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Waterless urinals appear similar to traditional urinals. But when you look closely, you will find out that there is no water supply and flush handle. It is because waterless urinals are designed in a way that there is no need for flushing urine down the drain. The unique design of the waterless urinal allows urine to be flushed out on its own.
Homeowners will be able to save a lot of water by installing waterless urinals. These urinals will help in reducing the water bills. The urinals help in conservation of precious water resources. Installing waterless urinals is particularly ideal in areas that are facing drought problems. Bathrooms that receive a lot of foot traffic such as in schools, shopping malls, and public buildings can significantly benefit from the installation of waterless urinals.
Most people erroneously think that waterless urinals use no water so there might be prone to the odour problem. However, according to a study that was carried out by scholars at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), no significant differences in the odour problems was found between the traditional flush and waterless urinals. The study had concluded placing sensors to evaluate the difference in odours in traditional urinals and waterless urinals. The smells in case of waterless urinals are due to urine is spilt on the walls and the floor.
Moreover, researches had also found that waterless urinals are more eco-friendly as compared to traditional urinals. The urinals can help in significant savings of water as compared to flush urinals. Installing waterless urinal represents a positive step in creating an environmentally friendly place. While public building owners will benefit the most from the installation of waterless urinals, residential homeowners can also aid in terms of saving bills and conserving water.
In this article, we will talk at length about the different types of waterless urinals, and tips on how to maintain andhow to unclog a waterless urinal.
Types of Waterless Urinals
The benefit of waterless over traditional flush urinals cannot be denied. They are preferred for installing in shopping malls, offices, and schools. Installation of the fixture is recommended in areas that are prone to vandalism like K-schools.
Based on the design of the waterless urinal, there are four common types of waterless urinals.
Waterless Urinals with Integrated Trap Design
Waterless urinals with integrated drain trap design contain a liquid sealant. The sealant keeps the urine sealed inside the urinal. It keeps the liquid waste in an oxygen-free environment. These type of liquid urinals rely on the difference in densities between the sealant and urine. The adhesive is less dense than urine, so it floats above the liquid waste preventing it from flowing backwards.
Liquid sealant is contained inside the urinal cartridge. The urine passes through the adhesive and then rests at the P-trap inside the urinal. It then drains out of the urinal through displacement. No water is required to flush the urine. It is the most common type of waterless urinal that is installed in most homes.
Waterless Urinals with Disposable Cartridge
Another less common type of waterless urinal uses disposable cartridge instead of a sealant. The cartridge fits into the base of the urinal. To insert and remove the cartridge, you need a unique tool. The cartridge collects urine and then directs it towards the drain.
Waterless Urinals with Silicone Diaphragm
The third type of waterless urinal feature silicone diaphragm. This diaphragm is contained in the cartridge. The diaphragm acts like a filter that allows urine to pass through and then seals it inside the urinal. This diaphragm also prevents lousy odour from permeating the room.
Waterless Urinals with One-Way-Valve
On the way waive the fourth type of waterless urinal feature. The valve opens to let the urine pass through and then quickly closes. This type of urinal is also less common as compared to sealant based waterless urinal.
How to Maintain Waterless Urinals
Maintaining the waterless urinals require different techniques based on the type of urinal. Some of the urinals are easy to clean while others need professional help. However, the process of scrubbing waterless urinals is not different from cleaning traditional flush urinals.
You should wear safety goggles and gloves when cleaning a waterless urinal. Also, it would help if you used all-purpose cleaner consisting of mild chemical to clean the urinal. Utilizing a cleaner containing harsh chemicals can damage the urinal. Remember that you must never use bleach to clean the urinal as it can harm the urinal surface.
Using disinfectant and sanitizer is also recommended to mask any odour after cleaning. Besides, you should use a brush with soft bristles to clean the waterless urinal. It is again essential to avoid any damage to the urinal surface. Also, you should select a meeting that is bent at an angle as this will make the cleaning job easier for you.
