Answers to questions no one asked

[elizilla]

In my recent trip I noticed that public bathrooms everywhere have installed those toilets that flush automatically. They flush early and often, but then when you finish your business they don't flush and you have to push the button to flush them again.

They're always paired with sinks that sprinkle tiny amounts of water if you put your hand under the faucet. As a result you can't get warm water unless you wave your hands perfectly in the cold water stream, for far longer than anyone has patience to do. Maybe this saves enough water to make up for the extra water needed to flush the toilets repeatedly.

Do these designers never actually use bathrooms? These plumbing items are an answer to a question no one asked.

Comments

[c-maxx.livejournal.com]

Engineers are people who design things, perhaps 25% of which work. [Ask me, I review private engineer's submittals to the City].

I hope I do better when I go back to private engineering. At least I used to be a mechanic.

Edison was smart enough to not market something until the bugs were worked out...

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I hate the automatic flush toilets. I keep putting sticky-notes over the sensors on the ones at work. As do others.

[catness.livejournal.com]

The automatic flush toilets at work have to be flushed 3 times in order to actually *flush* anything, even if it's just a couple of scraps of tissue. It just blows my mind a little every time.

[also-huey.livejournal.com]

There's a side of design I never saw, until I was immersed in it: the designer so in love with their ideas that they simply don't care whether they actually fucking WORK or not, they're still going to build them anyway. so, you wind up with their brilliant, elegant design, which doesn't actually goddamn work at all.

Meanwhile, I'm left wondering "How could anyone possibly have such little self-respect that they could do something so poorly and then loose it upon the unsuspecting public?"

[(Anonymous)]

"so, you wind up with their brilliant, elegant design, which doesn't actually goddamn work at all."

Those are the kids that I pounded the shit out of in junior high school. Obviously, I was on the right track.

-R

[(Anonymous)]

in out office building there is one floor (only) that has the old push-button faucets that are spring loaded and damped. You push the button and, in far less time than is needed, it releases and turns the water back off. Why this is so and only on the floor occupied by the FBI is a mystery to me (and every office entrance off the main hallways is cypher or key card locked with monitoring cameras).

I only got here when people's BMs seem to synchronize so all the other floors are occupied but it's enough to make me go, "Hmm..."

[(Anonymous)]

I wonder how much of this is driven by some code by EPA or other alphabet soup agency. Like the low flow showers and the 1 gallon tank in residences. They are supposed to reduce water consumption be leave people flushing 2 or 3 times instead of once.

-B

[pi3832.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it isn't like the sensors for traffic lights—the technology works, but only when installed and calibrated correctly.

So, you get a toilet that was engineered by some guy with a MIT education and 20 years experience, but installed by a guy with a high school education from a public school, who's got his union card and a cold case of beer waiting at home.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I have wondered if those horrible auto-faucets work if the power is out. Anyone know?

K.

[(Anonymous)]

The spring loaded ones would. The motion/infrared ones? Notsomuch.