Toto Washlet/bidet defeats the toilet paper/paper towel hoarders of America

Another investment opportunity missed

 

Not sure if this is against SBAF rules (as it's non-audio equipment) or in bad taste, but I have bidets coming in from a manufacturer in about 2 weeks and can spare 2 or 3 units for SBAF if anyone really can't find TP and wants to buy one. I contributed a little bit to the design as well. In full disclosure, you would be buying directly from me and they'd be well under $300 (I'm not going to price gouge anyone at a time like this). I can post or PM pictures when they arrive. EDIT: May not buy direct from me anymore due to pending logistics, etc. but long story short I still benefit financially from sale.

If this post is against SBAF rules, mods please delete or tell me to delete. FWIW, I'm posting on SBAF right now in case someone can't get TP, not so much as a commercial enterprise piggybacking trying to sell non-audio products here.

EDIT (b/c it seems like there is interest):
Brief product summary: It doesn't have a huge amount of features (on purpose) - a night light, heated seat, and heated water (both temps adjustable), and self washing bidet arms (before/after each use) are the main ones. More importantly IMO, more thought was put into the seat portion and at least for those of us who developed and tested it, it is actually decently comfortable as far as most bidet seats go (unlike many which have a huge hump in the back, making it uncomfortable to sit on for anyone over 5' 6" IMO - not to mention for guys these other seats push your junk into the front of the toilet. Or are the wrong seat shape, wrong curvature, etc etc...). No special plumbing required.

If anyone really wants one but doesn't want to deal with electrical or just wants to save $, I can get a non-electric one that's (hopefully) right under or at $100 too, but I'd have to have at least 5-10 people wanting it to be able to bring these in (edit: not sure if this is still possible as of right now and due to covid stuff it may actually be slightly above $100 now, but lmk regardless if interest). I will also flat out say this $100 bidet is not the absolute best bidet I've ever used, but it's the best one I've used under $200 and the best non-electric one I've used. I gave some of these to my parents and some extended family last year and they've all used it w/o issue since then.

 

Hey, can't say we don't watch each other's backs here at SBAF...

 

Last week, Costco had an online only sale for the Bio Bidet A8. I bought a total of 3 in two orders. Received one so far, other two are on backorder supposed to ship end of the month. They sold out in less than a day I think.

Installation was pretty easy because I had outlets installed by all of our toilets, in anticipation of one day installing butt washers.
My only problem was you bolt this bracket to the toilet, and the seat is supposed to latch into the bracket, but I couldn't get it to latch. In the end, I latched them together, and then bolted both pieces down to the toilet. Then just added an included y plumbing adapter for the water feed, and plug in and it worked fine.
Initial testing was with plastic wrap over the bowl, just to make sure it sprayed ok.

Works well enough, I'm not sure I'd be happy if I paid full price, but at the Costco sale price of $250 its a good deal.
Still need a little tp in the end, but I'll be vague here and just say I'm hard to clean down there, so others may have better luck.

I also move during the process, to make sure all areas are rinsed.

And the hot air drying does seem kind of useless, would take way too long to dry. So you'd always use some tp to dry yourself. But my tp usage is way down now, and it does a better job of cleaning.

Randy

 

The Butt-Wash Boogie

 

OK so my bidets came in. Mods were fine with my post above so here is a rough summary of features again and some thoughts about the product itself:

Inspiration:
Since trying a bidet several years ago I wanted one. Problem was every single one I saw / used was either 1) Too expensive at $5-10k for an integrated bidet toilet or even some bidet seat replacements I've seen for almost $1k 2) Too bulky and hence uncomfortable as mentioned above 3) Doesn't have the right features 4) Poor quality for most options <$100-150. 5) Too convoluted to install/use/maintain/etc - in other words, not user friendly enough (which often also means hard to clean...), especially for a non-plumber or someone not familiar with doing their own handy work.

