Once considered a luxury item, ordinary Australians are jumping on the smart toilet train and for good reason; they come with a range of convenient features. Whether you’re most passionate about the bidet spray or the motion sensors, this sophisticated bathroom fixture isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, just below the surface, smart toilets are hiding a gross truth. 

The Dirty Truth 

The biggest culprit of filth in a smart toilet is most people’s favourite feature: the bidet nozzle. While bidets are a common sight in homes across Europe, they are separate from the toilet and easy to clean. A bidet nozzle is integrated in a smart toilet, and that refreshing spray is a germ’s dream, even if your smart toilet has self-cleaning functions. It’s an area to watch, especially in the crevices.

You might not have much need for a heated seat in Australia, but if it is a popular feature in your home, it’s a breeding ground for bacteria and requires daily disinfection. 

Maintenance is another unpleasant truth about smart toilets. Due to the complex interface, there are all kinds of different things that can go wrong when there’s a smart panel or a remote control. It isn’t as simple as pressing the handle and washing your hands of it. The panel and remote control are textured and touched by dirty hands, and due to the materials, they can’t be bleached. So a powerful disinfectant is necessary to tackle surface-only cleaning, but it can’t be abrasive.

The final gross truth, and the most dangerous, about smart toilets is the installation. Improper Smart Toilet Installation can lead to serious backflow problems. This risk is also true of bidet attachments fitted to existing toilets. DIY plumbing is a big no-no because backflow problems aren’t just a household issue; they’re a community problem if drinking water is contaminated. 

With the nozzle located just above water level, a drop in mains water pressure can force the nozzle to pull contaminated water from the bowl. Likewise, backflow prevention should be carried out by a licensed professional, and the bidet water supply must be fitted with a backflow prevention device.  

Smart Toilet Installation Requires Professional Attention

Ultimately, the gross truth about smart toilets is that high-end fixtures come with high-intensity maintenance needs. They are connected to the Internet of Things, and with a range of heating elements and moving parts, the repairs are costly when you experience a technical glitch. If that cost is worth it to you, then a smart toilet is the right choice for your bathroom. 

The key is to call a professional installer to handle the job because the grossest truth of smart toilets is exposed by improper installation, which creates dangerous backflow problems.