Many of the modern bidets on the market today use electricity to offer luxury features.  This often requires a electrical outlets within 4 feet of the toilet.  Here are some things to think about when it comes to bathroom outlets and electrical bidet toilet seats.

How close does the electrical outlet need to be to the toilet?

While the length of cords may vary slightly from model to model, most electric bidet toilet seats have electrical cords around four feet in length.  For the most part, the cords extend from the right hand side of the bidet toilet seat.  Exceptions to this rule are the USPA 6800, which has a cord extending from the rear center, and TOTO washlets, which have cords extending from the left hand side.

What is a GFI or GFCI outlet, and should I have one to plug my electrical bidet toilet seat into?

GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter, often this is also referred to as GFI, but both are the same.  These outlets have a built in mini circuit breaker, and are highly recommended in areas with high moisture.  Most modern houses already have these installed in bathrooms and near sinks.

If you do not have a GFCI outlet, your bidet toilet seat will still work.  However, for safety reasons we do strongly encourage you to consider updating your bathroom outlets.

Do you sell bidet toilet seats that operate on 110V or 220V?

All of the seats we sell are 110V, unless otherwise indicated.  We do also stock 220V seats for select models.  These models offer both varieties.  If you are purchasing a seat for use the US or Canada, the 110V version is the one for you!

View 110V bidets and 220V bidets.

How many AMPs are required to run bidet seats?

Most electric bidet seats have a max pull of around 13 amps at top pull.  If using a 15 amp circuit, it’s recommended that the seat be on a dedicated line, but if you run it without anything else running at the same time, you can often get by without a dedicated circuit.

How many watts does a bidet seat normally draw?

The amount of power drawn by a bidet seat really depends on what kind of a bidet seat you purchase.  Bidet seats that use the tank water heating system heat water gradually, and retain the water for use, so their power draw is less.  These seats normally draw about 600W at their peak.

Tankless and hybrid water heating systems on the other hand work very differently.  They heat water real time as it’s being used.  While there are benefits to using this system  for the end user, this instant water heating requires the bidet to heat the water much quicker, taking more power.  Instant water heating systems draw around a maximum of 1400W at peak.

What does it mean if my lights flicker when I use my electrical bidet toilet seat?

It’s rare to see the use of a electric bidet toilet seat cause lights to flicker, but it does happen.  This is often due to out of date electrical wiring.  If you are running into this, don’t worry, it doesn’t harm anything, even if it is a little annoying.  In order to fix this issue, you’d want to hire an electrician to install a dedicated circuit for your bidet toilet seat.

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