Goal/vision:
I wanted to get a product out that could fix as much of the above as possible for <$300. As one may expect, in SBAF analogies, this isn't a TOTL bidet, but I'm very happy with this at it's price point. We started with an existing framework + some off the shelf parts (with the mfg, not at common hardware store) and went from there. As mentioned, I had designed/spec'd a few parts of this bidet and provided input on other aspects. We just had the final (paid) "v0.99.99" models sent in. After evaluating some units, we are comfortable selling the last 3. FWIW, in my own opinion, I say 0.99.99, but if I didn't say 0.99.99, I'd say 95%+ of people wouldn't be able to tell this isn't a 1.0 version (rightfully so IMO as majority of changes left are just the cleaning up the manual and labels, box labels, etc). This version also passes code, etc. already (unlike sometimes where v0.99 products are still waiting for approvals).

Features:
- Price - These are going to sell for about $275 later, but I will sell the first 3 for $235 (~15% or $40 off). PM me if interested, see end of installation part 3 post here as well.
- Comfort - see next post below
- Heated water and seat (Off, low, high).
- Self cleaning wands - will clean itself both before and after each use.
- Comfortable spray with continuously adjustable water pressure - While subjective, I found the spray very comfortable and non-intrusive while still effective. See more below.
- Soft white lighting for night time use. See pictures below.
- Bidet portion will still function without electricity. You only lose the heat and light.
- Relatively easy to install + no special tools required
- Slow close seat (so it doesn't make a slam noise, useful at night).
- Anti-microbial properties / materials used in the seat and bidet wands/nozzles.

Next post will be pictures of the install process and some explanations.

 

COMFORT:
Before we get on with the actual install, here are pictures comparing the new bidet seat to my old toilet seat to illustrate the comfort aspect.



You can see that the bidet seat is not much bigger than the normal seat. As mentioned above, one thing that makes me not like most bidet seats I've tried is the fact that they're too big in the back and hence the back half of the seat is usually REALLY sloped. You effectively can only sit on the front part, meaning the seat becomes way too small. In a few cases the hole in the seat is just too small. This bidet is about as close to the size/shape of a normal toilet seat as it can get unless I want to go over $1500 via the use of exotic materials and a lot of custom parts. Also notice the hump in the back is near minimal. I would say this bidet is definitely comfortable for me and the other evaluators, about 95% of my specially selected toilet seat above. Aside from general comfort, key things include not sitting too far forward, my junk not hitting the seat or front of toilet, cleaning wands being able to reach the right places, and simple/easy UI/UX. FWIW, I'm 5' 11", about 195lb. Biggest guy who evaluated is about 6' 2" 230ish lb. Smallest evaluator is a 5' 4" female. No one had comfort issues.
The safety sensor will be explained in part 2 but in short it prevents you from running the thing continuously when no one is on it.

About the normal seat I mention: I've lost count of how many different seats I've tried (minimum 40+). The one installed on the toilet before was the one I found to be the most comfortable. W/o going into too much detail, a few friends agreed - I provided a few of these same or very similar seats to friends who happened to be remodeling or the like and they all ended up buying some. I was surprised at how much goes into making a comfortable toilet seat (I discovered some interesting design constraints from working on this project) and wanted many of those elements in the bidet seat.

INSTALLATION PART 1:
As mentioned, we wanted this to be as easy as possible for a "normal person". Only an adjustable wrench, phillips head screwdriver, and a small bucket/container are required. Towels to wipe up water afterwards. Possible water pressure gauge - most US homes are specified at 60psi +/- some. Recommended pressure range is 30 - 80 psi. Anything over 80 violates code and can be potentially unsafe - call a plumber. Under 30psi may result in weak water flow. Water for this toilet floats between 58-60psi and I had no issues with function/install.

