outdoor sink for kids

[dmr139]

I'm looking for suggestions.

My wife runs a pre-school from our house. I am going to put in a sink somewhere in the yard so the kids can wash up before going in. Here is what I'm looking for:

1. A sink that can withstand mild weather. (I live in Southern California so no freezing to worry about.) I was thinking maybe making a concrete counter top with basin.
2. A faucet that shuts itself off. (Runs for about 5 minutes and shuts off. The ones in public restrooms where you have to hold the button down with one hand and wash the other then reverse wouldn't work for the kids)
3. I need to build it into a sink base, so it can be leaned on etc. The "hook to your garden hose" sinks are not what I'm looking for. HEAVY Duty.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Pat]

If I was going it, I'd use a regular stainless steel sink and install a footvalve. I would operate as long as the kid was there and then shut off when the kid left (as long as he didn't put a rock on it or something). Then you could either wall mount it or build whatever you want.

You could even install the foot valve and then run the water through some sort of a gargoil as a cool feature for the kids.

Google for foot valve sink or something like that.

Here are some of the results:

In theory you should be collecting the drainage and putting it into the sewer system. If you choose to do so (and you will if you get a permit), that might impact where you put the gargoil ... I mean sink.

[dpb]

[e-mail] wrote: ...

Any stainless sink would be just fine -- depending on the age range(s) of the kids could determine size. A small utility room style might be just the ticket.

I'm sure there are faucets to do the trick -- they'll be institutional fixtures rather than household though, and all that I can think of at the moment are various styles of the actuated ones. A higher-cost, higher-tech solution would be the "hands present" sensor style if power is available.

I've not tried the concrete counter nor have even seen one yet so no real input. Depending on how big you wanted it, you might be able to find some scrap solid counter material from larger installations at a cabinet shop or salvage location relatively cheaply.

For the cabinet itself I might look for used kitchen stainless stuff at one of the restaurant supply places to cut down. That sort of thing usually goes pretty cheaply.

[DerbyDad03]

Teach the kids teamwork and cooperation:

All handwashing will be done in pairs. One kid washes while the other holds down the spring loaded faucet handle. The values instilled during this process will stick with them for the rest of their lives.

In a perfect world, this is a really good idea. ;-)

[Pat]

That won't work. Girls have Cooties.

[longshot]

i could use a ice piece of cooties myself

[mm]

They sell faucets for public washrooms that turn off after maybe 30 seconds, but don't require holding down while running. I suppose they are adjustable or come set for differrnt time periods. They have a big rectangular button on the top, with rounded corners and edges and a rounded side that points to you. They pivot at the rear.

Five minutes is an enormous amount of time. I think surgeons don't do more than 3 minutes.

I guess you have in mind that a bunch of them will use the sink in a row, but it's not so hard for each one to turn it on. Otherwise, even though they can see the sink the rest of the day, except for the first kid, it will be like the faucet is on when they get there and on when they leave, and they have no responsibility at all.

My frist thought was the simple china or is it porcelain sink attached to the wall with the two chrome legs in front. Although it should be big enough that the biggest kid can get his elbows into the sink. (I wish my bathroom had one like that.) And big enough that you can fill a pot in it, since you'll undoubtedly be using it yourselves, also.

Maybe the sink would be mounted lower than a bathroom and that would enable the chrome lets to do into the ground 6 inches, so it wouldn't get knocked out. I wish I had a picture of the location.

I want to see those gargoyles, too!

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I can see that spilling over to using the urinals also. You hold mine . . . . .

[Phisherman]

What about a poly wash basin? The heavy-duty sinks are less than $100. But really, kids under 5 are going to play in the water, not wash in it. A garden hose, bar of soap, towel rack may be all they need.

[Oren]

A metal sink might get to hot for the touch, while outside in So Cal..

Are you planning for the kids to dry their hands, before the return inside?

-- Oren

"I don't have anything against work. I just figure, why deprive somebody who really loves it."

[hallerb]

ww grainger sells all kinds of stuff like this, time operated valves etc.

[aemeijers]

If looks aren't real important, a plastic laundry room slop sink would work great. Just cut off or bury the legs as needed to get the right height. As to the faucet- does it really need to be on a timer, or can user education cover that? A lab/bar style faucet (the big upside-down U), with big paddle handles for flow, would work great for grownups, but if you are going to have HOT water to the sink, a temp-limited faucet, or a hidden mixing valve so temp is preset, is probably indicated.

aem sends....

[Jerry]

Isn't that what their tee shirts are for?

Jerry

[Oren]

You might just be right!

-- Oren

"I don't have anything against work. I just figure, why deprive somebody who really loves it."

[sonofabitchsky]

Hahaha. Have you been to a day care? You will spend more money on steaks for black eyes than you would a foot valve...

[EXT]

[Stormin Mormon]

Check with the local hospital and see where they get their doctor sinks. The ones with the foot pedal to turn the water on.

[<josh]

[...]

I&#39;d try to find an old-fashioned concrete utility sink, the sort that comes with a base sturdy enough to put up with a hand-cranked wringer washer clamped onto the sink.

[DerbyDad03]

-- I&#39;d try to find an old-fashioned concrete utility sink, the sort that

-- comes with a base sturdy enough to put up with a hand-cranked wringer

-- washer clamped onto the sink.

A hand-cranked wringer? The kids are going to wash their hands, not each other!

(You should see the movie playing in my head right now.)

[mm]

Don&#39;t women get complimented for their long thin fingers? How do you think they get that way?

OP: Only do this to the girls.