Christmas Smart Home Dream: Pilar Touch Activated Kitchen Faucet by Delta

If you’re one of the many home owners that has home DIY projects and supplies on their Christmas list this year, you’re not alone!  I love a good home improvement project, and am happy to be working with Delta to test out their new top-of-the-line touch activated kitchen faucet, the Pilar kitchen faucet with Touch 2O technology.

Delta has been generous enough to bring me this cutting edge technology to try out in my newest experiment.  (Want to ask Santa to bring you a Pilar kitchen faucet this Christmas season?  Keep reading below to find purchasing information!)

We’ll be installing the new Pilar kitchen faucet with Touch2O technology in my new house next month.  Stay tuned to read my personal review after using the faucet, as well as see my video comparison between our old standard faucet and the new Pilar touch activated faucet.

Pilar Faucet as an Affordable Smart Home Fixture

The new Pilar kitchen faucet I’m testing out will be the first smart fixture my husband and I are installing in our new-to-us house.  Our next big experiment involves converting an existing home into a smart home while keeping costs reasonable. 

As a systems expert, one of my passions is smart home technology (aka home automation).  Although many of us can’t afford to buy a fully-outfitted smart house with programmable appliances, computerized HVAC systems, intercoms, lighting controls, etc. which has been constructed to cater to our every need, this doesn’t mean that smart home technology is completely out of our reach. 

Although faucets aren’t generally listed as smart home equipment yet, I feel they will be soon with all the technological advances Delta has implemented in their new Pilar line.

Smart fixtures help to make our lives easier by remembering things for us and cutting down extra steps, as well as saving us energy and money by using resources more efficiently.  The Pilar faucet does these things while costing only slightly more than a traditional faucet without any of the smart features.

Preventing Germ Spread and Cross Contamination

The Pilar kitchen faucet is a germophobe’s dream!  At first, a touch-activated fixture may make you think of it harboring more germs, not less.  This could not be further from the truth, as the Pilar faucet may help to reduce germ spread and cross-contamination from dangerous bacteria in the kitchen if used as described below. 

Our observation about its germ prevention feature was echoed by Kurt Backland, Delta’s kitchen product manager, when he said, "This makes kitchen tasks easier during food preparation and clean up and helps prevent the spread of bacteria.” 

Why is this feature important?  Here are the common kitchen bacteria you’ve probably heard of:  E.coli, salmonella, campylobacter jejuni, clostridium perfringens (aka cafeteria germs), staphylococcus aureus (aka staph or MRSA), and listeria monocytogenes.   There are also many other kitchen bacteria whose names you may not recognize.  Kitchen bacteria are a common cause of foodborne illness that can result in food poisoning and even death in babies, pregnant women, seniors, and people with sensitive immune systems.  Of course, then, it makes sense to cut down on bacteria spread in every way available to us!  

Since food handling and preparation often involve the use of the kitchen faucet, food-to-hand bacteria (from raw eggs, meat, or even kitchen surfaces) can be transferred easily to the faucet handle when turning it on to wash your hands.  The next person to turn on the sink will be the recipient of the invisible but dangerous germs.

Use that may help reduce germ and bacteria spread: 

As you can see in the photo at left, the Pilar kitchen faucet can be turned on with the back of your hand, wrist, or forearm – not just your fingers. 

After handling potentially contaminated food, simply tap the faucet anywhere with a clean part of your arm to turn on the flow of water and wash hands with antibacterial soap.  Tap the Pilar faucet again with any clean, dry part of your arm to turn the water off. 

Features of the Pilar Kitchen Faucet

Click to see a video demonstration of the Pilar kitchen faucet’s features.

• Touch activated – The Pilar faucet knows the difference between a touch and a grasp, so you can move the faucet without turning the water on.
• Temperature memory – Set it to the perfect temperature for your need, then every time you touch the faucet to turn on, the water temperature will be exactly the same until you change it.
• Energy and money saving – The touch activation makes it easy to tap the faucet and turn the water off when not in use, say between rinsing dishes.  This will help to save on water usage and cut down water bills for wasted water.
• Convenient sprayer built in – The faucet head drops down to double as your sprayer. The sprayer head magnetically attaches so that it doesn’t come loose from the faucet when you don’t want to use it.
• Easy installation – Click to watch the step by step Pilar faucet installation videos or download the Pilar faucet installation guide.

Smart Technology in the Pilar Kitchen Faucet

Want to know more of the details about the smart technologies built into Delta’s Pilar pull-down kitchen faucet?  Click any of the links below to discover its smart features:

• DIAMONDSEAL technology
• Magnatite docking
• Touch2O technology
• PEX tubing to prevent under-sink water leaks

Where to Buy The Pilar Touch Activated Faucet

Now that you can’t wait to have a new Pilar faucet in your kitchen, it’s time to talk price!  The Pilar Touch Activated Kitchen Faucet with Touch 2O technology by Delta retails for anywhere between $320 on sale to $580 list price, which is incredibly reasonable for a smart home fixture. 

You’ll be able to find the faucet locally at your home improvement retailers (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) or order online at Amazon with the links below:  

Faucet alone, $328 + free shipping:  Click to look at or buy the Delta Pilar Touch 2O Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet in stainless steel. Model #980T-SS-DST

Faucet with soap dispenser, $348 + free shipping:  Click to look at or buy the Delta Pilar Touch 2O Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet with soap dispenser in stainless steel.  Model #980T-SSSD-DST

Don’t miss the continuation next month for my personal review and comparison videos featuring the Pilar touch activated kitchen faucet.

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Danelle Ice is a married mom of three who is the founder and editor of Home Ever After.  She’s also a Purex Insider, mommy blogger for Oscar Mayer, and Walmart More Than 11 Moms.  Also check out Danelle on twitter at @HomeEverAfter.

Disclaimer:  In compliance with the FTC Guides, updated 10/5/09, this article has material connections.  IS World Media (ISWM) received no fees for the writing or publication.  This article is a product review conducted by Danelle Ice and is her honest opinion.  A Pilar touch faucet is being provided to ISWM at no cost by Delta to facilitate the review process.  We cannot make claims as to the typical results users should expect from this product, as we are trying it for the first time and have no way of knowing other users’ experiences.  ISWM does not endorse the company mentioned above.

Pilar faucet images were used with permission by Delta.