Delta Pilar ToucH2O Technology Faucet Review
Delta Pilar Faucet with ToucH2O Technology
Delta has recently introduced a revolutionary new faucet with ToucH2O technology. Sanitation and cleanliness are a top priority in our homes today. That’s why this new faucet is such a breakthrough. ToucH2O Technology allows you to turn the faucet on and off with a simple touch of skin, finger, wrist, forearm or even your nose!
ToucH20 Technology uses body capacitance in order to control a solenoid valve which allows the faucet to be turned on and off with a simple touch. Basically the faucet works just like touch lamps that have become popular over the years. By simply touching your skin to any part of the spout or valve handle the faucet turns on and off.
The folks at Delta were kind enough to send us this cool new faucet to test. We recently installed the new Delta Pilar faucet in a house that had a 30 year old faucet. Below are our thoughts on the installation and performance of the Delta Pilar Faucet with ToucH2O Technology.
Installing Delta Faucet with ToucH2O
The new Delta Pilar faucet can be installed with either a two hole or three hole set-up. You can actually install it in sinks with 4 holes (pretty standard for most sinks to have 4 holes if there was a sprayer involved), you’ll simply need to purchase a blank hole cover. The directions for the faucet installation are fairly long and technical but we recommend you first watch the installation videos that Delta has created.
We felt the installation was very straight forward once we watched the detailed installation video that Delta created. In fact, installation of this faucet was as easy if not easier than a traditional kitchen faucet. The entire installation, including removing the old faucet, took about one hour. It’s really important that you read the directions fully before you begin and have all the tools you’ll need before you start this project. Anyone with average DIY skills can quite easily install this faucet. It’s also important that you check your local building codes before beginning a project like this.
Delta ToucH2O Performance & Features
We really like the concept of this new technology and the features it offers. Being able to turn on a faucet and clean your hands without contaminating it is a super feature. The ToucH2O feature works great and we had no trouble getting used to this new way of turning on and off a faucet. The following features were great:
- The tall size of the spout is great for working with large pots and pans.
- The pull-down spray head works very well and offers a regular stream or an aerated stream.
- The water valve handle offers a great range of water pressure and temperature settings.
- The ToucH2O technology is easy to use and REALLY cool!
- If you decide that you don’t want to use the “touch” feature anymore there is a way to override that setting to use it as a normal faucet (this is also handy if the batteries die!).
There are several small features we’d like to see change in future models including:
- We think it would be nice if the solenoid was built so that it can be screwed to the wall of the cabinets instead hanging from the water supply lines.
- It would be nice if the unit came with a small transformer that allows the unit to be powered from AC power rather than the battery packs. Most modern kitchens now have power under the sink base for a dishwasher and disposal so having a power source is not a problem.
- We’re not sure we’re fans of the ToucH20 technology attached to the valve handle. It’s great on the spout but a bit confusing if you want to adjust the temperature with the valve, occasionally we turned off the water instead of adjusting it.
Overall Impression
We really like the new Delta Pilar Faucet with ToucH2O Technology. The faucet is beautiful and built with high quality parts. It functions just as advertised and adds great new features that are sure to be an industry standard before too long. Although the MSRP for this faucet is well over $500 we did find it at several locations for around $300 which is comparable to most good quality kitchen faucets today.
Even though we pointed out a few things we’d like to see changed they really are small issues. This is a great faucet with great new features and we recommend it for anyone looking for this type of functionality.
Where To Buy Delta ToucH2O Faucets
The new ToucH2O faucets are being roled out at local Big Box stores and plumbing supply showrooms as we speak. You can check a list of online retailers that Delta has as well. We found a great price over at Amazon for $348 with FREE shipping.
Win A Free ToucH20 Faucet
We are giving away one new Delta ToucH2O faucet here on HCI. Hurry up because the contest ends on January 15th. All you need to do is head on over to our Delta ToucH2O Faucet Giveaway to learn more about entering to win!
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