Residential and commercial homeowners can benefit from the installation of the waterless urinals. The urinals are best suited for areas that receive a lot of traffic. In this article, we will take a look at waterless urinals including functions, benefits, types, and waterless urinal cartridge replacement.
Waterless urinals are a great device that can help in saving a lot of water. The urinals work without the use of any water. The waste water is removed from the urinal through displacement. Installing the urinal is recommended in areas that are facing water shortage problems.
Installing waterless urinals can result in savings of hundreds of dollars every year. It is estimated that anywhere between $200 to $1,000 can be saved by installing a waterless urinal. One study has found that it takes on average three years to recuperate the expenses of installing the urinal.
The type of waterless urinal cartridge replacement you buy can influence how much money you save. Usually the manufacturer’s waterless urinal cartridge work well, but we recommend is the EZ Trap Waterless Urinal Cartridge. It fits perfectly on Sloan, Falcon, and Bobrick waterless urinals, and it last 3 to 4 times longer than regular manufacturer cartridges. The EZ Trap also cuts maintenance cost dramatically because you can clean your urinal with any cleaner, and it does not need special, and costly sealants for urine odor control. CLICK HERE for information on the EZ Trap Waterless Urinal Cartridge.
Functions of Waterless Urinals
Waterless urinals look the same as traditional flush urinals. However, when you look closely, you will find that it is different as compared to flush urinals. Unlike flush urinals, no water supply is required for waterless urinals.
So, how do waterless urinals work?
Urine enters the urinal bowl and passes through the sealant. The sealant is less dense than the urine. As a result, the sealant keeps the urine from flowing backward. Urine is kept in an airtight environment inside the urinal. The liquid waste is drained using the displacement principle. As new urine enters the urinal, it displaces old urine that goes to the drain.
You should note that in some waterless urinals, one-way-valve is used instead of the sealant. The valve works similar to the sealant in keeping the liquid the waste from flowing backward. It opens when the urine enters the urinal bowl and then shuts close. In this way, the urine is kept sealed inside the urinal.
Advantages of Installing Waterless Urinals
Waterless urinals entail many benefits. The foremost benefit of installing waterless urinal is that it helps in conserving water. Another benefit of installation of the waterless urinal is that it helps in reducing the carbon footprint from the environment. How?
Using waterless urinals result in less liquid waste that is fed to the sewage drain. Lesser the load at sewage plant, the less will be the amount of harmful greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere. As a result, you will be contributing to a greener Earth.
Lastly, waterless urinals entail less plumbing repair costs. There are not much plumbing parts that require repairs in the case of waterless urinals. This results in cost savings in the long run as compared to traditional flush urinals.
Common Types of Waterless Urinals
All waterless urinal cartridges flush the urine without the use of water. However, they differ on how the urine is flushed down the drain. Here are three common types of waterless urinals that you can find in the market.
Sealant Based Urinals
Sealant based urinals make use of oil barriers to trap urine. The sealant being less dense than urine floats above the liquid waste. In the later section, we will reveal the process for waterless urinal cartridge replacement. The sealant used in the sealant based waterless urinal is mostly biodegradable. This means that no harm is done to the ecology when they are disposed of. It’s essential that you buy the right sealant for the waterless urinal to avoid any problems.
Sealant Based Urinals usually use waterless urinal cartridges to eliminate foul urine odor. Usually the manufacturer’s waterless urinal cartridge work well, but we recommend is the EZ Trap Waterless Urinal Cartridge. It fits perfectly on Sloan, Falcon, and Bobrick waterless urinals, and it last 3 to 4 times longer than regular manufacturer cartridges. The EZ Trap also cuts maintenance cost dramatically because you can clean your urinal with any cleaner, and it does not need special, and costly sealants for urine odor control. CLICK HERE for information on the EZ Trap Waterless Urinal Cartridge.
Valve Based Urinals
Valve based urinals make use of one-way-valve to keep urine inside the urinal. The urinal consists of a rubber valve that opens when the urine enters the urinal bowl and then closes immediately. However, these urinals are not as effective as sealant based urinals in keeping urine inside the urinal.
Microbiological Based Urinals
Microbiological based urinals make use of microbial cartridges. When urine comes into contact with the microbial block inside the urinal cartridge, microbial spores feed upon the urine. The urine breaks down into odorless components inside the cartridge, and then drains out of the drain.
What are the Tips for Installation of Waterless Urinals?
Installation of waterless urinals is not that difficult. The installation can be completed in under an hour. They are much easier to install as compared to traditional flush urinals. The best thing about waterless urinals is that they don’t require a separate water supply. This makes it easier to install in new construction houses as compared to traditional urinals.
