How it works
Two kinds of soap dispenser are drawn here. The first is the pump bottle beside a sink, seen through from the side. The second is an automatic dispenser on a washroom wall, with its cover open.
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How a pump bottle works
Pressing the pump head pushes soap out of its spout. When the head is let go, a spring inside the housing lifts it again, and soap is drawn up the dip tube into the housing, ready for the next press. A new bottle takes a few presses before any soap comes: that is called priming.
Inside a wall dispenser
The back plate is fixed to the wall. The refill sits on it above the spout, with the batteries below. The sensor notices a hand under the spout and the dispenser gives out a set amount of soap. The key opens the front cover to change the refill.
- Packaging makers call the pump head the actuator. Both names are accepted when typed.
- The inside of a hand pump, with its piston and spring, is drawn on the spray bottle page.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a soap dispenser pump?
The pump head, which is pressed; the closure, which screws the pump onto the bottle; the housing, which holds the spring and the other working parts; and the dip tube, which reaches down to the bottom of the bottle.
What is the tube in a soap dispenser called?
The dip tube. It carries the soap up from the bottle's bottom to the housing of the pump.
How does an automatic soap dispenser know when to work?
It has an infrared sensor beside the spout. A hand held under the sensor sets the dispenser going, and it gives out a controlled amount of soap without being touched.
How do you open a wall-mounted soap dispenser?
With its key. One maker's sheet says the key goes into the key holes and is pushed up until the front cover opens. The refill is then loaded inside.