# Why don't automatic faucets work for me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 22, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853 "2012-12-22T18:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/1 "2012-12-22T18:09:22Z")
I feel like Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense. This happens everywhere and it’s very frustrating. It takes a lot of hand waving to get any of them started. Other people seem to have no problem with the same fixtures. Why can’t it “see” me? ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/2 "2012-12-22T18:18:24Z")
You don’t really want to wave your hands around; it’s better if you just hold your hands still under the faucet so the sensor can “see” that you are there and need water. If you keep moving them, the sensor won’t pick up on anything. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/3 "2012-12-22T18:31:19Z")
FWIW, I’ve had trouble with them too. It seems in every bathroom, you have to hold your hands in a different place to activate the damn things. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/4 "2012-12-22T18:39:59Z")
> [@Rusalka](#): > > I feel like Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense. This happens everywhere and it’s very frustrating. It takes a lot of hand waving to get any of them started. Other people seem to have no problem with the same fixtures. Why can’t it “see” me? I have no answer. But [Demetri Martin](http://www.comedycentral.com/comedians/demetri-martin) has a hilarious skit on this. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/5 "2012-12-22T18:40:42Z")
are you a vampire? the sensor detects a temperature difference between small areas. moving your hand slowly in front helps trigger. ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/6 "2012-12-22T19:56:05Z")
You’re a vampire and invisible to it. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/7 "2012-12-22T20:16:13Z")
The sensor is usually mounted underneath the water spout, so try putting your hands directly underneath where the water comes out, maybe even a little back of it. Also, try holding your hands there for a second. I’ve seen many faucets that wait half a second before activating, presumably to discourage kids from playing with it like a light switch. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/8 "2012-12-22T20:19:06Z")
In my experience, the initial trigger to switch it on needs to be a sudden interruption of the sensor’s “field of vision” without too much movement afterward. Creeping in won’t activate it, and shoving your hand under there and then immediately moving it around too much won’t activate it, but a good sudden shove followed by a little patience usually does the trick for me. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/9 "2012-12-22T22:46:33Z")
> [@feddup2](#): > > You’re a vampire and invisible to it. Anyone without a soul will fail to trigger automatic faucets, not just vampires. So all we can say with certainty is that **Rusalka** has no soul, not that he’s a vampire. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/10 "2012-12-22T22:53:11Z")
I don’t have a soul. Whether that’s the reason or not, I can often not get them to go, even after experimenting with different movements and locations. I think maybe if I can get some hot water to hold there it would work, and then realize I can’t get hot water to use for this. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/11 "2012-12-22T23:21:10Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > Anyone without a soul will fail to trigger automatic faucets, not just vampires. So all we can say with certainty is that **Rusalka** has no soul, not that he’s a vampire. That’s what I was afraid of! I’ve tried everything, the little wiggle, the sudden halt under the spigot, the patiently waiting, the pass through. I imitate other people’s movements. Works for them, nothing for me. I try different ones. Eventually one works. Are these heat sensors, or motion sensors? I have the same problem with toilets, but at least those have a teeny button I can push. I’m female, btw. ---
**Author:** ![dam0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@dam0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dam0)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/12 "2012-12-22T23:40:55Z")
I don’t know what was wrong with the manual version of turning water on and off. Worked for years without issue. Now I have to decipher every sink I approach just to wash my hands. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/13 "2012-12-22T23:54:33Z")
> [@dam0](#): > > I don’t know what was wrong with the manual version of turning water on and off. Worked for years without issue. > > Now I have to decipher every sink I approach just to wash my hands. Technology marches on! ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/14 "2012-12-23T00:35:48Z")
> [@dam0](#): > > I don’t know what was wrong with the manual version of turning water on and off. Worked for years without issue. > > Now I have to decipher every sink I approach just to wash my hands. The fault was not in the old faucets. From a utility-design perspective, they were absolutely superior. The problem was that a small proportion of inexplicably rude or stupid people would walk away and leave the water running. So the relevant “automatic” action is the water turning _off_. That’s pretty reliable now. Turning the water on to begin with is a lower priority. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/15 "2012-12-23T00:58:20Z")
> [@dam0](#): > > I don’t know what was wrong with the manual version of turning water on and off. Worked for years without issue. > > Now I have to decipher every sink I approach just to wash my hands. you contaminate the handles turning them on with what you want to wash off. you then contaminate your clean hands when you turn the filthy contaminated handle to shut the water off. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-automatic-faucets-work-for-me/644853/16 "2012-12-23T01:10:39Z")
There are perfectly serviceable lever-handle designs that can be shut off with the back of the hand, the wrist, whatever. Better still, if we still had paper towels, we could use those for the shut-off, then toss 'em. But you kids wouldn’t stop throwing them on the floor.