Installing the waterless urinal does not require you to call a professional. The guide for installing the urinal is included in the booklet that comes with the urinal. All the tools required to install the urinal also comes with the urinal. It’s important that you should follow the local plumbing codes when installing the urinal. In most states, the following conditions must be met when installing a waterless urinal.
- For ADA urinals, the lip to floor height should be greater than 17 inches
- For non-ADA urinals, the lip to floor height should be greater than 24 inches
When installing waterless urinal cartridges, you need to take a number of important considerations. One important thing that you should consider is the location of the drain pipe. The pipe should be sloped correctly. This is necessary otherwise the liquid won’t drain properly.
One more thing that you should consider when installing the urinal cartridge is that the pipe should be of the right size and material. This is again important as selecting the wrong pipe can result in blockage of the pipe. It will result in accumulation of phosphate precipitates and urine stone inside the unit.
In addition, you should not install metal drain pipes. The reason is that the pipes corrode easily that can lead to plumbing problems. Uric acid in the urine can damage the metal pipe that will require costly repairs. Instead of using metal drain pipes, you should instead use plastic drain pipes.
Not taking the above things under consideration can damage the waterless urinal. Also, wrong techniques in installing the waterless urinal can result in damage to the drainage pipe. In order to avoid this prospect, it is important that you carefully follow the instructions contained in the information booklet that comes with the urinal.
What is the Best Place for Installation of Waterless Urinals?
Waterless urinals are the ideal choice for both commercial and residential houses. However, commercial places that receive a lot of traffic will greatly benefit from the installation of the waterless urinals. Some of the areas that are ideal for installation of waterless urinal include rest shops, cinemas, restaurants, train stations, and schools. Installing the waterless urinals in high-traffic areas can result in great savings of water. The cost savings can amount to more than $900 per year.
Moreover, waterless urinals are ideal for installation in areas that are facing drought situations. States such as California, Arizona, Montana, and others that are facing water shortage issue can greatly benefit from waterless urinals. In fact, some states such as Arizona have made it mandatory that waterless urinals should be installed in public buildings.
Tips for Maintenance of Waterless Urinals
Maintaining waterless urinals is not that difficult. In order to properly maintain the waterless urinals, you should read the instructions that are contained in the information booklet that comes with the urinal.
Usually the manufacturer’s waterless urinal cartridge work well, but we recommend is the EZ Trap Waterless Urinal Cartridge. It fits perfectly on Sloan, Falcon, and Bobrick waterless urinals, and it last 3 to 4 times longer than regular manufacturer cartridges. The EZ Trap also cuts maintenance cost dramatically because you can clean your urinal with any cleaner, and it does not need special, and costly sealants for urine odor control. CLICK HERE for information on the EZ Trap Waterless Urinal Cartridge.
Recommended Maintenance Plan for Sloan, Falcon, and Bobrick Waterless Urinals Using the EZ Trap Cartridge:
- At the end of each day, clean the waterless urinal with any cleaner.
- After cleaning the waterless urinal, pour 1 gallon of clean water down the waterless urinal drain. Do this daily.
- Spray Xion Lab’s Bio-Enzymatic Cleaner Liquid in and around the urinal with trigger sprayer (set at mid point between a fine spray and a coarse stream). Spray any surface around the urinal that has had contact with urine. Spray daily until urine odors are digested. Thereafter, spraying is generally needed only weekly.
- Once a week, after you have poured 1 gallon of water down the waterless urinal drain, pour 8 ounces of Xion Lab’s Bio-Enzymatic Cleaner Liquid down the waterless urinal drain.
You can buy Xion Lab’s Bio Enzymatic Cleaner Liquid by visiting https://www.xionlab.com/enzyme
We tested this cleaning method in one facility and the EZ Trap Cartridge lasted 6 Months, and effectively controlled urine odor. Each facility is different, so we cannot guarantee you will have the exact same results, but we have tested this maintenance plan in various locations and they are reporting great results and $SAVINGS$.
CLICK HERE for information on the EZ Trap Waterless Urinal Cartridge.
You should regularly replace the urinal cartridge. This is important to ensure proper functioning of the urinal. Waterless urinal cartridge replacement is essential to avoid bad odor issues. Without waterless urinal cartridge replacement, urine will not properly drain and may flow backward. This will result in the peculiar bad odor associated with urine to spread in the bathroom.
Another reason for waterless urinal cartridge replacement is that it prevents pipe blockages. The uric sediment may deposit inside the cartridge resulting in blockage of the pipe. To avoid this problem, it’s important to carry out waterless urinal cartridge replacement.
Make sure that you carry on the waterless urinal cartridge replacement as per the instructions of the manufacturer. The frequency of waterless urinal cartridge replacement differs. Normally, the manufacturers recommend waterless urinal cartridge replacement anywhere between 2,000 and 7,500 uses. High-quality waterless urinals including Sloan waterless urinal and Falcon waterless urinal last for more than 7,000 uses.
