Have you tried using a public toilet, then whoosh, a stream of water hits your bottom while doing your business?
Those are automatic toilets that promote a touchless flushing technology. You need to know how to flush automatic toilet units properly so you won’t get confused or terrified when using them for the first time.
You simply need to activate the sensor to get an automatic toilet to flush. Cover the sensor if you want the toilet to flush once you’re away from the bowl. Also, you can manually flush the toilet when the sensor doesn’t engage.
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Step-by-Step to Flush Automatic Toilet
Flushing an automatic toilet is pretty straightforward. Here are 3 ways to flush an automatic toilet.
The flushing method of these high-performance toilets may vary depending on the brand and model, but generally, it has an automatic flush toilet sensor that you need to hover to activate.
- To flush Kohler automatic toilet, hover your hand over the tank to activate the sensor flushing system. Take your hand away if the toilet starts flushing, which usually takes a couple of seconds.
- Toto automatic toilets use an infrared sensor to detect a user. To flush, simply stand and walk away. You’ll be amazed that the toilet is already swirling with water even when you do nothing.
Watch how the automatic flush works in this video.
One of the major complaints of first-time users is getting splashed when using an automatic toilet. The problem is that some of these units are so sensitive that they’ll flush even when you’re still seated. Here’s how to solve this dilemma.
- Before you sit on the automatic toilet, get several layers of tissue.
- Cover the sensor with the tissue to stop it from working for a while.
- If the sensor is located on a wall, cover it with a sticky note.
- After doing your business, stand and remove the tissue from the sensor.
If the auto-flush toilet is not working, there’s probably something wrong with the flush sensors. To solve this issue, you can flush the toilet manually. All automatic toilets have a manual flush button or trip lever to prepare for this type of emergency.
- Find the manual flush button of your unit. It’s usually that silver or black small button near the sensor. Push that button.
- If your unit has a trip lever, push it downwards to flush manually.
- Other units like Zurn have a valve to flush the waste manually. To manually flush the Zurn toilet, switch the valve to the lzeft. Hold that position for several seconds or until all wastes have been flushed down, then switch it back OFF.
What is an Automatic Toilet? How Does It Work?
Automatic toilets are self-flushing toilets that come with no button or handle to flush. Instead, they use sensors to make the toilet flush automatically. They detect your body heat and movement to determine whether you’re using the toilet or not.
Most automatic toilets have infrared proximity sensors. They won’t auto flush while you’re sitting because the infrared detects your presence as light beams bounce off your body. When you rise and walk away, the infrared won’t detect your presence hence activating the flush mechanism.
Sensors located above the tank activate the flush mechanism when they detect your body heat above them. When you hold your hand above the sensor for a few minutes, water flows down into the bowl to flush down any waste into the sewer pipes.
How to Make a DIY Automatic Toilet Flusher
If you can’t afford to get an aut0-flush unit for home use, you can make an automatic toilet flush yourself. All you need is an Arduino Nano board, a distance sensor, a servo motor, wires, and other supplies.
Here’s how to make your own automatic toilet at home:
- Get a rectangular plastic container. Drill a small hole at each side and two large holes at the top cover to fit the distance sensor.
- Solder the micro-USB type female connector to the red and black jumper wires. Insert the connector into the hole of the container.
- Stick the four pins of the jumper wires to the sensor and another five pins to the Nano board.
- Fit the connecting wire of the servo motor to the other side of the container and connect it to the Nano board. The board should stay inside the container to protect its connections from moisture.
- Position the servo motor closef to the flush button or lever.
- Plug the battery into the female connector. Each time you wave your hand on the sensor the servo motor’s moving part pushes the flush button or lever.
FAQs
Why is my automatic toilet not flushing?
Sometimes an automatic toilet won’t flush because its sensors are too old to detect your body heat. You can be out of range or you wore something that impedes its ability to reflect your presence near the toilet. Other possible reasons for the malfunction could be a possible buildup of minerals in the sensor or dead batteries.
How to stop automatic flush toilet?
One of the best ways to stop an electronic toilet flush from working is to block its sensor with a piece of toilet paper. When the sensor is blocked, it can’t detect your presence, hence, won’t flush the toilet automatically.
How much is an automatic toilet?
Automatic toilets are expensive. The average sensor toilet flush price is around $4,000. You can expect other modern features like a heated seat, night lights, and phone app connectivity.
Conclusion
I hope that you don’t get intimidated by using an auto-flush toilet now that you know how to flush automatic toilet units. These toilets are more sanitary to use since you don’t have to touch them. Make sure that you get too far from the toilet, so the infrared sensors can accurately detect your presence.
If you have experience using an automatic toilet, share it with us in the comment section below. If you like this article, please share it with your friends.
I’m Paulk Webb, and I work as a writer for Saveourwaterrebates. I’m happy to put in the time and effort to conduct market research to identify the most pressing issues faced by households concerning their plumbing. Feel free to check out our guides to get the most informed recommendations for how to solve your problems.