Hey everyone! My nephew and I have been working on a cool electronics project for his school coursework. The goal was to create something that helps out at home by automating a task. His Gran, who has arthritis, struggles with turning on taps, so we came up with a device that has two buttons that release water in timed bursts into her watering cans (she has two different sizes). It's working really well—she can turn on the tap and just come back to see her watering can filled perfectly without any overflow! Right now, we've got it housed in an ice cream tub, but I'm helping him design a proper enclosure to 3D print. If this were to hit store shelves, how much do you think it would sell for?
3 Answers
Honestly, this sounds like something I’ve searched for but never found. I have two watering cans and it’s always a hassle to wait for them to fill up. I usually fill one and go water while the other’s filling, but I end up rushing back to turn off the tap when it overflows! I’m kind of stingy though, so I wouldn’t pay more than £20. It’d definitely be useful, but I think a sensor that detects when the can is full would be more effective than a timer, especially since the flow rate can drop if you're using a water butt. That could be a cool feature to consider!
There are similar products out there, like Gardena's timer for their automatic watering systems, and those retail around £70. I’d guess your idea could sit somewhere between £15 to £30.
Thanks for sharing that! I did think about an irrigation system, but the hose could be a tripping hazard and wouldn’t be easy to move around for school demos. Plus, Gran really enjoys her gardening, so I want to ensure she can still connect with that. Maybe we'll make a more advanced device later on when she might need more assistance!
There are mechanical options available that are actually Hozelock compatible and used for animal watering. Here’s one I found: sealstop.co.uk/product/sealstop. It’s not electric though, so it wouldn’t fit into his electronics project.
That product looks interesting! However, for this school project, we’re focusing on electrical automation as it would provide a better learning experience for him.
That’s some great insight, thanks! We designed it with a garden tap in mind, but I think accounting for fluctuating flow rates from water butts could be an interesting challenge for him to tackle.