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

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

#71

Post by dhimes »

AareyBaba wrote: post #60
chx wrote: post #43

Right now the best thing you can do is to get a TOTO travel washlet. Despite the travel label it works just fine daily. Totally SFW video on how to use one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBAY1GWjjaQ You can buy one at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005FDJ8SM/ref=dp_ol... I had a washlet installed in 2009 when I bought my home and I was on a several month client on site late 2011 when out of sheer despera…

This is what I have too and it works reasonably well. I was joking to a relative that she could purchase a home depot hand pumped garden sprayer with a wand as a substitute during the corona virus crisis.

I fitted a hand-held shower head on one of those and used it for showers when we lost our water heater a few months back. Worked pretty well if you don't mind 'boat showers.' I could see where your idea might actually work.

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

#72

Post by mordechai9000 »

Frost1x wrote: post #39
LyndsySimon wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to run a new electrical outlet for mine; plumbing a new line for it wouldn’t have been any more difficult.

This is the one issue that's stopped me. Most these attachments connect to the toilet's water supply, which is fine, except most toilet water supplies only provide cold (i.e. whatever the ambient water temperature happens to be) water which to me, is far from ideal in a bidet (it's fine for normal use though). Running hot water there is a significant undertaking if done correctly, so most options come with a small re…

I think hot water mixing valves are standard for toilet lines in modern construction. It mixes in enough hot water to prevent condensation from occurring on the tank or the bowl. The water wouldn't be shower warm, but judging by other comments here it's less of an issue than one might think.

I guess you might not have this if you live somewhere like west Texas.

In my old rental, the mixing valve malfunctioned and condensation was causing damage to the floor. In my current house, it mixes in too much hot water. If you flush a few times in a row, you can feel the warmth off the toilet bowl. It needs to be replaced, because it doesn't have an adjustment screw.

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

#73

Post by scruple »

latchkey wrote: post #35
scruple wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I think I'd prefer to use a bum gun over the whole toilet seat thing. You can really move the bum gun around more easily than you can your body and it is super easy to wipe it down to clean it.

Yeah, I think when all of the dust clears on this that I will be putting in the bum guns in our place. The idea has spread to my entire house and close family, who spend a lot of time living with us during the year, over the past few weeks.

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

#74

Post by magduf »

BubRoss wrote: post #23
pmoriarty wrote: post #9

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.

NO, DO NOT DO THIS!!!

Compression fittings in plumbing must NOT have any teflon tape on the threads. This just causes leaks. Teflon tape is for fittings where the threads are the sealing surface. Compression fittings do not seal with the threads; the threads only provide compressive force.

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

#75

Post by Enginerrrd »

paulnechifor wrote: post #70

I don't understand people's fascination with bidets. I don't want to sprinkle my ass with water and have the resulting shit water splashing all over the place. The argument I've heard people make multiple times is that "if you have mud on your shoes, do you wash them with water or with paper", but that's the wrong analogy. If I had (human) shit on my shoes, I wouldn't do either, I'd throw them away.

>I don't want to sprinkle my ass with water and have the resulting shit water splashing all over the place.

Mechanically, I'm not sure what you are envisioning, but I believe your mental picture is deeply flawed.

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

#76

Post by say_it_as_it_is »

paulnechifor wrote: post #70

I don't understand people's fascination with bidets. I don't want to sprinkle my ass with water and have the resulting shit water splashing all over the place. The argument I've heard people make multiple times is that "if you have mud on your shoes, do you wash them with water or with paper", but that's the wrong analogy. If I had (human) shit on my shoes, I wouldn't do either, I'd throw them away.

Your butt goes deep enough into the chasm that splash only falls into the bowl, never outside. If it does, you're doing it wrong.

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

#77

Post by ebg13 »

Every time I hear someone say that they stopped using toilet paper after switching to a bidet, I have some serious questions. Because I've used bidets and washlets of all kinds, and I've never met one that actually cleaned fully without also rubbing/wiping. So, ok, using wet paper can get you much cleaner and is gentler than dry paper, but blasting wet feces droplets all over the place with a jet spray alone isn't so great if it still doesn't get you clean.

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

#79

Post by Lammy »

Paul-ish wrote: post #56
zwily wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tell everybody that a $50 sprayer attachment will get you 80% of the benefit of a full-on bidet toilet.

How does one use a sprayer attachment? It seems like positioning would be awkward.

You position yourself; the water stream stays where it is. You get used to it very quickly and know where to expect it to be based on where you’re sitting.

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

#80

Post by wuunderbar »

latchkey wrote: post #26
Causality1 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Hold up. Clean doesn't mean sanitized. You don't want a regular towel with fecal bacteria sitting around.
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