"To Bidet or not To Bidet, that is the Question"
My apologies to William Shakespeare for shamelessly misappropriating Hamlet's soliloquy.
The French, known for words not too intuitively pronounceable by English speakers, or for that matter by a lot of other language speakers used to phonetic enunciations, have given us touché, hors d’œuvres, Écureuil and most recently, "sous vide" for the kitchen. But there is a word that goes back to 17th century France that is only catching on in North America and many parts of the west. The word is bidet, pronounce /bəˈdā/.
That is as far as I will get into the background. I leave it to anyone so inclined to research it further. There is plenty of material on the subject online that include origin, cultural, social, and even religious opinions and the rather delicate nuances related to it.
This is a DIY blog so this is for those willing to learn how to have a bidet become part of their household.
The bidet, like sous vide, is now gaining acceptance and recognition in the U.S. and England and much of the west. A good part of the reason is the increasing number of an aging population who elect to stay put in their own homes as opposed to moving to assisted living residences. The bidet provides convenience and a lot less effort in maintaining personal hygiene.
One brand's slogan on their box kind of says it best.
I intended initially to purchase one for the master's bathroom because of my wife's Parkinson's. Then we realized, with her mobility limitations, where it would be a burden for her to have to go all the way to our room when she is in the living room, watching TV, for example or at the breakfast area or at her office/library. So, all bathrooms had to have bidet. I purchased three different brands - the idea being that the fourth will depend on how they compare with each other on ease of installation and performance.
We are talking about "add on bidet", or after market, as opposed to fully integrated toilet units. It is mainly about replacing the old seat assembly of the existing toilet. Obviously, it is the best option for existing homes for it is not just a lot less costly it will take up a lot less time and hassle of removing the entire toilet and installing a new one. Most likely, that will require the services of a plumber. As you will see, add-ons work flawlessly.
Note: An electrical outlet near the toilet seat is required (with GFCI - a circuit interrupter that a local code requires when outlets are installed near a water source). Electricity will operate the retractable nozzle, water temperature and air dryer).
Instructions and installation will vary with each brand but basically similar in all.
1. Remove the old toilet seat assembly. (Make sure water is shut off and tank emptied by flushing). Unhook hose.
Clean well the surfaces where the old seat was.
2. Position the mounting plate that came with the unit, install with hardware included with the unit.
I just happen to have this woodworking gizmo to make the spacing easy but any tape measure will work, obviously.
Below shows, for this brand, where the sensor is located. The tape can be removed after installation. The bidet will not work if there is no one sitting on the seat, to preclude water from spraying unnecessarily.
3. Install the assembly. Slide it in until you hear the click. Removing it is just as easy by pressing on a button on the side then move the seat forward.
4. Connect the water hose (instruction with unit explains it). Open valve and check for leaks. Plug the electrical cord.
A wireless remote will control all the functions. Three basic functions can be activated manually with buttons on the side of the unit, specially useful if the remote batteries fail.Below was the second unit that shows the power cord and water connection.
Typically, a screw driver and wrench are all that will be needed with the entire chore. Sometimes, as in the second installation, the hardest part was actually in removing the old seat.
Other conveniences include a night light and clock with the remote.
Bottom Line: That one slogan is not only true but that is something that Southeast Asia, after adopting it from the French (via the old French Indochina), had taken it to heart in their hygiene regimen, albeit without the sophistication and convenience of modern bidets. In the west, temperature control is definitely a must in the winter time. Savings in toilet paper is not trivial (for those saviors of the forest among us).
It can definitely be a DIY project. The add-on bidet clearly has an advantage over the integrated version due to the lower cost, adaptation to existing toilets and for ease of installation and maintenance.
My recommendations : 1). Bio Bidet BB 2000
2). Smart Bidet SB 3000
