• Welcome to the new and improved Building Code Forum. We appreciate you being here and hope that you are getting the information that you need concerning all codes of the building trades. This is a free forum to the public due to the generosity of the Sawhorses, Corporate Supporters and Supporters who have upgraded their accounts. If you would like to have improved access to the forum please upgrade to Sawhorse by first logging in then clicking here: Upgrades

Attachable Bidet

north star

north star

Sawhorse
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
4,596
* & * & *

I have a government facility that has recv'd a Reasonable Accomodation
request to provide something to assist one female, in using an existing toilet.
The product is called "Clear Rear Buttler". Here is a link:
getaclearrear.com

Catalog

The Clear Rear Bidet gives you a Fresh Clean in the Bathroom without needing to use Toilet Paper to wipe.
getaclearrear.com getaclearrear.com

1697490129917.png

It attaches to the existing toilet seat and [ supposedly ] will assist
the user in cleaning themselves afterwards........I have e-mailed
the company to request information about this product [ i.e. -
testing labs reports & other information ].......Nothing recv'd yet !
IMO, ...the product looks like a flimsy, piece of plastic contraption
that may last only a very short while.........It does not appear to be
durable in appearance.........Actual functionality is another issue.

Q1): Are there any similar products out there, that HAVE been
tested & approved for use in the U.S. ?
Q2): Would you accept the "Clear Rear Buttler" for installation
in your AHJ ?
Q3): Would you require a testing agency report or something else
as compliant for use in your AHJ ?
Q4): What would you recommend to the person who submitted
the request ?
Q5): Anything else ?

Thanks for your input !

* & * & *
 
Last edited:
Looks like a waste of money. $40. Why not buy something that has a chance of lasting more than a week.
 
north star said:
Q1): Are there any similar products out there, that HAVE been
tested & approved for use in the U.S. ?
Q2): Would you accept the "Clear Rear Buttler" for installation
in your AHJ ?
Q3): Would you require a testing agency report or something else
as compliant for use in your AHJ ?
Q4): What would you recommend to the person who submitted
the request ?
Q5): Anything else ?
Click to expand...
There are lots. Google "bidet attachments" or just search for it on Amazon.

Best I can tell, there are no codes or standards (besides UL for ones that plug in) for these.

No, since there is no standard to test to.

Personally, I'd recommend one that uses warm water, not cold.

Bidets and bidet attachments seem to be more common outside of US. I've never quite understood the fear and disdain for them in US. I think the success or failure will hinge on other users of the toilet being accepting and respectful or being xenophobic.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
$ ~ $

Thanks all for the comments & questions.

Yes, the device is intended to be used as a bidet
attached to a toilet seat.

A Federal gov't employee has filed a Reasonable Accommodation
request, so something will need to be actioned.

Permission is being requested thru the building owner, because
the building is a leased facility from a private owner, so the
building owner will need to approve its installation.

I agree with ** bill1952 **, in that, I too would want warm
water.

$ ~ $
 
My son installed one - a lot like picture above - in his apartment and works fine after a couple years. I would prefer warm (and get one with seat warmer!) His motivation was ecology and the cost and waste of TP.

When/if I redo our master bath, I plan to look at the Toto toilets with bidet with heat, bowl cleaning, blood pressure, and all the bells and whistles. I think Thomas Crapper would approve.
 
Here in California, the Google had installed Toto bidet seats in their offices, but these were subsequently deemed noncompliant with our water conservation standards. The high-end (pun intended) Toto bidets will spray the bowl with a pre-mist and will also self-clean the bidet wands. Since this is washing the toilet and not just washing a butt, the additional water required gets factored in to the gallons per flush.

The bidet seats were removed earlier this year.
https://nypost.com/2022/03/25/google-gets-rid-of-heated-bidet-toilets-for-employees/
 
Would this be a permitted install requiring an inspection?

Would anyone be able to use it or is it off limits to the general public?

Will the males want one too, like when the girls in the office requested the Verisdesk, they didn't think to ask the males in the office?

To answer your questions, I wouldn't be involved unless a new water line is being installed, I assume the water supply would be coming from the toilet supply which will be COLD water, not warm. With that said, I'm sure it can be rigged to a hot water line which will be the next RR.
 
Full disclosure: I've previously installed a Toto S550e. Got a professional discount, testing it for potential consideration at future assisted living facilities. With an aging population and with all the worker's compensation claims from helpers who hurt themselves while assisting clients in toilet and bathing facilities, perhaps toilet seat bidets have a greater place in future design.

