Reply With QuoteTerry. I have some photo's (somewhere) of the drains from waterlwss urinals that are all but solidly plugged after only 1 1/2 years in operation.
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Waterless Urinal, Fact and Fiction
Waterless Urinals
Fact and Fiction
November 2008
Vince Marshall CEM, MBA
This technical bulletin is designed to answer questions and provide guidance regarding the viability of various types of waterless and low flow urinals currently on the market.
In the summer of 2006, Naval Station Norfolk Public Works Officer (PWO) Cdr. Chuck Smith Ret. requested a study of waterless urinals to determine if these products should be mandated on future NavFac construction projects. Waterless urinals qualify for LEED points and can help meet US Green Building certification criteria. Three different manufacturers were invited to install their products at no cost to the Navy for an extended evaluation. These are the results of that two year study.
For the full report
Vince Marshall CEM, MBA
Last edited by Terry; 05-30-2012 at 10:10 PM.
Terry. I have some photo's (somewhere) of the drains from waterlwss urinals that are all but solidly plugged after only 1 1/2 years in operation.
nhmaster,
I would love to see those. Adding them would be very helpful to others.
Nasty evil stuff......
Originally Posted by nhmaster
their is nothing more evil , wicked and nasty on
gods green earth than a ......stopped up urinal...
nothing smells worse than yellow salt built up inside a pipe
and grinding through that stuff is something I would not wish on a dog..........
I cant for the life of me undrstand why anyone would want to
actually invite troubles like this into their buildings. with waterless stinkey urinals
my salesman is also telling me about troubles he is
hearing about out in the feild......
Last edited by master plumber mark; 01-03-2009 at 01:54 PM.
Not a lot of meat here, unless I'm missing something. Downright disappointing in fact.
How the heck do these things work anyway? Do all the ones they tested work the same way?
What is a "cartridge"? Why is there an issue about who replaces it?
How *do* they have to be cleaned?
How do the tested urinals compare? What factors lead to recommendation of the Falcon?
What are the factors that lead them to finally recommend a low flow water one?
How does the cost of the low flow one compare to the cost of the waterless ones?
Are any of these questions answered?
The waterless debate rages on!
From what I have been hearing, it's the clogged drain from salt.What are the factors that lead them to finally recommend a low flow water one?
If anyone has pictures of the drain clogged with salt, I would love to see them.
Adding water helps to keep the drain clear.
Last edited by Terry; 01-06-2009 at 12:32 PM.
Did anybody notice that under the noted issues was
- Splashing of urine on men’s trousers during use
Nice. I'm sure that issue was appreciated by the men that used those.
I've seen a different method to this. On I-64 Westbound in Kentucky, there is a rest stop near the WV border and they have no flush urinals that use mineral oil in the trap to keep the sewer gases out. The problem is that some of that mineral oil gets on the tile floor. You gotta watch your step in there
I'm gonna go down there and bust my *** and collect a check! Yeah, power to the plumbah.
Urinals smell bad enough; those waterless urinals would eat out a copper DWV system in a year.
It's an idea that's losing steam by leaps and bounds.
You know darn right well that to "save money" and "budget cuts" that they'll leave them in there till they are all cheesed up and pure golden urine sits in the fixture, overflowing for the anxious worker who wants to keep his job. Have at it!
Maintenance of a flushing urinal is by far a better idea than one that needs cartridges installed periodically. They made an excellent point of the disposal of such product, since it is something that contains bodily fluids and isn't sent down the drain to be recycled.
Last edited by Terry; 01-03-2009 at 04:45 PM.
Read what the end of this sentence means.
The manufacturer producing the product is good. End user evaluation of said product is good.
The issue is when government mandates usage/installation of failed product and technologies. Stap in, this issue is just the tip of the iceburg.
What really frosts me here is that these things use a mechanical (ok chemical) seal and what is essentially a bell trap. Both of which are illegal, but because some tree hugger decided that it was better to by-pass the code than use a gallon of water we have these atrocities in the field. One more shining example of lobbiests and shysters at their best. And where was the mighty PHCC when all this went down. Right where the hand out was, that's where they always are.
From a drain cleaning point of view these are garbage or gold! I am not sure what the rough in is for these but I would make sure to bid/do my R-I in such a way that when 'they' are sick of this garbage in the name of going green we will be half set to put in a regular urinal and flush valve.
I have been hearing about these for a year or so.
No thanks.
I talked to the guy cleaning the bathroom at Bellevue Square today.
He says at first there was little maintenance on them, now more frequent snaking. He would love to go back to the ones that use water.
Last edited by Terry; 01-05-2009 at 09:14 AM.
The waterless urinals do not meet code here in Illinois.
Here is a link from an article when they tested them and decided not to allow them. I am trying to find an updated code refrance. http://chicagoist.com/2005/05/12/wat...coup_detat.php
Ron Hasil Lic #058-160417
A-Archer Sewer & Plumbing specializing in:
Tankless Water Heaters | Drain and Sewer Cleaning
Sump and Ejector Pumps | Backflow RPZ Testing
I don't know why, but I've been doing some reading on these things. There are two main types of waterless urinal systems:
(1) mechanical traps (Caroma, Ecotech)
(2) liquid traps (Falcon, Zurn, and the rest)
The liquid traps work by having a layer of oil (cooking oil, essentially) that floats over the effluent to keep the smell down.
Liquid styles further resolve into:
(1) weird little cartridges with a small bottle trap in them (Falcon, Zurn, Waterless), and
(2) a fairly standard trap arrangement (Kohler)
The Kohler one looks like it would satisfy plumbing codes as it has a fairly standard trap configuration molded into the china.
http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatal...30&nitem=cat30
Last edited by gardner; 01-06-2009 at 12:21 PM.
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