NOTE about fit: Here is a picture of my old toilet seat on the toilet. One thing to note - my toilet is what is referred to as an "elongated toilet" as opposed to a "round toilet". Just as the name implies, it's more of an elongated oval than round. Much more comfortable in general for men and women - for guys your junk won't hit the front and for ladies you can wipe up front easier. Also more comfortable elongated seat shapes in general. Most newer toilets are elongated by default and I currently only have an "elongated" version, no round version as of right now. If you want to get really particular, note that my toilet is also more egg shaped rather than a perfect oval. This is designed to fit most elongated toilets in the US (and fits pretty much everything standard you can currently buy at Lowe's, HD, or most plumbing / kitchen + bath supply places).



First, I uninstall my old seat. Then insert the black rubber inserts into the seat bolt holes in the ceramic. Brand name crossed out b/c I'm not here to recommend / talk about toilets, etc.:


To account for variation in different toilets/handles/tank lids, this is installed via an adjustable bracket. It can be placed more forwards or backwards so the seat fits properly. There is also some side-side play for different hole spacing. My toilet's bolt holes are closer together than most from what I understand, but this bracket still fits. I use the included paper template to get the placement mostly right and tighten down most of the way. I forgot to take a picture but on the underside there are some hard plastic wingnuts. The rubber inserts are also threaded inside.

 

INSTALLATION PART 2:
Now I slide the seat onto the bracket. It slides back into place. Make sure everything fits again.


Open/close lid and make sure the lid can stand on its own (i.e. handle or tank lid do not cause it to sit leaning forwards). In my case it fits so I tighten down (do not over torque - it's still ceramic - think plates. Just tighten enough that nothing wiggles - no one torque spec due to ceramic variations). However, the seat can also be removed by pushing down on the release button and pulling the bidet forward in case it doesn't fit properly or just for regular cleaning. Also circled in red is a picture of a plastic wingnut mentioned at end of part 1 for the bracket installation.


Lastly, not pictured here, there is also a "drain" on the underside of the unit in case this isn't used for a while (long vacation, NY snowbirds go to FL, etc.) or the unit will sit in a cold place (winter cabin, etc. Ice expands and is strong enough to sink the Titanic and hence also this bidet). The drain is a plug with a cap that can be unscrewed with a screwdriver.

Now onto the connections. This piggybacks off your existing water supply via a T-adapter and included hose (hose not pictured). In case you wonder, in North American residences, your incoming toilet water is the same water in the rest of your house, so yes, it's clean.


The big side of the adapter will go onto the bottom of your fill valve inlet under your toilet tank where the water line from the wall / angle stop connected before. ((This may also be a good time to replace the the fill valve if it's noisy, your toilet fills up really slowly, it won't shut of properly, etc). Thread size has been standard in North America for decades so the adapter should fit whatever new valve you get.)). Turn off water to toilet and disconnect the hose from the inlet.

Now here is a trick - leave the water off for 20-30 seconds. Turn the water back on and have it spit into a bucket or the bowl (it will splash). Most likely some sediment will come out. Run water until the sediment stops and turn water back off.

Make sure all the seals are in place in the T-adapter and existing seal in the water inlet line is in good condition - if installed with very worn or no seals, you will get leakage. Steady leakage WILL cause damage. The included water inlet line will connect the side inlet on the T-adapter to the bidet inlet - usually the straight end goes into the bidet and the L shaped end onto the adapter, but whatever works is fine. Note that there is a mesh filter in this line. If it gets clogged (ex via sediment mentioned above), you will lose water flow/pressure and the bidet won't work properly. You may need to clean this mesh filter occasionally, more often if you live in certain cities including NYC, half of Boston, and New Orleans (lots of sediment in water lines here). Original water inlet line from the wall/angle stop connects to the bottom of the T-adapter. I found it easier to connect everything first then connect the adapter to the fill valve inlet, but whatever works. DO NOT PLUG IN THE POWER YET (on in this picture b/c I forgot to take the picture before hand).