Materials Required to Clean Waterless Urinal
- Air freshener
- Gloves
- All-purpose cleaner
- A ‘Cleaning in Progress’ signboard
- Filled water bucket
- Soft cloth
- Safety Goggle
Steps to Clean the Urinal Bowel
Step 1. First of all, you should place a sign in front of the bathroom with the message ‘Cleaning in Progress’. In case the bathroom has multiple entrances, you should put a signboard in front of every gate.
Step 2. Next, you should put on the gloves and the safety goggles.
Step 3. Now, remove any items in the urinal such as cigarette butts or chewing gum.
Step 4. The next step to clean the waterless urinal is to pour all-purpose cleaner. It would help if you kept the urinal to remain on the bowel for a few minutes.
Step 5. Now, you should clean the urinal using a soft bristle brush. Dip the meeting in the water bucket and then clean the urinal surface.
Step 6. Use a soft cloth for cleaning the surface of the urine.
Step 7. The last step of cleaning the urinal is to use an air freshener. It is required to mask the lingering smell of urine.
As you can see, cleaning the waterless urinal is straightforward and easy. Most find that it takes less time to clean waterless urinal as compared to cleaning traditional flush urinal. On important thing that you should keep in mind when cleaning waterless urinal is that you should never pour dirty water down the urinal. It is because the dirty water can flush the sealant inside the urinal.
With the right cleaning product and tools, you can easily clean the urinal. The urinal bowel is generally liquid repellant. It prevents the build-up of bacteria and other harmful pathogens inside the urinal. It would help if you considered using a disinfectant to preclude the formation of bacteria inside the urinal. You should apply the disinfectant on the urinal bowel using a soft cloth such as microfiber.
It would help if you regularly clean the urinal bowel. Also, it’s essential to know the correct way to clean the urinal bowel to prevent any damage to the urinal. It is vital to ensure that the urinal bowel does not reek of foul odour.
While the procedure to clean the waterless urinal is similar to cleaning traditional urinal, maintaining waterless urinal is slightly different. You need to regularly replace sealant and cartridge that are present inside the waterless urinals.
The sealant that is present inside most waterless urinals seeps in small amounts. That’s why you need to replenish the bond after about 1,500 uses. In high traffic public places, the sealant needs to be refilled about twice a month. To fill the urinal, you must pour about three ounces of glue directly onto the urinal bowel.
Moreover, the cartridge of the waterless urinal must be replaced after about 2,500 to 7,000 usages. Waterless urinals whose cartridge last for a long time include Falcon waterless urinals and Sloan waterless urinals. The great thing about these urinals is that the urinal cartridges used in these urinals are affordable as well making them cost-effective.
Safety Precautions for Waterless Urinals
Cleaners of waterless urinals are required to take certain precautions when cleaning the waterless urinal. As mentioned earlier, it’s important to avoid using scouring pads and abrasive cleaners. These can significantly harm the waterless urinals.
Most waterless urinals boast of highly polished porcelain surface that allows enhanced draining. However, if they are scratched, urine may not correctly go down the drain. Also, filthy water should never be drained inside the urinal bowel. It is because it can harm the cartridge and again drain the sealant.
Lastly, you must never ignore lousy odour problem. If a foul odour problem develops, you must take immediate action. Usually, the awful odour indicates that the cartridge or the sealant needs to be replaced. It might also be due to a problem in the drainage line. You must investigate the situation and determine the cause of the awful odour problem. Once the cause of the odour problem is detected, you should take action to solve the odour issue.
How to Unclog a Waterless Urinal?
The procedure regarding how to unclog a waterless urinal is similar to emptying traditional flush toilets. An important thing to remember regarding how to open a waterless urinal is that you should use the right requirement. Avoid using any tool that can damage the cartridge inside the urinal. Here are some steps that show how to unclog a waterless urinal properly.
Step 1 – How to Unclog a Waterless Urinal
The first step of how to unclog a waterless urinal is to remove the cartridge inside the urinal. Place the key and turn left to unlock the urinal, then lift out the cartridge.
