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Automatic flushing


Bain

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Okay, so I'm wondering if someone can satisfy my curiosity. I went out for dinner last night, and was later in the restroom, where there were a bunch of self-flushing urinals.

How do they work?

There was a plate on the photo-electric sensor housing, behind which I assume there's a battery that operates the sensor and some sort of solenoid that trips the flush mechanism. But what kind of battery would generate enough power to keep working a gazillion times in a busy airport or restaurant?

Or . . . do I have the whole set-up figured wrong?

And yes, you're right. I do need to get a life.

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I've found that I have automatic flushing at my house. Even when I don't flush flush the toilet it's always flushed the next time I use it. I suspect the mechanism is powered by bitching and it's the closet thing to perpetual motion yet found. Maybe the airport hires wives to power the system.

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Originally posted by Bain

Okay, so I'm wondering if someone can satisfy my curiosity. I went out for dinner last night, and was later in the restroom, where there were a bunch of self-flushing urinals.

How do they work?

There was a plate on the photo-electric sensor housing, behind which I assume there's a battery that operates the sensor and some sort of solenoid that trips the flush mechanism. But what kind of battery would generate enough power to keep working a gazillion times in a busy airport or restaurant?

Or . . . do I have the whole set-up figured wrong?

And yes, you're right. I do need to get a life.

Out to dinner last week, my son and I made a trip to the bathroom and he asked me the same question. Being a dad, I didn't want to look like I didn't know and I couldn't pass up an opportunity to mess with him, so I told him it was a camera. I said that there's a person in another room that's watching him go and when you finish, they press a button to flush the toilet. His eyes got as big a silver dollar pancakes. I let him off the hook after a couple of minutes, but I think the damage has already been done.

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Out to dinner last week, my son and I made a trip to the bathroom and he asked me the same question. Being a dad, I didn't want to look like I didn't know and I couldn't pass up an opportunity to mess with him, so I told him it was a camera. I said that there's a person in another room that's watching him go and when you finish, they press a button to flush the toilet. His eyes got as big a silver dollar pancakes. I let him off the hook after a couple of minutes, but I think the damage has already been done.

I bet you told him there is a little man who lives in the fridge to turn the light on when he opens the door, too.

Tom

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Article in todays local rag related to Denmarks energy conservation. Automatic toilets with 2 speed flushing - depends on what is in there. How could that work? Sensors that smell or weigh contents?? Maybe there is a little man or Mrs Fabry????

edit: Think about how you would inspect those - both speeds!! That might exceed the SOP.

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Not really related but...

A few years ago, Seattle installed fancy self-cleaning toilets downtown on Pioneer Square. These things cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars and had cost them millions to operate since they were installed. The trouble was, they became shooting galleries and places for hookers to hook up, so they decided to yank them. I just saw a blurb in the Seattle paper sometime within the past week that said they'd put them on Craig's list or Ebay to try and sell them and hadn't gotten any offers and have now dropped the reserve to $1000 each.

That's efficiency for you!

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

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