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Da Vinci faucet doubles as a drinking fountain

Da Vinci faucet doubles as a drinking fountain
The Da Vinci Fountain Faucet is presently on Kickstarter
The Da Vinci Fountain Faucet is presently on Kickstarter
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The Da Vinci Fountain Faucet is presently on Kickstarter
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The Da Vinci Fountain Faucet is presently on Kickstarter
The faucet is available in different sizes, styles and finishes
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The faucet is available in different sizes, styles and finishes

Although some people may take a more "civilized" approach, it's likely that most of us drink water by putting our mouths right up to the faucet. The Da Vinci faucet was designed to make doing so more hygienic and less wasteful, as it incorporates a drinking fountain.

Virginia-based engineer Steve Waddell invented the device after seeing a public water tap in Italy that utilized the same principle. By blocking the water flow out of the end of the tap with their hand, users could force the water to instead squirt up out of a hole in the top of the tap.

The Da Vinci Fountain Faucet takes a more refined approach, as it utilizes an integrated lever-activated valve to temporarily keep the water from flowing out the bottom of the faucet. Users can then drink from the resulting fountain that springs up out of the top of the faucet, without pressing their germy mouth up against anything.

The faucet is available in different sizes, styles and finishes
The faucet is available in different sizes, styles and finishes

There are also a couple of side benefits, in that users don't have to bend down as far in order to reach the water stream, nor are they likely to use as much water – traditional faucets tend to get turned to a fairly high output level, in order to get a good drinking stream that's more than just a trickle.

Waddell additionally suggests that the Da Vinci could make tasks such as face-washing and the rinsing off of shaving cream easier and more efficient. Plus it's designed in such a way that its fountain shouldn't arc out past the edge of a standard basin.

If you're interested in getting a Da Vinci Fountain Faucet, you can do so via its current Kickstarter campaign. Assuming it reaches production, a pledge of US$239 will get you a 4-inch centerset model with a chrome finish – the planned retail price is $479. Higher pledges are required for larger models and/or a brushed-nickel finish.

Potential backers who don't mind taking a kludgier approach might also want to check out products such as the Kwik Sip, which is a fountain attachment that gets mounted on the end of an existing faucet. There's also even a toothbrush that produces its own fountain when held under the tap.

Sources: Kickstarter, nasoni

3 comments
3 comments
Daishi
And for those willing to do a little climbing it triples as a bidet.
Douglas Rogers
It is nice to have. I don't see it having anywhere near payback in water bill savings.
Bob Stuart
In India, I learned to simply cup my hand under a faucet, and drink from the edge of my palm as easily as from a glass.