Why Waterless? 

There is a lot of misinformation in the market about the way waterless urinals operate. Some contractors will tell you that they will save you thousands of litres of water and in turn thousands of dollars. While that may be true it doesn’t mean it’s always the case. Other people may tell you that waterless urinals stink. In some circumstances that may also be true, however only if those waterless urinals are not being maintained properly. This article has been written to give you a clear idea of what a waterless urinal is, how one works, the benefits of having one installed and the times when a waterless urinal isn’t the best option.

What are Waterless Urinals?

 

Waterless urinals are the same as your standard flushing urinal, with one main difference: they don’t use water to flush away the urine. Coming on the scene in the early 90’s, Waterless urinals were never that popular. It wasn’t until the turn of the century when the world started to go ‘green’ and think about ways to preserve valuable water resources that waterless urinals started to gain a place in the marketplace.

There was, however, a lot of confusion surrounding the way these flushless urinals work. Many started blaming them for the bad smell in the bathroom despite the smell always having been there; others claimed that they were a health risk - despite evidence showing they were more sanitary than the standard flushing urinal. So how do waterless urinals work?

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How do Waterless Urinals Work?

Waterless urinals utilise an odour locking device in the base of the urinal bowl to take away urine and its smell without the need for water. This odour locking device varies in design from a basic odour locking oil barrier system to more sophisticated mechanical one-way valves.

Once the urine has run through the odour locking device, gravity does the rest of the work, carrying the urine into your sewer system - just like a flushing urinal.

All of the waterless urinals sold in Australia should have watermark certification. This approval involves each waterless urinal and its associated odour locking valve being tested to ensure it meets the plumbing codes for New Zealand.

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Why use Waterless Urinals?

For anyone looking to save water, waterless urinals are a sound choice since they will reduce your water consumption. Apart from the water savings, waterless urinals also tend to be a cheaper option for new bathroom installations. Regular flushing urinals often incur substantially higher installation costs than waterless urinals, for their required pipework and flushing devices.

Waterless urinals also reduce the spread of bacteria. The water that constantly sits on the bowl in a regular flushing urinal presents a perfect environment for bacteria growth, and the flushing of these urinals will often spray this bacteria into the air, causing it to become airborne. These are both issues that waterless urinals avoid.