Thrills and spills: We built a sentry duck for our bath
Here's a quacking idea for a stress-free soak in the tub. All you need is a rubber ducky, plastic tubing, an alarm system, a ball bearing, a hacksaw...
Technology 22 March 2017
Richard Cobb
Thrills and spills
Here's a quacking idea for a stress-free soak in the tub. All you need is a rubber ducky, plastic tubing, an alarm system, a ball bearing, a hacksaw…
TAKING a bath is relaxing – but running one isn't. You end up hovering impatiently over the tub as the water level inches up, else risk soggy disaster by not checking on it. I knew there had to be a better way.
My first idea was to point a smartphone camera at the bath's rim. A rubber duck peeking into frame could trigger a motion-detection app and sound an alert. But the bath would be perilously full before Ducky's head reached the brim. Besides, if the handset slipped, I'd ruin my bath and my phone.
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My next design involved a siphon, which would drive a waterwheel fitted with a bell once the water reached a certain level. But I didn't fancy putting anything in the bath that I wouldn't normally, and neither did my housemate. We couldn't decide how it would affect the cleaning rota.
Back to the rubber duck. Perhaps I could attach a hollow tube to its head, hinged to a downpipe. As the bath filled, the angle of the tube would change, causing a tinfoil ball inside to roll into the downpipe and land on electrical contacts at the bottom. That would complete a circuit and trigger an alarm. I outlined the idea to my mother. She asked: "Does the alarm quack?" Sadly not.
This design could be tweaked too, by way of Lego bricks glued to Ducky's head and the end of the tube. On days I want room for a layer of foamy bubble bath, I could just add bricks for a shallower bath. And this way, Ducky would be fully detachable, and could join me for a soak afterwards.
One quick visit to the plumbing shop later, I was armed with materials that were both cheap and bathroom-proof. Though small, the buzzer was loud enough for my apartment. The most expensive component was the rubber duck. But sometimes it's worth paying for quality.
Confident in my design, I ran a bath and sat back to watch TV, nearly flooding the bathroom when the foil ball got jammed. At least it was an easy fix: use a ball bearing instead.
It was a tricky build, but at least I got to end it with a relaxing bath.Though maybe next time I'll just use a timer.
Let us solve your domestic trifles. No problem is too small for our resident tech wizards. Tell us what's bothering you and we'll build a fix.
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