Important Advice on How to Install a Waterless Urinal 

The majority of people have no idea about how to install a waterless urinal. The fact is that waterless urinals are easy to install. It is much easier to install as compared to the traditional flush urinals. An important point to note regarding installing a waterless urinal is that waterless urinals require no separate water supply. So, installing waterless urinals in new construction homes is a more cost-effective option.

The cost savings benefit of installing a waterless urinal can enjoy by both the new construction home contractor and the ultimate homeowner. A contractor will have to spend less on installing waterless urinals. Also, the homeowner will benefit from these urinals due to fewer utility bills and maintenance costs.

Most people don’t give much thought to their traditional flush toilets. However, the fact is that using the flush urinals results in wastage of a lot of water. Apart from the increased water bill, it also results in increased sewage bills. It is because a large amount of wastewater is sent to the sewage plant for processing. What’s even worse is that processing a lot of wastewater results in releasing a large amount of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere, contributing to environmental pollution.

Here we will take a closer look at the waterless urinal and install a waterless urinal.

What are the Functions of Waterless Urinal?

Waterless urinals appear the same as traditional flush urinals. But on closer inspection, you will find that waterless urinals don’t have a water supply or a flush handle. It is the main difference between a waterless urinal and traditional flush urinals.

Moreover, the inside of the waterless urinal is entirely different than the traditional flush urinals. Most waterless urinals are composed of two main parts.

• Cartridge
• Liquid sealant

In some waterless urinals, one-way-valve is present instead of a liquid sealant. However, the procedure regarding how to install a waterless urinal is the same for both. The liquid-based adhesive is less dense than urine. As a result, it floats above the liquid waste. The sealant collects urine and prevents it from flowing backward. The urine keeps in an oxygen-free environment inside the urinal.

While waterless urinals don’t use water flush urine, they are cleaner and more hygienic than traditional flush urinals. Water is essential for bacteria and other harmful pathogens to flourish. No organism can survive for long without water. That’s why harmful microbes tend to be in more significant numbers in traditional flush urinals. Since no water used for flushing the urine in the waterless urinal, microbial organisms are present in fewer numbers.

What’s even better is that waterless urinals have fewer odor problems as compared to traditional flush urinals. When the urinal cartridge and sealant replace at regular intervals, there will be no odor problem. Urine odor is due to the ammonia gas produced when uric acid in the urine comes into contact with air and water. Since urine keeps in a sealed environment inside the urinal, the odor problem does not occur. In most cases, the odor that seems to emanate near the waterless urinal will be due to the urine spilled on the wall and floor. Keeping the area around the urinal clean will eliminate lousy odor issues.

About the Different Waterless Urinal Types

All types of waterless urinals work without the use of any water. However, how the urine removes is different. As mentioned earlier, some urinals use liquid-based sealant while others make use of a one-way- valve to keep urine inside the urinal. Still, some urinals instead of liquid sealant use hydrostatic adhesive for the same purpose.

Liquid sealant based urinals are the most common and durable. The adhesive traps the urine and keeps it from overflowing backward. Must refill this sealant regularly. Most manufacturers recommend supplying the glue after every 1,500 uses. In low traffic areas, such as homes, must fill the adhesive after about every three to six months. However, in high traffic areas such as shopping malls or schools, the sealant needs to be refilled about twice a month.

Hydrostatic sealant functions are similar to a waterless urinal. An organic compound that collects the urine and, identical to the oil-based sealant, keeps urine inside the urinal.  The hydrostatic adhesive uses an organic compound that floats above the bond.

The third common type of waterless urinal consists of one-way-valve. It opens to allow

How to Install a Waterless Urinal?

Now that you know about waterless urinals, how they work, and the common types of the waterless urinal, let’s find out how to install a waterless urinal. The good thing is that it is straightforward to know how to install a waterless urinal. There is no need to call a plumber to install a waterless urinal. Also, there is no need to read complex manuals regarding how to install a waterless urinal.

You can quickly know how to install a waterless urinal by performing simple functions. The first thing that you should know about installing a waterless urinal is that the information mentioned here is applicable for installing both retrofit and new installation situations.

Another essential thing to know regarding installing a waterless urinal is to find out the local building codes regarding dry urinal installation. The majority of the US’s plumbing codes require that the urinal lip to floor height for ADA compliant units be 430 mm (or 17 inches). For non-ADA urinals, the size from lip to the floor should be more significant, i.e., 610 mm (or 24 inches). You must confirm the exact height by calling the local authority.

The good thing about installing a waterless urinal is that it is much easier to install than traditional flush urinals. It would be best if you remembered regarding how to install a waterless urinal that most urinals come with the required hardware to install the urinal.

You can use the existing flange used in the traditional urinal for most retrofit situations. It will save time in waterless urinal installation.

Here is the approximate time regarding how to install a waterless urinal.

• Retrofit — lower rough-in: About 90 to 120 minutes
• Retrofit — simple change-out: About 45 to 60 minutes
• New Installation: About 15 to 25 minutes

The above represent approximate times. The actual time regarding how to install a waterless urinal may be different. It varies depending on the type of installation and also the plumbing skill of the individual. If you have previously installed a traditional flush urinal, you will have no trouble installing the waterless urinal.

How to Correctly Measure the Rough-in Height of Urinal?

Measuring the height of the drain line is an essential aspect of how to install a waterless urinal. For non-ADA or ADA urinals, you should measure the bathroom floor’s distance to the bottom of the screws that secure the waterless urinal. This measurement will give you the current drain line-height (A).

The next important step regarding installing a waterless urinal is to look at the urinals’ specification sheet. You should find out the specified distance between the urinal lip and outlet (B).

