death by automatic flush toilet?

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The problem with automatic flush toilets by Deardorf

A monster in the restroom December 1, 2008 Chicago Tribune

Problem: Am I the only one who gets splashed while using the

automatic toilets at Target and St. ph Hospital? I have had to get

paper towels to wipe whatever has been splashed from the toilet bowl

onto me and my clothes. I'm wondering whether there's a health risk

since I go to cardiac rehab three times a week (at St. Joe's) and the

length of time there usually calls for a pit stop. —T.C., Chicago

Solution: While the hands-free toilet promises better hygiene and

easier maintenance, Slate magazine called it " the crappiest invention

of all time. " I agree: They're too aggressive. There you are, minding

your own business, when the toilet flushes several times before you're

done. At the Target in ton, they flush before you're even in the

stall. And automatic flush toilets have trouble dealing with unusual

issues such as floaters and people who need to linger.

Moreover, the furious " whooshing " noise scares children. And how

many times have you left a bathroom stall without flushing, thinking

it's an automatic toilet when it's not?

Still, in the long run, automatic flushing keeps the bowl cleaner

than if an unflushed toilet sat around for a long time and the next

user then came in and manually flushed it, said Harley A. Rotbart, a

professor of microbiology and pediatric infectious diseases at the

University of Colorado School of Medicine.

And while this is hard to say delicately, " if you get splashed

while you're using the toilet, the germs are mostly your own, " said

Rotbart, author of " Germ Proof Your Kids. " " Remember, hands—not

butts—catch infections, so washing your hands after using the bathroom

will suffice until you get home to take a shower before bed. "

Still, no one wants toilet water on their skin or clothes. Try

squatting rather than sitting for better maneuverability. Or complain

to management. Maybe if we make enough noise they'll bring back a

technology that actually made sense: the foot pedal toilet, which fell

out of use decades ago because of high installation costs.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2008/12/the-pr\

oblem-wit.html

Comments 1

To prevent an automatic toilet from flushing before you're ready,

carry around a pad of post-it notes and put one over the sensor before

you sit. Remove it when you're done. An essential tool in the toolkit

of any parent of a toddler. Not that it helps with the splash issue,

but at least it's something.

Comment 2

double over some TP to cover the sensor; but PLEASE remove it when

done. the surface tension of the water in a toilet that has been

allowed to stand,whether clean or 'used', when flushed releases

approximately 3 billion water droplets into the air...so don't hold

your mouth open either.

Comment 3

As a retired custodian, I'll put my two cents in on this. First, when

it flushes the moment you enter a stall- it is doing an automatic

cleansing flush, just to prepare the stall before you use it. I, for

one, think this is just a waste of water. Yes, this is a computer

toilet. There are several settings on each auto flush valve that need

to be simply adjusted to rid the problem, and save money and water.

Second, not all of them have a manual button. Third,putting a fresh

piece of TP over the sensor is, unfortunately, the best way to control

'over flushing'. SOME, not all, use aa batteries as the power source,

these usually last a year or less, and must be replaced or the toilet

won't flush at all. Other sensors are 'Hard-Wired' to a 120 volt

electric circuit. I don't use those myself, just for safety. I've seen

too many of them not wired properly, or not grounded. I'd rather die

in bed, than be electrocuted sitting on one of those...

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2008/12/the-pr\

oblem-wit.html