This particular model has built-in instant hot water, so no hot water line is needed - - only the typical cold water line. However, it does draw about 10 amps depending on your preferred water temperature settings, so you you probably want a dedicated circuit ( I rerouted my unused bathroom space heater circuit).
There are less expensive versions that have a small tank of preheated water, so the amp draw is less but the energy usage is higher than an on-demand model.

The bidet seat is not connected to the internet (thank God!) but it does have enough smart features to be vaguely creepy. It has weight sensors in the seat to ‘learn’ when you are likely to visit during a 24-hour cycle and it will pre-heat the seat around those times.
It has a motion sensor that automatically raises the lid, then the bowl surface gets a pre-spray, and the bowl is visually ‘washed‘ in blue-white light. Meanwhile, it also shines a “night light” onto the adjacent wall in the toilet alcove.
When you sit, a built-in ventilation fan starts to run and deodorize the air. The conventional bathroom fan is virtually unnecessary.
I won't go into the details of how the bidet wand works, but let’s just say that a Toto owner is unlikely to panic during the next Covid toilet paper shortage. All settings and spray patterns and temperatures are adjustable from 1 (mild) to 5 ("tear you a new one").
Another push of the button will retract the spray wand, wash it, and flush the toilet.
Oh, did I mention there's a built-in warm air dryer option for your nether regions?

Yes, most of these features are unnecessary, some are downright silly, but the basics make sense if you were someone of limited mobility and wanted good sanitation of your rear end.

Back to the OP: I don't see how any of these features must be granted as a "reasonable accommodation". Great idea, yes; mandatory? Probably not.
 
Last edited:
Yikes said:
The conventional bathroom fan is virtually unnecessary.
I don't see how any of these features must be granted as a "reasonable accommodation". Great idea, yes; mandatory? Probably not.
Click to expand...
Where does it exhaust the air to? And isn’t the room fan supposed to control humidity from showers?

Maybe arthritis so can't reach. Maybe a plus size person who has too much skin in the area.
 
@ ~ @

Thanks again for all of the responses !

The Reasonable Accommodation request came thru an EEO Office,
so it has to be addressed.
I do not know the physical condition of the requestor........I do not
need to know !..........I will be the one to action the request and have
something; of a commercial \ medical grade device, installed.
The request has turned in to a project with different trades involved.
No request for heated water on the initial request.
A separate water supply line, near an existing ADA compliant
water closet, will need to be installed.

This image is a commercial grade, attachable bidet.

Brondell Side-Mounted All Metal Attachable Bidet w \ Adjustable Spray Wand​

Item #5116521, Model #SMB-25

1697638308998.png

@ ~ @
 
e hilton said:
Where does it exhaust the air to? And isn’t the room fan supposed to control humidity from showers?
Click to expand...
To clarify, I meant the bath fan is "virtually unnecessary" solely from the standpoint of odor control.
It is a recirculating fan (draws in and recirculates the air immediately below the seat rim), and I think it has some kind of replaceable deodorizing filter.
 
Last edited:
That's where I thought the connection would be for water supply, cold side and of the toilet supply line. I think the setup in post #18 would be classified as a non-permitted installation.

Someone not wanting their backside washed, would they be able to use that same toilet?

I think Crocodile Dundee thought a bidet was a boot washer which wouldn't be a bad thing on the Men's side!

North star, good topic!
 
The image in post #18 shows a “T” fitting on the underside of the toilet tank to provide water suppply to both the toilet and the bidet seat. A second water supply rough-in is unnecessary.
 
# ~ #

The water closet in my application has a "hands free",
ADA compliant, flush valve type of water supply currently
installed on it.

A separate water supply line will be required.

# ~ #
 
$ ~ $ ~ $

I am raising this topic again, because I would like some input
& recommendations on a good quality, attachable bidet.

** Yikes **, How is your Toto device working ?……….I will
need to find one \ some that I can recommend to the
building owner……….This Reasonable Accommodation
request is not going to go away.

Thanks for your input !

$ ~ $ ~ $
 
Last edited:
north star said:
$ ~ $ ~ $

I am raising this topic again, because I
would like some input & recommendations on a good quality, attachable bidet.

** Yikes **, How is your Toto device working ?……….I will need to find one \
some that I can recommend to the building owner……….This Reasonable
Accommodation request is not going to
go away.

Thanks for your input !

$ ~ $ ~ $
Click to expand...
We just purchased a new Toto bidet seat. When we purchased has a huge seat, a pre-mist of the bowl to keep things from sticking. It has front and rear wash with oscillation and a adjustable temperature dryer. The water for the wash is heated through a on-demand heater built into the seat so you never hunt out of water. It has a remote control as well as controls on the side of the seat. Not cheap but certainly worth it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top