A bidet is a bowl or receptacle designed to be sat upon in order to wash a person's genitalia, perineum, inner buttocks, and anus. The modern variety has a plumbed-in water supply and a drainage opening, and is thus a plumbing fixture subject to local hygiene regulations. The bidet is designed to promote personal hygiene and is used after defecation, and before and after sexual intercourse. It can also be used to wash feet, with or without filling it up with water. In several European countries, a bidet is now required by law to be present in every bathroom containing a toilet bowl. It was originally located in the bedroom, near the chamber-pot and the marital bed, but in modern times is located near the toilet bowl in the bathroom. Fixtures that combine a toilet seat with a washing facility include the electronic bidet.
A tap is a valve controlling the release of a fluid.
A plumbing fixture is an exchangeable device which can be connected to a plumbing system to deliver and drain water.
Kohler Co., founded in 1873 by John Michael Kohler, is an American manufacturing company based in Kohler, Wisconsin. Kohler is best known for its plumbing products, but the company also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and generators. Destination Kohler also owns various hospitality establishments in the United States and Scotland. In February 2017, Kohler Co. acquired UK-based Clarke Energy from the management team and ECI Partners, a multinational specialist in the engineering, construction, installation, and maintenance of engine-based power plants and is an authorized distributor of GE's reciprocating engines in 19 countries worldwide. In November 2023, it was announcing that Kohler is establishing the Energy group independently and would be bought in a complex partnership with private equity group Platinum Equity, the deal is slated to close in Q1 2024.
Pfister, formerly called Price Pfister until 2010, is an American manufacturer of bathroom and lavatory faucets, shower systems, showerheads and accessories, kitchen faucets and other plumbing fixtures. Emil Price and William Pfister founded the company in 1910. Today, Pfister is owned by Assa Abloy.
Delta Faucet Company is an American manufacturer of plumbing fixtures and plumbing materials. It is a subsidiary of Masco Corporation. It manufactures and markets faucets, kitchen sinks, bath/shower fixtures, and toilets under the Delta, Kraus, Peerless, and Brizo brand names.
A thermostatic mixing valve (TMV) is a valve that blends hot water with cold water to ensure constant, safe shower and bath outlet temperatures to prevent scalding.
American Standard Brands is a North American manufacturer of plumbing fixtures, based in Piscataway, New Jersey, United States. It is principally owned by the Lixil Group, with Bain Capital Partners holding a minority stake. The company was formed as American Standard Americas from the North American operations of the kitchen and bathroom division of the American Standard Companies during a breakup of the company in 2007. Crane Plumbing and Eljer were merged into the company in 2008 creating American Standard Brands.
Poggenpohl is a German manufacturer specializing in kitchen cabinets. Its facilities are in Herford, Germany.
Alfred M. Moen was an American inventor and founder of Moen Incorporated. He invented the single-handed mixing faucet. In 1959 Fortune magazine listed the Moen "one-handle mixing faucet", along with inventions such as Henry Ford's Model T and Benjamin Franklin's Franklin stove, as one of the top 100 best-designed mass-produced products, the result of a survey among the world's leading designers, architects and design teachers conducted by industrial designer Jay Doblin.
An automatic faucet or tap is a faucet equipped with a proximity sensor and mechanism that opens its valve to allow water to flow in response to the presence of a user's hands in close proximity. The faucet closes its valve again after a few seconds or when it no longer detects the presence of a user's hands.
Kohler Mira Ltd is a plumbing company based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire known for its brand of Mira showers.
Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc. is an American manufacturer of home and security products, headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. Its portfolio of businesses and brands includes Moen and the House of Rohl; outdoor living and security products from Therma-Tru, Larson, Fiberon, Master Lock and SentrySafe; and MasterBrand Cabinets. Fortune Brands is a Fortune 500 company and part of the S&P 400 Index. As of December 31, 2021, the company reported employing approximately 28,000 associates and posted full-year 2021 net sales of $7.7 billion.
Grohe is a German plumbing fixtures manufacturer with its registered office in Hemer and headquarters in Düsseldorf. In 2014 Grohe became part of the Japanese Lixil Group. The company generated consolidated sales revenues of €1.35 billion in 2017. Grohe employs about 6,000 people worldwide.
Tankless water heaters — also called instantaneous, continuous flow, inline, flash, on-demand, or instant-on water heaters — are water heaters that instantly heat water as it flows through the device, and do not retain any water internally except for what is in the heat exchanger coil unless the unit is equipped with an internal buffer tank. Copper heat exchangers are preferred in these units because of their high thermal conductivity and ease of fabrication. However, copper heat exchangers are more susceptible to scale buildup than stainless steel heat exchangers.
Elkay Manufacturing Company is a manufacturer of stainless steel sinks, faucets, drinking fountains, bottle fillers and branded commercial interiors, was started in 1920 by Leopold & his two sons Louis and Marcel Katz and Ellef Robarth, a tinsmith who came up with an idea to hand fabricate German silver sinks and deliver them in Chicago. Today, still privately owned by the founding family, Elkay has 3,500 employees worldwide and is America's largest stainless steel sink company. Over the years the products Elkay manufactures have expanded to include sinks, faucets, water coolers, drinking fountains, water bottle fillers, and residential and commercial kitchen and bath products.
Kohler Kitchen & Bath, a division of the Kohler Company, manufactures kitchen and bath plumbing fixtures. The Kohler Kitchen & Bath Group has locations in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Canada, and France.
The Jaquar Group, established in 1960, is a bathroom and lighting company, offering faucets, showers, shower enclosures, sanitary ware, flushing systems, wellness products, concealed cisterns, water heaters, and varied lighting products.
Sterling Plumbing is the brand-name of a line of plumbing products manufactured by Kohler Co. The company designs and manufactures a diverse selection of product for the kitchen and bath, including faucets, toilets, sinks, whirlpool tubs, shower doors and bathroom accessories.
A low-flow fixture is a water saving plumbing fixture designed to achieve water savings by having a lower flow rate of water or a smaller quantity per flush. Some of these low-flow fixtures are faucets, showerheads, and toilets. In the United States a maximum water usage of conventional plumbing fixtures was federally mandated by the Energy policy act of 1992. Low-flow fixtures are designed to save water over conventional fixtures by having a lower flow rate while still maintaining satisfactory performance. The Environmental protection agency (EPA) WaterSense program has requirements for plumbing fixtures to achieve their definition for water saving low-flow.
