Pedal Controls Save Water, Time

By making it easy to run water only when it is actually being utilized, foot-pedal controllers save a surprising amount of water and energy.

“What’s up with your faucet?” is a typical question from friends who are visiting for the first time since our Pedalworks™ faucet control was installed. When an uninitiated person tries to turn on the kitchen faucet, they get the impression that our water has been shut off. Once we show them the pedal and they get a little practice with it, however, most people are sold. It doesn’t take long to like a system that allows you to control a faucet without touching the handles. Suddenly full hands or messy hands are no problem.

The commercial model, Footworks, functions just like the residential model but mounts independently on the floor rather than inside a cabinet.

With Pedalworks you set the water temperature with the handles and then step on the pedal to start the flow. When the pedal is released, the water stops. It works great, and the water definitely does not run as much. If you need to leave the water running for any reason (or if a guest is using the sink and doesn’t want to learn the pedal), you can just engage the lock-on button at the front of the pedal, and the faucet works just like it used to.

Installing Pedalworks is straightforward. The pedal controller is mounted inside the cabinet, with the pedal sticking down into the kickspace. Faucet supply lines are replaced with stainless steel braided hose that connects to the faucet via the controller. The only criticism our plumber had was that it would be nice if there were more room around the connections at the back of the controller.

The floor-mounted commercial version, Footworks™, is the same as Pedalworks except that it comes with its own metal housing. Unlike electronic controls in public bathrooms that provide water only at preselected temperatures, Footworks allows the user to adjust the water temperature. And unlike standard two-pedal controllers commonly used in hospitals, Footworks doesn’t require the user to control the temperature with his or her feet. Company President Peter Gilbert claims that at a nurse’s station the device typically reduces water use by 80%. He explains this remarkable figure by noting that nurses are trained to leave the water running while washing their hands to avoid contaminating faucet handles. Footworks comes with a black rubber pedal, while a choice of six colors of Corian™ is available for Pedalworks.

At $400 for the commercial Footworks and $450 for Pedalworks, these devices are pricey, especially for homes. Payback in terms of energy and water use is very hard to project because it depends so much on individual behavior. In general, some people are much more conscientious than others about shutting off water when washing their hands or the dishes. In a test performed by Pedal Valves, Inc. at a medical center kitchen, Footworks installed at three sinks saved a combined 285 gallons (1079 l) per day of hot water and 122 gallons (462 l) per day of cold water. The estimated annual savings in water, sewer, and natural gas costs was $1,159. Based on an estimated installed cost of $500 each, this would result in a payback period of less than 16 months. In a residential setting, payback is likely to take several years.

Regardless of payback projections, Pedalworks and Footworks will likely be sold primarily on their convenience and hygiene benefits. The fact that one doesn’t need to touch the handles after setting the temperature means that germs and contaminants are much less likely to spread. This benefit should appeal to many potential users, including homeowners, medical facilities, food service kitchens, and laboratories. The water savings, while certainly not insignificant, are icing on the cake.

– Nadav Malin

For more information:

Peter Gilbert, President
Pedal Valves, Inc.
13625 River Road
Luling, LA 70070
800/431-3668, 504/785-0082 (fax)
www.pedalvalves.com

June 1, 1999

DISCUSSIONS

Reader-contributed comments related to Pedal Controls Save Water, Time - EBN: 8:6. Comments are listed with newest at the top.

Water savings with foot pedals Posted by prasad vaidya on Sep 11, 2007, 05:51 PM
For LEED Credit 3, how does one show the water savings achieved with foot pedal faucet operators. Water savings while significant, are hard to quantify, is what EBN says. Are there any studies on the range of water reductions that are achieved with this?

One Australian manufacturer says 70% reduction
http://www.yourwatersaver.com.au/?izi-flow

What are "conservative" numbers for this?

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