That battery panic is way too real. I had the same thing happen during a big family dinner—hands covered in raw chicken, faucet just blinking at me like, “not today.” Ended up elbowing the handle for a while before I remembered there’s a manual override. I do like not having to scrub gunk off the handles every week, but I’m still not 100% sold on the whole touchless thing. Sometimes it’s like the sensor has a mind of its own—wave your hand, nothing. Move a fork nearby, suddenly Niagara Falls.
I keep a stash of batteries under the sink now, right next to the plumber’s tape and that one weird tool I only use for the garbage disposal. Guess it’s just the price of convenience. Still beats the old leaky faucet I had before, though. At least this one doesn’t drip all night and drive me nuts.
Had a similar run-in with a touchless faucet at a client’s house last week. They called me out thinking it was broken, but all it needed was a fresh set of batteries. You’d be surprised how often that’s the fix—people forget about the power source until it’s too late and they’re stuck waving their hands like they’re casting a spell.
I get the appeal of not having to clean handles constantly, but I’m with you on the sensors being finicky. Some brands are way more sensitive than others. I’ve seen ones that’ll turn on if you just walk by, and others that need you to practically tap dance in front of them. Not great when you’re elbow-deep in something messy.
One thing I always tell people: keep those batteries on hand, and learn where the manual override is before you need it. Saves a lot of hassle when things go sideways. And yeah, even with the quirks, I’d take a touchless over a leaky faucet any day. At least you don’t wake up at 2am to that slow drip driving you nuts.
Still, I wish they’d make a model that gives you some kind of warning before the battery dies. Maybe a little beep or light? Would save everyone a lot of trouble. Until then, guess we’re all stuck playing battery roulette under the sink.
You nailed it with the “casting a spell” bit—been there, done that, felt ridiculous. I’ve had tenants call me in a panic, convinced the faucet’s haunted, only to find out it’s just dead batteries. I do wish they’d add a warning light or something, though. It’s wild that we have smart fridges texting us about milk but faucets can’t give a heads-up before going dark. Still, I’ll take a finicky sensor over a midnight drip any day. At least the batteries don’t keep you up at night... unless you forget where you stashed the spares.
Honestly, you’re not alone with the “faucet’s haunted” calls. I’ve had folks swear up and down their kitchen sink was possessed—one guy even tried waving a broom at it before calling me. Nine times outta ten, it’s just those batteries dying at the worst possible moment. I agree, a little warning light would save everybody a lot of head-scratching. If my smoke alarm can scream at me over a low battery, why can’t the faucet just blink or beep? Seems like a no-brainer.
I do get the appeal of touchless, though. Fewer fingerprints, less mess, and you don’t have to wrestle a sticky handle after prepping raw chicken. But yeah, the tech’s still got some kinks. I’ve seen sensors go haywire if there’s too much sunlight or even if someone’s wearing a shiny watch. Sometimes I think the old-school stuff was simpler, but then again, nothing wakes you up faster than hearing that slow drip in the middle of the night.
Funny thing—one time I found a stash of AA batteries in a tenant’s freezer. Swore it kept them “fresh.” Not sure about that science, but hey, at least they remembered where they put them.
Anyway, you’re right—midnight drips are worse than dead batteries. At least with batteries, you’re not mopping up water at 2am. Progress isn’t perfect but I’ll take it, quirks and all.
That freezer battery trick cracks me up—my uncle used to do the same thing and swore by it. Can’t say I ever noticed a difference, but hey, beats digging through junk drawers at 2am. I’m with you on the warning light. It’s wild that manufacturers haven’t standardized something so basic, especially since even cheap remotes have low-battery indicators now.
Touchless is great when it works, but I’ve lost count of how many times folks have called me out because the sensor just stopped responding—usually right after they’ve had guests over and are convinced it’s some kind of user error. Sometimes it’s just a smudge on the sensor, other times it’s interference from a nearby appliance. Honestly, sometimes I miss the days when a faucet was just... a faucet.
Curious if anyone’s tried those hybrid models that still have manual handles as backup? I’ve only installed a couple, but they seem like the best of both worlds—unless you forget which mode you’re in and end up waving your hands like you’re casting spells over the sink.
