Live data from Hacker News

Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

wired.com

21–30 of 289 posts

Re: Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

#21
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vacuum? Do tell. I would want foamy soap dispensing too, and adjustable nozzles/pressure would be a treat. edit: AHA! Vacuum as in air filtration...I was imagining an auto spa...

It has a fan that goes and sucks the air out of the bowl when someone sits on it and blows the air through a charcoal filter. It also has adjustable nozzles(position, heating, oscilation, pressure). It is so over the top, but after a few days of "this is weird", it just becomes awesome and I miss it when I'm away from home.

Well, if any task should be robot-automated, it should be this one!

Re: Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

#22
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't the bidet take its water supply from the toilet's own valve? That's how I'd do it, just add a tap to the outlet of the valve ( https://i.imgur.com/Or7mhpW.png ). No need to turn off your home water supply to install it, either.

I edited a second after you submitted. No, everything is built into the wall. You have to destroy it to get to the pipes. Not even a "door" or some tile to open. It's all sealed away.

How do you turn off the water supply to the toilet? Is that part non-existent or inside the wall? Because that is where you normally install the splitter.

Re: Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

#23

My main concern regarding a bidet is that it'll leak. I've heard horror stories about bidets causing thousands of dollars worth of damages after the water hoses that supply them leak and spill hundreds of gallons of water on to the floor when their owners are away from home.

Are you concerned about the hose to your tank leaking? What about the rest of your plumbing? Wrap teflon tape around the threads in the direction you will be screwing the connection on three times. Tighten with a wrench. If you are really paranoid, use pipe thread sealant after the teflon tape.

Re: Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

#24

My main concern regarding a bidet is that it'll leak. I've heard horror stories about bidets causing thousands of dollars worth of damages after the water hoses that supply them leak and spill hundreds of gallons of water on to the floor when their owners are away from home.

The solution for me is to put "Turn off supply valves" in my vacation checklist and replace the hoses every five years.

Re: Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

#25
I've lived in Vietnam for the last 4 years and got used to the 'bum gun' as we call them. It is awesome.

I came back to the US late January for a meeting in SF. I was staying at my friends house and lamenting the missing gun. My friends were refusing to install one because they were afraid that their two year old would use it to soak the entire bathroom.

I started checking Amazon anyway... once everyone started stockpiling TP, the prices started to rise and I started to see more and more of them marked as 'unavailable'.

Now there is definitely no chance they will get one in the near future...

Re: Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

#26

I love my Hello Tushy. Combine that with one of those Charmin Forever Rolls and you will have a roll that lasts months. While people are out fighting for TP, I rinse myself and use two or three pieces to dry off and that’s it. Nice and clean!

I like the concept but I admit to not really understanding how they work in practice. For the in-toilet ones, how do you aim them? Just scooting around? They don't dribble poop-water down your cheeks? The handheld ones just baffle me. How do you get them in place and spread your cheeks at the same time? I feel like I'm going to need a stack of wet-wipes and a disposable towel the first time I actually use a bidet.

You only need a regular towel to dry off, since now you're actually clean instead of just smearing poop around until the paper kind of looks clean. Unless of course you have microscopic eyesight.

Re: Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

#27

My main concern regarding a bidet is that it'll leak. I've heard horror stories about bidets causing thousands of dollars worth of damages after the water hoses that supply them leak and spill hundreds of gallons of water on to the floor when their owners are away from home.

The solution for me is to put "Turn off supply valves" in my vacation checklist and replace the hoses every five years.

And those hoses should be metal-braided versions, preventing burst.

Re: Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

#28

I've lived in Vietnam for the last 4 years and got used to the 'bum gun' as we call them. It is awesome. I came back to the US late January for a meeting in SF. I was staying at my friends house and lamenting the missing gun. My friends were refusing to install one because they were afraid that their two year old would use it to soak the entire bathroom. I started checking Amazon anyway... once everyone started stock…

I've been using a portable, battery-powered bidet (Toto brand) for years. The first vacation that I took to Japan sold me on them nearly instantly, but I didn't want to go through with installing them once I got home. This is a good compromise.

Re: Has the bidet's time in North America finally arrived?

#30

My main concern regarding a bidet is that it'll leak. I've heard horror stories about bidets causing thousands of dollars worth of damages after the water hoses that supply them leak and spill hundreds of gallons of water on to the floor when their owners are away from home.

My friends were (rightly) concerned their two year old would think it was a new bathroom toy. He loves playing with water. I didn't have a good answer, but somehow kids in asia seem less enthusiastic about playing with something they use to clean their bums. Also, the majority of the bathrooms there are more like giant showers... they have floors with drains in them so the whole thing can get wet without any problems. Sure makes cleaning them easier too.
Post reply on HN