Introduction: Refill Hac for Automatic Soap Dispenser
I bought an automatic liquid soap dispenser, which was vendor-locked by the refill containers to only one anti-bacterial brand of soap available on the market. The gadget is really nice, and really like to use it though I don't like using anti-bacterial on daily basis.
Thus, this is the 15 minutes easy hack :)
+ Refill with whatever soap you like
+ Don't cultivate antibiotic resistant bugs on your hands
+ Save on money from using better value/money soap
Later I discovered that Kurt E. Clothier had the same problem. I guess he was not as lazy as me, to modify the containers permanently and make it easier to fill.
Step 1: Tools & Materials
Materials:
- A functional automatic dispenser with one (preferably empty) soap container
- A disposable plastic water/soda bottle with the cap
Tools:
- utility knife
- hot glue gun
- a sharpie
Step 2: Mark & Cut
Take the cap off the bottle and mark it's contour the top (former bottom) of the soap container.
I did not think of cutting the whole a bit smaller so I ended up with a bit wider whole than needed. You can do better and cut a millimeter shorter.
When making the final cut, take care so the middle piece wouldn't fall inside.
Cut the bottle right where the throat starts to widen, below the last thick plastic ring. This ring is a good base for gluing.You don't need a perfect round cut, as it won't be visible from the outside.
Step 3: Glue and Use
Put the top bottle part, you've just cut off, in the container's hole. Inject some hot glue in the gap between the container and it, around the whole edge.
You're done!
4 Comments
7 years ago
Thanks guys! I think this quick & nice hack deserved an instructable, though I'm certanly not the first one to think of it :) Mine dispenser is still working properly, at least for now as it's only used for a few months. I guess I'll hack it again when it breaks - it will be fun to install a small arduino inside - to count how much soap is being used and when for instance :)
7 years ago
Nice job. I did similar by making a round hole with a soldering iron, and I bunged it up with a tapered cork. Trouble is, the machine eventually became erratic, sometimes it stopped completely, once it emptied itself into the basin overnight!
7 years ago
Very nice. I made one likes yours, long time ago. :)
7 years ago
This is a great idea, very nicely done!