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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?

#81
post #64
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't that why they have warm water ones?

Doesn't help much given how water's heat of evaporation is.

If that were true, wouldn't showering in those climates be much more uncomfortable? It's not like the water goes everywhere, or you don't dry immediately with paper...

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

#82
post #55
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.

Spray/Jet is best. Required some plumbing and fitting jet between toilet sheet. All you need to do is turn on the knob. No recurring cost of toilet paper.

Don't you end up using a massive wadge of toilet paper to dry your now dripping wet backside so it doesn't dribble down to your pants/socks?

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

#83

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 honestly can’t imagine not being willing to clean feces off a shoe, but I guess that’s just my farm upbringing showing itself :)

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

#84
post #68
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A normal faucet has an overflow prevention. If the bidet's line runs outside of the toilet bowl, and fails there, then it leaks onto the floor.

A normal faucet has two supply lines underneath the sink, and frequently they're flexible. Those can leak and cause a massive flood. Has that ever happened to you? In addition, every toilet also has a supply line underneath, running from the wall valve to the bottom of the tank where the fill valve is mounted. Again, these are frequently flexible lines. How is this different than a bidet?

The cheapest bidet attachments all have very flimsy plastic threading for their supply lines. My first one did develop a small leak after eight years, but by then it had more than proven the concept and I bought a nicer one.

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

#85
post #16

My wife made a joke about a bidet a few years ago, so also as a joke I bought us one for her birthday. The $60 attachment kind where you just plumb in a splitter from the source that fills the toilet tank. It was a hit, so we bought one for family friends for a birthday - high hilarity as we heard the reports from their kids - and then more for our extended family at Christmas. Shocked reactions around the Christmas…

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

I've owned both, I agree.

The other "big" feature of a plugged in biden is meant to be the blower/dryer, but at least in my one (TOTO branded) it is a waste of time. If the blower actually worked (e.g. Dyson Airblade), it would be a significant benefit, but as it stands I agree you get 80% with a simple spray toilet seat (other 20% is heated water, maybe the moving head a little, although you still have to shift your body for good coverage).

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

#86
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spray/Jet is best. Required some plumbing and fitting jet between toilet sheet. All you need to do is turn on the knob. No recurring cost of toilet paper.

Don't you end up using a massive wadge of toilet paper to dry your now dripping wet backside so it doesn't dribble down to your pants/socks?

It is not fountain. Just small stream of jet to wash the target area. No dribble down happens.

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

#87
post #74
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Also, 'hand-tight' is more than sufficient (in most cases) using compression fittings (not brass but rubber/silicone/Viton, etc). After all, you are dealing with relatively low pressure, which a strong grip exceeds, while a wrench too tight can easily foul the soft seal.

Edit for clarity.

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

#88
post #55
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.

Spray/Jet is best. Required some plumbing and fitting jet between toilet sheet. All you need to do is turn on the knob. No recurring cost of toilet paper.

I use TP with my bidet. Unless you want swamp butt, you have to. I use LESS, but there's certainly still a hard requirement.

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

#89

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.

But how do you achieve that with those hand-sprayers? And don't droplets of black water fall all over one's hands and the sprayer when doing so?

The whole thing just seems awful to me. I know, I know: I am the ignorant one. The rest of the world seems very happy with them. But I just can't figure out how to use one in a sanitary fashion.

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

#90

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…

All the bidets I've used (standard fare in .fi) are attached to the faucet, so you need to open that if you want to use the bidet. (You also use the faucet to control water temperature)
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