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Kohler kit lets you flush your toilet without touching the filthy thing

Kohler kit lets you flush your toilet without touching the filthy thing
The technology is also built into Kohler's new Cimarron Touchless Toilet
The technology is also built into Kohler's new Cimarron Touchless Toilet
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The technology is also built into Kohler's new Cimarron Touchless Toilet
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The technology is also built into Kohler's new Cimarron Touchless Toilet
At the heart of the Touchless Flush Kit is a module that mounts inside the tank via a metal bracket
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At the heart of the Touchless Flush Kit is a module that mounts inside the tank via a metal bracket

When it comes to things that the germ-conscious want to avoid touching, toilet flush levers likely occupy the top spot. Kohler evidently realizes this, as it now offers a retrofit kit that allows buyers to flush their existing toilet without touching it.

At the heart of the Touchless Flush Kit is a module that mounts inside the tank via a metal bracket. That module projects an electromagnetic field into a space above the tank – a raised decal on the tank lid lets users know exactly where that field is.

When they subsequently pass their hand through the field, the module detects it and responds by raising an arm on its side. That arm serves the same purpose as a flush lever, as a chain runs from it down to the toilet's existing flush system.

At the heart of the Touchless Flush Kit is a module that mounts inside the tank via a metal bracket
At the heart of the Touchless Flush Kit is a module that mounts inside the tank via a metal bracket

The module runs on a set of four AA batteries, that should last for 6 to 12 months depending on how much action the toilet sees. And if users don't want the now-useless flush lever to still be hanging there looking germy, it can be removed and replaced with an included hole cover.

The Kohler Touchless Flush Kit should be on the market soon, priced at around US$100. It's reportedly compatible with "almost any single-flush toilet with a canister or flapper type flush."

Source: Kohler via Digital Trends

8 comments
8 comments
DomainRider
Great - now all you need for a fully no-touch toilet is someone to lift the lid before you go and put it down again before you use the touchless flush...
fenshwey
Would be awesome if they hooked a turbine up to the inlet valve so the water refilling the tank could power the device.
I'm saying that off the top of my head, the maths probably doesnt add up.
Gadgeteer
A couple of decades ago, a company sold a device that hooked onto the standard flush lever. A shaft extended down to the floor, where a treadle provided the force to pull the lever. Just step to flush. No batteries and a lot cheaper than $100.
The Skud
Considering that a user normally will (or should do) wash their hands after use anyway, this seems a waste of money. The price would buy a far amount of hand-wash or soap as well, let alone thinking about that funny feeling just after the shops close and the battery pack dies! LOL
Stuart Wilshaw
Considering it's your own excreta your flushing, normal hygiene takes care of any problems.
For public toilets it's a good idea and I've seen contactless systems in use in several hospitals in the UK.
Alternatively as previously suggested use a foot pedal.
Glen Jacobsen
Shouldn't be that hard to make it a dual flush, wave your hand once for small flush, twice for full flush. Big issue for me is that the tank top is the place where the tissue box sits, so I will be flushing every time I need a tissue.... Agree, foot flush for public, but this is just a cute thingie for the home.
nutcase
Is it ethical to exploit obsessive-compulsives in this way??
Slowburn
I think it is the first sign of the apocalypse but I agree with nutcase.