Step 2 – How to Unclog a Waterless Urinal
The next step of how to unclog a waterless urinal is to place a plunger inside the urinal. It would help if you gave several strong thrusts. Its action, how to open a waterless urinal will help in removing clogs that are close to the surface of the drain.
Step 3 – How to Unclog a Waterless Urinal
In case using a plunger does not help in removing the clog, the next step of how to unclog a waterless urinal to should insert a drain auger cable. Consider cranking the auger and then slowly insert the line. It would help if you stopped cranking once you feel the rope hit the clog.
Once the clog is located, you should crank a bit more so that the auger cable attaches to the clog. Next, you should pull out the auger cable by cranking the opposite way. The clog will come out with the auger cable.
Step 4 – How to Unclog a Waterless Urinal
Once the clog has been removed, you should put the urinal cartridge back into the urinal.
The above simple steps regarding how to unclog a waterless urinal do not require professional help. However, it would help if you remembered regarding how to open a waterless urinal that professional service will ensure that removing the clog does not turn out to be a messy affair.
How to Prevent Clogged Urinals?
Now that you know how to unclog a waterless urinal, you should know about how to prevent clogged urinals. Generally, urinals obstruct when uric sediment in the urine deposits on the urinal bowl. Over time it can result in blocked pipe resulting in the clogged urinal. To prevent the accumulation of uric deposit, you must regularly clean the urinal.
You should also regularly replace the cartridge at regular intervals. It will prevent clogs in waterless urinals. Even, you should know never pour anything other than the cleaning product down the urinal bowel. You should never pour grease, paint solvents, nail polish, anti-freeze, bleach, or anti-bacterial liquids down the drain.
How Frequently Should You Clean Waterless Urinal
Cleaning waterless urinal will prevent any blockage problem. However, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to how frequently should you clean the urinal. The interval betweenane cleaning depends on the usage of the urinal.
Generally, all urinals require cleaning after every 1,500 uses. In high traffic areas, you should clean the urinal more frequently. The instruction booklet that comes with the urinal will contain information about how often you should clean the urinal and also how frequently you should replace the urinal cartridge. Both of these are important to avoid clogging problems.
Keep in mind that for older waterless urinals that do not have cartridges, you may need to perform the cleaning more frequently. Generally, they need to be cleaned after every 500 uses. Also, you should pour about 1 gallon of water inside the urinal bowel when cleaning. It will ensure that any uric deposit on the pipes is purged from the urinal.
It’s recommended to keep a log of the date when the cleaning was performed. Also, a log should be maintained of sealant replacement and cartridge cleaning. It’s also recommended that you record the cleaning product that was used to clean the urinal. Maintaining an accurate record will ensure that the cleaner remains well-maintained and groomed at all times.
Final Remarks: How to Unclog a Waterless Urinal
One of the main benefits of the waterless urinal is that it does not require expensive plumbing repairs. Clogs and other plumbing issues can quickly be resolved using the right tools and equipment. After reading the section on how to unclog a waterless urinal, you must know that it is not a complicated job.
The great thing about how to unclog a waterless urinal is that you can find out all the tools that are required to clean the urinal in the local hardware store. No specialized or expensive tool is needed to unclog the waterless urinal.
Another main point regarding how to unclog a waterless urinal is that you should always wear safety goggles and gloves. Its point regarding how to open a waterless urinal is essential to avoid infection due to urine coming into contact with the eyes or the hands. Yet another point regarding how to unclog a waterless urinal is that you should not apply intense pressure when using the plunger or auger cable to remove the clogs. This point relating to how to unclog a waterless urinal is vital as applying extra pressure can damage the unit.
Overall, waterless urinals are much easier to clean and maintain. There is no mechanical device inside the urinal. The only replaceable part is the urinal cartridge and the sealant. The components can easily be maintained and cleaned without any issues.
The essential tips that are mentioned in this article about how to unclog a waterless urinal will help save a lot of trouble when unplugging the urinal. You will be able to open the urinal without quickly have to call a professional.