Waterless Urinals

Waterless technologies are gaining importance today as cities experience a resource crunch due to overcrowding. Water scarcity is a major problem today and water costs can only rise. A large fraction of the water used in buildings and offices is expended in flushing toilets. Traditional flushes generally use around 1 gallon of water per flush, the older ones use even more.

Also there is a growing awareness today about going green. LEED certification is an attractive reason to go waterless. Some water utility companies also offer incentives for adopting these technologies.

Waterless Urinals do not use water for flushing after use or any apparatus to control it. Instead, they use replaceable cartridges that contain a liquid sealant. The difference in specific gravity between the trap solution and urine create a liquid seal. Since urine is lighter than liquid sealant, the urine sinks through the sealing liquid and the sealant floats on top of the layer of urine below. This also seals the odour.

Another technology, the integrated-trap design does not use a cartridge. Instead, it uses a liquid sealant that separates the waste from the urinal bowl through a fixed basin trap or a trap built into the urinal body.

Yet another type of waterless urinal does not require a liquid seal to operate. This urinal uses a flexible silicone diaphragm or elastomeric, expanding check valve. Typically housed in a removable cartridge, the diaphragm or check valve allows liquid waste to pass through and then seals, preventing sewer gases from entering the restroom.

Some of the manufacturers of waterless urinals are Waterless, Falcon, Caroma, Zeroflush. It costs about the same as its conventional counterpart.

Before you go for installation, make sure your local laws allow the use of waterless urinals.The installation charges are lower for a new installation since there are no mechanical parts related to the flush to be installed. However if a urinal is being renovated and changed from flushed to waterless, retrofitting is needed that might add a bit to the installation costs.

Maintenance costs are that of the sealant and the cartridge which need to be replaced regularly. Manufacturers give guidelines regarding the time after which the cartridge and sealant must be replaced. Regular cleaning with disinfectant is still required regularly like conventional urinals. Guidelines are also given regarding cleaning with water which is to be done once a month or so.

At the first look, it seems a really cost saving venture but do not agree blindy. The costs involved are those of installation, sealant refilling and cartirdge replacement. On the other hand you save the cost of water and cost, installation and maintenance of the flushing apparatus. Carefully evaluate the economic benefits of it for yourself.

Apart from economic costs, these waterless urinals are considered more germ free due to the absence of a moist atmosphere. Housekeepers are reported to have issues with replacing cartidges, but properly training them on this should help. These urinals also have less odour provided the sealant and cartridges are regularly replaced.

On the flip side, when these are not replaced when they should be, they smell more than a conventional urinal. Also, people report that cartridges have required replacement in lesser time than quoted by the manufacturer. More splashing has been observed than conventional toilets.

Before installing waterless urinals for a building it is advisable to first run a pilot program for evaluation. This allows the owners to become familiar with and gain confidence in the product and properly train the housekeeping staff for its maintenance.

http://www.facilitiesnet.com/plumbingrestrooms/article/Making-Waterless-Work--2442

http://www.psdmagazine.com/ASPE_memberpdf/20070506/TheWorldofDesignBuild.pdf

http://www.alturasolutions.com/WaterlessLargeCaseStudy2.pdf