Yeah, I hear you. Every time I look at those touchless faucets, I just picture the first time it decides to stop working—probably when someone’s got soap all over their hands or in the middle of a tenant turnover. I’ve had way fewer headaches with old-school brass valves and compression fittings. Maybe the tech is cool for some folks, but for me, reliability beats bells and whistles every time. If something does go wrong, I want to be able to fix it myself, not call in half a dozen specialists. Guess I’m not convinced the convenience outweighs the long-term hassle.
Title: Need some advice on choosing new plumbing fixtures
I get where you’re coming from. I just moved in a few months ago and honestly, the idea of touchless anything kind of stresses me out. I like the concept—less mess, maybe a little more hygienic—but I keep thinking about what happens when the sensor goes haywire or the batteries die. I’m not exactly handy yet, so the thought of having to troubleshoot electronics under my sink isn’t appealing.
I went with regular lever faucets for my bathroom and kitchen. They’re simple, and if something leaks or gets stuck, there’s a million YouTube videos showing how to fix it. Plus, parts are easy to find at any hardware store. I guess I’d rather deal with a slow drip than a faucet that just refuses to turn on at all.
One thing I did notice though—some of the newer manual fixtures still have plastic internals, even if they look solid on the outside. That was kind of a surprise. I ended up spending a bit more for ones with brass guts, hoping they’ll last longer. Maybe that’s overkill, but it seemed worth it for peace of mind.
I can see why people like the techy stuff, especially in public spaces where everyone’s touching everything. But for home use, reliability is higher on my list than convenience features. Maybe that’ll change once I’ve lived here longer and get more comfortable fixing things myself... but for now, I’m sticking with what I know I can handle.
Curious if anyone’s had a touchless faucet last more than a few years without issues? Feels like there’s always some tradeoff between cool features and long-term headaches.
I hear you on the plastic internals—my last “solid” faucet turned out to be more plastic than a kid’s toy. I’ve been tempted by the touchless ones too, but I just picture myself waving my hands around like a wizard and nothing happening. Has anyone actually found a brand that’s easy to fix if it does go haywire? Or is it just easier to stick with the old-school stuff and call it a day?
I just picture myself waving my hands around like a wizard and nothing happening.
That’s honestly the exact image I get too. I’ve worked on a few touchless models, and when they glitch, it’s usually either the sensor or the solenoid valve—neither of which is as straightforward to swap out as an old-school cartridge. Some brands (Moen, for example) have decent support, but even then, you’re dealing with electronics and sometimes proprietary parts. Do you care more about convenience or being able to fix stuff yourself without hunting down weird parts?
Do you care more about convenience or being able to fix stuff yourself without hunting down weird parts?
Honestly, I lean way more toward being able to fix stuff myself. Convenience is nice, but if it means I’m stuck waiting for a proprietary part to ship or paying double for something only one company makes, it’s just not worth it. I had a touchless faucet in my last place and when the sensor died, it was a pain to even figure out what was wrong, let alone get the replacement. Ended up just swapping it for a regular lever model.
I get why people like the hands-free thing, but for me, if I can’t run to the hardware store and grab what I need, it’s a dealbreaker. Plus, with all the electronics, there’s just more that can go wrong. Maybe I’m old school, but give me something simple that I can actually repair without needing a YouTube degree or special tools. Anyone else feel like the “smart” features just add more headaches than they solve?
