Waterless Urinals

Design and technical improvements make the new generation of waterless urinals well worth considering when looking for ways to save water. Maintenance is much easier on these latest models, and advances have made them more hygienic and odor-free. Pretty spiffy, really.

Besides saving water, a big benefit of waterless urinals are the associated costs - they're cheaper to buy than flush urinals and, with no moving parts to break or leak, they are cheaper to maintain. Plus, there are no water costs involved to operate. There are also energy savings overall in that the water saved didn't need to be pumped, piped or treated.

Given all those benefits, it is still the water savings that is driving increases in the installation of waterless urinals.

"According to a report for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, a waterless urinal saves one to three gallons of fresh water per flush, compared with a normal model. Take a big office building or university campus with 10,000 men in it, peeing several times daily. That represents a savings of nearly 16 million gallons a year." (cited in Passing Water Without the Water: Waterless Urinals Save H2O, Dollars)

Now there are not any locations in our service area that big, but one to three gallons a flush times however many times the conventional urinals around here do get flushed adds up big time.

Last fall the City of Los Angeles approved waterless urinals for all of its buildings, specifying the H2Zero Waterless Urinal from Caroma.

The H2Zero’s unique patented cartridge technology does not use an oil-based seal, as traditionally used in waterless urinals. Within the cartridge is a Bio Fresh deodorizing block that is activated during use. The Bio Seal™ allows urine to pass through the seal freely, eliminating unnecessary waste build-up within the cartridge. The Bio Seal, which lasts up to 10,000 uses, also acts as a one-way airtight valve to seal the cartridge from the drainage system.

As urine flows into the cartridge and around the Bio Fresh deodorizing block, heat from the urine activates the block, which emits a lemon fragrance. The urine then flows through the Bio Seal valve and into the drain line. The Bio Seal closes, protecting against back-pressure situations, ensuring good hygiene.

“For more than three decades, Caroma has been a leader in designing advanced technology for the bathroom, and the H2Zero waterless urinal is one example,” states John Karas, North America Product Manager. “The H2Zero can save the City of Los Angeles millions of gallons of water per year through replacing older, water-consuming one gallon urinals. In addition, the unique technology in the H2Zero minimizes service required and manages odors and waste build-up, unlike other waterless urinals currently on the market.”

To service the urinal, the H2Zero’s cartridge tool is used to remove the grate and access the internal components. The Bio Fresh deodorizer and Bio Seal can then be removed and replaced as required. This touch-free tool ensures no direct contact with the replacement components, and no special disposal method is required.

It's a little surprising given all the interest in these new and improved fixtures that less than 1% of urinals now in use are the waterless variety. So lots of opportunity for water saving.

For more information on the H2Zero and other Caroma high efficiency products, email info@caromausa.com or visit www.caromausa.com.

To find out about rebates available in Sonoma Valley for purchase and installation of high efficiency urinals, visit www.vomwd.com or www.sonomacity.org.

You can also read more at this waterless urinals link.

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Boden Plumbing primarily serves Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley, and the Petaluma area. We provide a full range of residential plumbing repairs and services.
866-663-7477
www.nodrips.com