It is vital for your business to make sure that you’re consciously reducing water usage where possible. It’s especially important to prevent unnecessary water waste. However, you can also make substantial savings through improvements to the appliances and plumbing systems on your site. One of the most significant upgrades that you can make in a commercial building is to upgrade your urinals to waterless ones. An upgrade like this isn’t free to perform, so it’s important to understand the benefits of waterless urinals before you look into making the change.
In this blog we’re going to look at what waterless urinals are – and how they function – and then look at the benefits of upgrading your traditional urinals to the waterless variety.
How do Waterless Urinals work?
The obvious question, first. How do waterless urinals work? Traditional urinals automatically clean themselves by flushing water in from the top of the urinal. This will either be triggered by a sensor or a timer, which causes it to flush at a regular interval. Most businesses will use these, as these were likely the most common option when your building was built. However, now, there is an alternative that doesn’t require this flushing action.
A waterless urinal uses a special type of urinal trap or cartridge – fitted where it drains into the waste pipe. A normal urinal simply lets the waste pass through and will almost always have some form of additional odour-prevention, for example a gel urinal screen or urinal blocks. The trap of a waterless urinal combines these two purposes into one. As the urine travels through the trap, it passes through a ‘sealant’ which forms a one-way barrier so that the odours are all kept below this seal.
The result of this vertical trap is that once the urine passes through, there is no way for those particles or the scent to get back through. This barrier also blocks the smell from the sewage and waste further down the pipeline.
What are the benefits of Waterless Urinals?
The biggest benefit of a waterless urinal, by far, is the huge quantity of water saved. When a traditional urinal flushes, it will use a substantial amount – even modern, efficient ones usually require over 3 litres of water for every flush and will do so dozens of times per day. Therefore, replacing every urinal on your site with a waterless alternative will have a massive impact. This will directly lead to notable savings on your water bill. The bigger your site is, the more you’ll save!
Waterless urinals are also much easier to maintain, as they do not have a flushing mechanism. The flush action is the most likely component of the traditional urinal to break or require repairs, and it can be difficult to fix. The only maintenance required for a waterless urinal is to keep the trap topped up with sealant, and then occasionally change them.
Another bonus to removing the flushing component of a urinal is that it will remove the factor of spraying airborne particles out of the urinal at you. According to a study that was performed during the height of Covid-19, over 57% of the airborne particles generated by a flush had travelled outside of the urinal within the first five and a half seconds after the flush was initiated (read more here). That means when a urinal flushes, it sprays a mixture of urine and water particles out into the air, which isn’t particularly hygienic!
Finally, there’s an additional benefit whenever you reduce your water usage – the environmental impact. Anything you can do to either reduce waste or generally use less water makes a difference. This is because the infrastructure that runs the water and sewage all requires energy. Using less water naturally reduces your greenhouse gas emissions and that’s an important benefit, as we all move towards a more sustainable future.
Upgrade to Waterless Urinals
If you’re interested in making the upgrade to waterless urinals – helping you to save thousands of pounds while supporting the environment – look no further.
Plumbing & Gas Solutions can support you with this process and then if you want us to, we can also maintain your new urinals once they’re installed – as well as any other plumbing issues you face.
To find out more about making this upgrade, simply fill out the form below!
Frequently Asked Questions about Waterless Urinals
Isn't water necessary to clean the urinal?
Although flushing removes visible traces of urine, it is less important than you might think. While flushing may give the appearance of cleanliness, urine is made up of over 90% water and will naturally flow to the bottom of the urinal. The perceived cleanliness is one of the only negatives of waterless urinals but, in reality, it will still be clean, without wasting all that water!
Is a Waterless Urinal hygienic?
Yes. Waterless urinals are actually more hygienic than traditional ones. While not flushing with water can sometimes lead to a perception that it isn’t as clean, a waterless urinal is completely sanitary. The absence of water directly reduces the development of bacteria, that thrive on moisture. Plus, the spray from the urinal traveling outside of the urinal itself contributes to spreading airborne particles from inside the urinal to the outside. So, overall, upgrading to a waterless urinal will actually increase the hygiene levels of your bathroom.
Do Waterless Urinals smell bad?
No. Waterless urinals do not smell bad. Thanks to the sealant in the vertical trap, the odours from urine will not remain in the urinal. The sealant will serve as a barrier against bad smells further down the pipe, including the urine coming from the urinal, and the waste / sewage system itself. Additional measures can enhance the overall scent of the bathroom, but waterless urinals themselves will not retain any bad odours.
Plumbing & Gas Solutions have been serving Milton Keynes based businesses since 2010, making them a reliable partner for all your plumbing requirements. If you need support with your plumbing systems, including upgrading your urinals, call us on 01908 569031 or e-mail info@pgsolutions.co.uk today.