Turn on your water and check for leaks first. Note in the picture that I have a paper towel on the floor to help me check. Once you are sure there are no leaks, be 100% sure your power plug is DRY. Plug into a GROUNDED GFCI outlet. DO NOT NEGLECT GFCI OUTLET or the GROUNDING. You are mixing water with high power. This GFCI may save your life if the stars align the wrong way. Even in case of a surge when no one is there, the GFCI outlet will help prevent damage to the bidet. If you are not sure about your outlet, have a certified electrician check first (you can still use the unit WITHOUT plugging it in until electrician checks).

Here is a picture of everything after it's done:

 

INSTALLATION PART 3 and USAGE:
Once the unit is installed and plugged in without issue, I will briefly go over the functions and interface:

To adjust the temperature of the water and seat, there are buttons to control each in front of the release button. If the individual light is off, it means no heater. If it's on "dim" it means low heat. If it's on "bright" it means high heat.

Hopefully this picture shows that the front light is on dim and the rear light is on bright. This corresponds to water the water heater being on low (a little warmer than lukewarm to me) and the seat heater being on high (warm to me). If you want the seat to be warm all the time, you can leave the temperature on as well - it doesn't get hot enough to be a safety / electrical hazard (plus internal regulators/safeties) and takes about 50W. Note that use of the water heater during bidet use consumes ~1400W - it may be an issue if you have a lot of power draw on the same line at the same time.

Now recall the safety sensor I mentioned above in the first picture. Touch this first (via sitting on seat or with arm if you want to see the wands work) or else it will beep continuously + loudly. The wands then will automatically clean themselves. Then turn the knob on the side forward for "lady / front wash" and turn to the rear for "rear wash" (you will feel a click when turning on in either direction). The light on the knob will also pulse slowly to indicate that it's in the "on" position. Turning the knob further increases water pressure. Turn the knob back to center (you will feel a click again) to turn the bidet off. It will then auto clean both wands again. If you ever want to clean the wands separately, with the knob set to off, you can also pull out the wands manually and clean them. The bidet function will work without power, but no lights, heater, or beeps.

Here is the rear wash wand. Notice the water comes out kind of "blurry" due to it being aerated. In our subjective opinions, it sprays with enough pressure to clean properly, but because it's aerated like your sink, it's much more comfortable and provides a little better coverage too.


This wand shows the female wash wand (splashing is only b/c I'm using my hand at different angles / positions for the picture). Note we use a separate wand as this is much more sanitary (and prevents cross contamination) and it has a different nozzle with a different spray pattern. I'm not female but our female evaluators found it to work well without being intrusive.


Another thing is the nightlight. As long as there is power, the light is constantly on. Here I plug a relatively dim night light into the outlet for comparison (looks bright due to night mode on camera phone). The purpose of this is so you can use the toilet at night without needing to wake yourself up by turning on the lights.

 

Other info:
PM me if you would like to buy one. Note that it's configured for 120V and has a US/Canadian plug. As mentioned above, there is a little bit of an early adopter / SBAF discount. We are still trying to sort out shipping for these 3 units due to some COVID induced issues with logistics, warehousing, etc. but in a worst case scenario, I will ship the product to you directly myself. I anticipate a maximum of a 1 week wait/delay time before shipping as of today. My only requests are that 1) You please leave a review after buying / using (I will tell you where to leave the review once shipping / logistics issues are settled) and 2) If you do somehow encounter a major product issue, please don't verbally crap all over this product right away in the review. PM me and I will do everything I can to make it right for you. If you need help with installation, I will try to help as well.

Lastly, as noted above, this is v0.99.99, so the sensor label, parts of the manual, and a few other things may be a little rough. The mfg / factory accidentally put in an earlier and less edited versions of the manual and product labels. Also the box may be a plain brown box or an incorrect box as the original boxes got a bit messed up when they were shipped over.

 

RESERVED for further developments, questions, or other info. I will also edit above posts with better and clarifying pictures etc.