In moderate to low traffic areas, waterless urinal cartridge replacement needs to be done after every six to twelve months. In high traffic areas, such as public buildings, waterless urinal cartridge replacement should be done after every three to five months.
The good thing is that waterless urinal cartridge replacement is easy. Here are the steps that you should take for waterless urinal cartridge replacement.
Step 1:You should first insert the key and then unlock the cartridge. This is the first step for waterless urinal cartridge replacement.
Step 2:The next step of waterless urinal cartridge replacement is to lift the cartridge from the urinal, and then tilt it a little. This step of waterless urinal cartridge replacement is required to drain urine and sealant from inside the urinal. You should wear gloves when handling the urinal cartridge to avoid contact with pathogens.
Step 3: The third step of waterless urinal cartridge replacement entails disposing of the old cartridge. You should place the old cartridge inside a plastic bag and then dispose it by throwing in the dustbin.
Step 4. Next, you should use a soft bristle brush that is 1.5 inch in diameter to scrub the inside of the urinal. You should scrub deep inside the piping for proper cleaning.
Step 5. After you have cleaned the urinal, the next step of waterless urinal cartridge replacement is to flush the urinal using soapy water. You should use about 5 gallons of water to properly flush the urinal. Next, you should wipe the inner steel rim of the urinal using a soft cloth.
Step 6. The sixth step for waterless urinal cartridge replacement is to install the new cartridge. After the cartridge is firmly secured, you should lock it by inserting the key.
Step 7. Now fill the cartridge by about a quart of clean water. You should fill the water until no air bubbles are seen.
Step 8.The last step of waterless urinal cartridge replacement is to refill the sealant. After the sealant, has drained into the urinal cartridge, you should use a disinfectant spray to remove any traces of microbial pathogens.
The above steps clearly show that waterless urinal cartridge replacement is not that difficult. You certainly do not have to call a professional plumber to replace the cartridge.
The above steps outline how to change the cartridge of a waterless urinal. The cartridge can easily be replaced without any professional help. Now let’s find out how to clean a waterless urinal.
How to Clean the Waterless Urinal
Apart from waterless urinal cartridge replacement, you should also know how to clean the urinal. In order to clean the waterless urinal, you should first clear all the cigarette butts and other items from the urinal. Next, you should pour all-purpose cleaner on the urinal surface.
Consider leaving the cleaner on the surface for a few minutes. Afterwards, you should clean the waterless urinal using a soft bristle brush. You should dip the brush inside the water bucket before cleaning the surface. Once you have cleaned the urinal inside out, the last step is to spray disinfectant on the urinal bowl.
To save money on maintenance, we recommend the EZ Trap Waterless Urinal Cartridge. This cartridge does not use costly sealants, and you do not have to buy expensive special waterless urinal cleaners. You can use any cleaner.
Recommended Maintenance Plan for Sloan, Falcon, and Bobrick Waterless Urinals Using the EZ Trap Cartridge:
- At the end of each day, clean the waterless urinal with any cleaner.
- After cleaning the waterless urinal, pour 1 gallon of clean water down the waterless urinal drain. Do this daily.
- Spray Xion Lab’s Bio-Enzymatic Cleaner Liquid in and around the urinal with trigger sprayer (set at mid point between a fine spray and a coarse stream). Spray any surface around the urinal that has had contact with urine. Spray daily until urine odors are digested. Thereafter, spraying is generally needed only weekly.
- Once a week, after you have poured 1 gallon of water down the waterless urinal drain, pour 8 ounces of Xion Lab’s Bio-Enzymatic Cleaner Liquid down the waterless urinal drain.
You can buy Xion Lab’s Bio Enzymatic Cleaner Liquid by visiting https://www.xionlab.com/enzyme
We tested this cleaning method in one facility and the EZ Trap Cartridge lasted 6 Months, and effectively controlled urine odor. Each facility is different, so we cannot guarantee you will have the exact same results, but we have tested this maintenance plan in various locations and they are reporting great results and $SAVINGS$.
CLICK HERE for information on the EZ Trap Waterless Urinal Cartridge.
Last Remarks about Waterless Urinal Cartridge Replacement!
Waterless urinals represent a solid investment. You will be able to save a lot due to the reduced water bill. The best thing is that waterless urinal cartridge replacement is easy. You can easily replace the cartridge without much effort. Replacing the urinal cartridge will ensure that that the urinal works without any problem.
Make sure that you follow the manufacturing instructions when cleaning and replacing the urinal cartridge. This will ensure that you don’t accidentally damage the urinal or the drain pipe that would require costly repairs.