Any kits to retrofit a fawcet to electronic touch control?

 Delta has a kitchen fawcet that you can control manually but it will
also toggle on and off by touching the metal part of the fawcet spout or
neck.

I'm wondering if it's possible to buy the electronics and the valve that
performs the touch-control separately (either from Delta or maybe
someone else makes such a kit) so that I can adapt it for operation on
another type of kitchen fawcet.

I know there are many motion-sensing fawcets, but I'm not interested in
that sort of control mechanism for a kitchen fawcet.

 
I would suggest going to Delta's website & see what the control module
looks like.

I'm guessing that is it somewhat proprietary and not easily amenable
to pirating it over to another faucet.  But if you;re handy near
anything is possible.

cheers
Bob

 DD_BobK wrote:


A patent was filed by a couple of guys in 2004 for this touch-control
mechanism.  Such a simple idea - I'm surprised it was filed so recently.

The patent was assigned to Masco, which owns the Delta, Peerless and
Brizo brands.  This touch-control mechanism was introduced by Delta in
it's "Pilar" model kitchen faucet almost a year ago (no other models
have it).  Brizo also has one model with the touch control.  No Peerless
models have it (as you'd expect).

When I look at the parts and installation diagrams, other than perhaps
having difficulty with the hose fittings to/from the control unit, it
seems quite possible to use the control module with another faucet.  The
trick would be to insure that the faucet spout was electrically
insulated from counter-top or sink (assuming one or both are metallic).

Alternatively, given a metallic sink (above-counter mounted) on a
non-metallic counter, it should be possible to connect the sense-wire to
both the spout and the sink.  That would mean that controlling the water
flow could be done by just touching anywhere on the sink surface.  

Alternatively, if there is some other insulated metal structure nearby
(mounted to a wall, or the counter) then that could serve as the
touch-control surface.  Even a decorative item like trim installed for
just that purpose.

 
Have you considered a foot operated switch?  Hands-free.

R

 
Think of the module as being like one that turns a lamp on whenever
you touch a metal part of the lamp.  Only the output of the module,
instead of going to the bulb in the lamp, goes to a valve in the water
supply line.