PRODUCT LIMITATIONS:
Those of you who develop and sell audio equipment here will probably tell me I'm an idiot for talking about this, but in SBAF fashion, we always talk about the limitations of all audio products, so I'll do the same here:

1) I talk a lot about comfort, but at the end of the day, if your junk already hits the toilet normally (assuming you use an elongated bowl / seat), this product won't solve anything b/c you are still losing a tiny bit of space over a normal seat.
2) Again, this is not intended to be a TOTL level product. No dryer, no built in deodorizers, no fine tuning of wand positioning were some questions others outside of SBAF have asked for.
FWIW, IMO pricing for this kind of stuff is roughly similar to headphones. A well performing value proposition like a used 6xx, sdac, and magni comes in at just under $300 (granted this bidet comes new with mfg warranty, not used) and gets you 80-85% of the way there, but I can still instantly tell the difference when listening to a $10k+ setup.

Remaining points kind of all play into "not TOTL" theme:
3) Because this is meant to be a "universal" add-on model, there is no easy way to conceal the extra hoses and electrical.
4) It could be a little quieter in operation. It's not loud per se, but I've definitely used ones that were only ~2-3db above ambient during use in a quiet bathroom if you disable UI/UX noises. Similarly, the beep when you adjust the temperature settings is annoying to me, but it's because it uses the same beeper that warns you when something is wrong (which we made deliberately annoying).
5) Because the wand doesn't have an adjustable spray position, you may have to lean forwards and backwards a little to get "full coverage". I personally don't mind since I feel like I have better control over where the water sprays this way but having used ones where you can adjust the wand forward/backwards, I completely get the desire for the feature.

Lastly - bidets in general - Some people think you don't need to wipe after. Absolutely false. You're wiping much less and it's mostly water. Also, some people feel like bidets are too "intrusive" - I don't fell like it's any more intrusive than showering or wiping all the way clean, but no way around it, it's odd the first 1 or 2 times for some people.

 

Tangentially on-topic, these cost $12 each. It's foolish not to have one anywhere that a hose can leak or burst, especially if high voltage is nearby: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JOK11K

 

Reasons not to get one of these: in Colorado, current tap water temperature is about 35° F. (1.6° C)

Nothing says "good morning, sunshine" like a frozen asshole.

 

@Elnrik -
Many bidets have heated water but you bring up a good point: 35deg F is just below the borderline of “too cold” for the water to go into just about any bidet (not just the one I installed). There is a small chance the water may actually become icy in the various water channels before it even gets out of the device and cause minor blockage within before melting. Long term exposure (think outhouse use for a whole winter) to cold/frozen water is also bad for some of the small parts / components inside. In these cases, even if you had a bidet with heated water, it would be best to not use the bidet portion. Heated seat part is OK still on most I've tried.

Not an issue once you’re at about 38-39F (~3-4C) though.

 

^ Yep - roughly what you say about water will get a few degrees warmer sitting in the pipes/lines/heater/etc. indoors. However, if you REALLY want to be sure, run the water for 5 minutes straight, then let some water run into a cup, and take the temperature.

With all bidets I've ever heard of, researched, product testing, etc, the only real life incidences I'm aware of with too cold water in an occupied residential building setting is 1) if the incoming water lines are frozen for whatever reason 2) there is water already or still in the unit and the room goes from normal to freezing temperatures which is why I mentioned the drain above. 3) In testing, when we deliberately ran water just above freezing for a long time, we did cause minor damage to a few components as also mentioned above. Yes, there are safeties and yes it still worked, but leaks in general can cause a lot of damage and this is like tempting fate. With that being said, we did have customers in CO that have used similar products without issue for IIRC more than a year now.

 

My house is fairly old. The master bath is right above where water main comes into the basement. It's a short run. Water gets cold really quick.

 

Maybe I missed it, but how did you come to be in the bidet/washlet manufacturing business? Or is this just a DIY project gone wild?