The third step regarding installing a waterless urinal is to add (A) and (B). It will give you the right height from the lip to the floor of the waterless urinal. You should make sure that the size conforms to the building plumbing code.

Let’s take a look at a simple example to understand how to install a waterless urinal.

Suppose that after taking the measurement, you find that the current drain line-height (A) is about 15 inches, while the instruction manual states that the distance between the urinal lip and outlet (B) is 9 inches. When you add (A) and (B), you will get the lip to floor distance of 24 inches.

Again, it is essential to emphasize installing a waterless urinal to look at the local plumbing codes to know about the right lip to floor height.

What are the Advantages of Installing Waterless Urinals?

Installing waterless urinals provide various advantages. Here are some of the benefits that you can gain by installing waterless urinals.

Hygienic and Clean

The foremost benefit of installing a waterless urinal is that it is more hygienic and clean than traditional flush urinals. Bacteria and other pathogens are less likely to flourish in an arid urinal bowl. With traditional urinals, harmful pathogens form in the direct path of the water. However, since no water is required in waterless urinals to flush the liquid urine, they are less microbial formation on the urinal bowl.

Moreover, the surface of identicalness urinal is non-porous. It prevents urine from remaining in the urinal bowl. The liquid waste goes inside the urinal bowel, where it keeps in an entirely oxygen-free environment. Various studies have found that compared to traditional urinals, waterless urinals contain fewer bacteria and other harmful pathogens.

Water Conservation

Waterless urinals also help in the conservation of precious water resources. In high traffic areas, replacing traditional urinals with waterless urinals can result in significant water savings. It can save up to 150,000 liters of water, which converts into significantly reduced water bills. Areas such as schools, malls, and public buildings can benefit the most from installing waterless urinals.

It cannot emphasize the importance of water conservation enough. Every one of us is responsible for the preservation of the precious water supply. It is essential in states such as Utah, South Carolina, Nevada, California, and Oregon that are currently facing high drought situation. The more people install waterless urinals, the more water will be conserved, ultimately solving the water shortage problem.

Minimizes Bad Odor Issue

Waterless urinals have less harmful odor problems as compared to traditional flush urinals. When the urinal cartridge and sealant replace at regular intervals, a foul odor problem does not arise. The reality is that the offensive odor that we associate with urine is actually due to ammonia gas. The gas does not just smell bad but also results in harmful effects on health.

Urine keeps inside the urinal in an oxygen-free environment. The liquid waste exposes to air or water. Air bubbles in the urine rise to the top when urine passes through the sealant. So, no odor issue develops.

Lower Utility Bills

The main benefit of waterless urinals is low utility bills. The urinals require no water. Apart from water conservation, this also reduces liquid waste sent to the sewage plant. As a result, you will have to pay lower sewage bills. Generally, the cost savings due to installing waterless urinals range between $300 and $1,000. The utility bills will be significantly lower in high traffic areas when the waterless urinal replaces traditional flush urinals.

Reduce Harmful Effects on the Environment

Installing waterless urinals can also help in reducing the amount of harmful greenhouse gas in the environment. You will reduce your carbon footprint on the background when you replace traditional flush urinals with waterless urinals.

The problem with traditional urinals is that they send a lot of liquid waste down the drain. It results in increased load on the sewage plants. About 25 kg of carbon dioxide is released by sewage plants in the US every year. It results in a negative effect on the climate, thereby harming the ecology.

Water urinals flush urine without the use of any water. In this way, considerably less liquid waste transfer to the sewage plant for treatment. So, installing waterless urinals result in the reduced emission of harmful greenhouse gas into the environment.

Pipe Blockage Issue Problem

Pipe blockage is another issue with traditional urinals. It occurs typically in traditional urinals due to the accumulation of uric sediment deposits on the pipes inside the urinal. The deposit tends to build up over time and eventually cause pipe blockage.

The good thing about waterless urinals is that there is no pipe blockage problem. Water use in flushing urine. When the sealant and cartridge replace regularly, you won’t have to deal with pipe blockages. It results in reduced plumbing repair costs with waterless urinals as compared to traditional urinals.

How to Properly Maintain Waterless Urinals?

Besides knowing how to install a waterless urinal, you should also know how to maintain waterless urinals properly. It is essential to ensure the proper functioning of the urinal. You should know by now, after reading how to install a waterless urinal, that establishing a waterless urinal is easy. In installing an arid urinal section, you have read that no expert skills are required to replace the waterless urinal.

Like installing a waterless urinal, you will be glad to know that you don’t need expert skills or knowledge to understand how to maintain a waterless urinal. The only thing that you need to replace regularly in waterless urinals is the urinal cartridge. Also, it would help if you refilled the sealant at regular intervals.

The best thing about waterless urinals is that it does not require much maintenance. You won’t have to call a plumber to solve your plumbing issues frequently. Also, it’s easy to clean the waterless urinal. To clean the waterless urinal, you have to sprinkle a mild cleaning product on the urinal bowl, and then wipe with a clean cloth. There is no need to place urinal cakes after cleaning the bowel to mask foul odor as well.

Conclusion

The answer to how to install a waterless urinal is that it is straightforward. There is no expert plumbing knowledge required to clean the waterless urinal. All the necessary tools to install the urinal generally come with the product.

You also don’t have to deal with installing the supply line. The urinal works without the use of any water. It not just makes installing the urinal easy but also results in significantly reduced utility bills. You will be able to save a lot of money by replacing flush urinals with waterless urinals.

When it comes to installing a waterless urinal, you must find out the local building codes. Make sure that you don’t violate any of the plumbing codes when installing a waterless urinal. You can find out about the building codes by checking with the local townhouse.