5, 2008 at 5:53 am
Great idea. The sooner they install it in homes the better. It would be really good to regulate the flow of water instead of sticking with a heavy flow of water while washing dishes.
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