Touchless faucets elevate the home, providing cleanliness and ease of use. With a wealth of features, these faucets are so useful and convenient—well, until it’s time to replace the batteries.
Thankfully, there’s no need to replace them frequently. Batteries in touchless faucets can last between 3 to 5 years, depending on how often you use them. The battery size can also determine their lifespan.
However, not everyone knows how to remove the batteries from touchless faucets for replacement. And did you know that these fixtures use different types of batteries and configurations?
Below, we will walk you through the process of replacing the batteries of your faucet. We will also digest how touchless faucets work and weigh the pros and cons so you can decide if they’re worth the upgrade.
What Are the Benefits of Touchless Faucets?
Touchless faucets offer several benefits that are important to every household including water conservation and convenience.
Water Conservation
Unlike traditional faucets, touchless versions typically have a low water flow rate. Most of them are also designed with an automatic shut-off feature, so the water flows only when you need it.
Touchless faucets also save energy as they are designed to be.
Convenience
Touchless faucets are designed for convenience. They have the same features as standard faucets but with more bells and whistles. These faucets are easy to use and are ideal if you have a busy household. You can activate the faucet without touching it so it’s useful for multitasking or when your hands may be dirty.
And speaking of dirty hands, a touchless kitchen faucet is very hygienic. More hygienic than your standard and touch faucet, because, well, you don’t need to touch the faucet handle to activate water flow. This prevents you from spreading germs and lessens the hassle of having to clean the surface or faucet body after use.
What Are the Drawbacks of Touchless Faucets?
Touchless kitchen faucets are a wonderful upgrade, but they can come with a few downsides.
For one, the motion sensing feature in some models can malfunction. It may need to be replaced or it could be an issue with the batteries depleting.
If you don’t want to go through the process of tinkering with your faucet and going under the sink, you may want to opt for power-operated models instead. They are more laborious to install, cost more, and consume energy. But they might be a better choice if you don’t want to do the battery replacement.
And of course, you need to replace the batteries over time. It’s part of the maintenance task. This is an obvious drawback, but that’s what comes with owning a battery-operated touchless faucet.
But, whatever. You can use your touchless kitchen faucet for up to 5 years until the batteries reach their lifespan and need a replacement!
Touchless faucets also come in different price points. However, compared to traditional and touch faucets, touchless versions have a higher upfront cost.
That said, any homeowners who upgraded to touchless faucets will tell you how satisfied they are. The long-term benefits and convenience these faucets serve outweigh the initial investment.
Can Touchless Faucet Work Without Batteries?
It’s given that all touchless or automatic faucets need some sort of power source to function. But the question is, what kind of power supply?
This is where checking the specifications of your chosen model comes into play. While many touchless faucets use dry-cell batteries, they must be connected or hardwired to a power supply using a low-voltage current from an AC transformer. So, yes, a touchless faucet can work without batteries.
Some Parts Need Require Electricity
There are key elements in touchless faucets that require a power supply through their batteries.
Motion Sensor
The motion sensor is usually located at the tip of the spouts or base of the faucet spout. This component requires electricity. It uses infrared light sensors that emit and receive infrared beams to detect movement or your presence in front of the faucet.
In battery-powered touchless faucets, the LED infrared sensors can give you an indication of when you need to replace the batteries.
Your touchless faucet’s motion sensor is the most important component because it sends a signal to the solenoid valve. It’s essentially the “brain” behind all the convenience. Without it, the valve won’t open and produce water flow.
Solenoid Valve
Also called an electromagnetic valve, the solenoid valve is an electric valve that receives the signal from the motion sensor. It controls the water flow through a rubber-like disc and by either a positive, fully closed, or fully open mode.
The polarity of the signal that the sensor sends to the solenoid valve tells whether the valve should engage in a pull (open) or push action (close). When the infrared sensor doesn’t send a signal, the valve closes. In such cases, there will be no water flow from the faucet.
How Much Electricity Does a Touchless Faucet Use?
Touchless faucets have relatively low water and energy consumption. The power needed to control the sensor and the valve won’t shoot up your water bill. However, how much electricity it uses depends on how long you’ll use the faucet each time.
How Do I Change the Battery in My Touchless Faucet?
Touchless faucets have LEDs that blink in red when the batteries are low and in need of a replacement. Changing the batteries on touchless faucets is easy and can be done within a few minutes. All you need to do is find the batteries, which are attached to the battery pack under the sink.
That said, some models have a battery case. With such faucets, you will need to detach the entire fixture from the counter or sink. However, this feature is common only with touchless faucets used in parks or public premises to avoid unauthorized removal of batteries.
So depending on the configuration of the faucet’s battery, it’s always best to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to remove and replace batteries.
Types of Batteries Used in Touchless Faucets
Battery-operated touchless faucets use different types of batteries, with the most common being lithium and alkaline.
Lithium batteries can generate a stronger energy surge than alkaline batteries over an extended time of low discharge. Touchless faucets that use this battery also cost more.
Alkaline batteries, on the other hand, can deliver strong long-term power. However, the battery’s capacity deteriorates over time. But what’s good about such batteries is that they are inexpensive and widely available.
So, there is an obvious trade-off here.
Why Would a Touchless Faucet Stop Working?
There are some reasons why a touchless faucet may stop working. It could be a power issue where the battery has depleted. In this case, the faucet’s performance will suffer since the motion sensor won’t be able to do its job.
Another reason could be problems with the solenoid valve. It might have been clogged or damaged as a result of regular use. The good news is that you, just like the batteries, can always replace the valve.
Or it’s possible that the touchless faucet has reached the end of its lifespan and needs to be replaced.
Whatever it may be, it is important to have the problem identified by a professional installer or consult with your manufacturer.
Conclusion
The battery in touchless faucets can last around 3 to 5 years, but it depends on the frequency of use. Replacing the batteries is easy, you just have to know where to locate them. And if you’re having trouble removing the old batteries, you can always contact the manufacturer—not all faucets are the same!
We hope you’ve found this post helpful. If you have more questions about touchless faucets, let us know and we’ll be happy to help. Thanks for reading!