Not sure I totally agree about hard water being the main villain here. Yeah, it’s a pain, but I’ve seen just as many sensor issues pop up in places with pretty soft water too—sometimes it’s just cheap electronics or badly designed housings.
- Inline filters and softeners help, but they’re not a magic bullet. If the tap’s got a poor seal or the wiring isn’t insulated properly, you’ll get corrosion or shorts no matter what.
- Maintenance routines are great in theory, but most residential units aren’t built for easy teardown. Half the time, by the time you notice a problem, the sensor’s already toast.
- Sunlight interference is real, but I’d put my money on poorly shielded sensors or bad firmware before blaming the environment.
Honestly, some of these touchless models just aren’t worth the hassle—seen more than one where swapping to a manual lever was the best fix in the end. Sometimes simpler really is better... especially when you’re tired of chasing weird electrical gremlins under the sink.