Heard of Waterless Co., Inc?
AlturaSolutions Communications has handled the PR and communications for Waterless Co. Inc. for more than 18 years.
When we started twenty years ago, few people had heard of Waterless Co or waterless urinals.
Few understood precisely how they work, how much water they can save, and how they promote sustainability…the keyword of the 21st century.
Now, these questions have been answered. Building owners now know the benefits of no-water urinals, and Waterless Company has become very well-known…” we are now one of the largest manufacturers of no-water urinals in North America. Much of this is the result of Robert’s work for us, and I highly recommend him,” says Klaus Reichardt, CEO and Founder of Waterless Co., Inc.
Below: A Short Discussion about Waterless Urinals
Questions About Waterless Urinals: “The facts, ma’am – just the facts.”
Sergeant Joe Friday is famous for saying this in every episode of the 1950s hit television show, Dragnet. He always said it very directly and with a deadpan expression on his face.
Well, we are going to do the same thing here as we talk about Waterless urinals. We will compare them to traditional water-using urinals and discuss something all building owners should know before selecting a waterless urinal.
First, some background.
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that toilets and urinals in commercial buildings account for nearly one-third of all water consumed in the facility. That amounts to billions of gallons of water consumed yearly, a staggering amount when you realize many parts of the country are now experiencing varying drought conditions.
Waterless urinals work the same way as traditional urinals.
Waterless urinals do not use water to dispose of waste. With a flush urinal, water forces urine down the drain. They allow gravity to carry the urine into a cartridge at the base of the urinal. View this cartridge as a seal: it prevents odors and sewer gases from rising up the drainpipe and into the restroom.
As far as the amount of water saved, here are some of the latest stats:
Of the twelve million flush urinals installed in the U.S., 7.8 million, or 65 percent, are older units.
• These old, inefficient urinals use as much as 35,000 gallons per year per urinal.
• About half of the remaining urinals, about 35 percent, were made after 1992. They consume 7,000 gallons of water per year per urinal.
• Some of the remaining newer urinals go a step further. These use about half a gallon of water per flush or about 3,500 per year.
• The remaining urinals are waterless. Due to cleaning and maintenance, it is estimated they consume about five gallons of water per year, about as close to zero as it gets.
Advantages of Waterless Urinals
Waterless urinals were growing in popularity for several years before the pandemic. Still, the pandemic and the wave of retrofitting since the pandemic moved these installations into high gear. As facilities were updated to minimize the amount of touching of fixtures and surfaces in restrooms, building owners and managers found it was less expensive to install no-water urinals. Plus, more are focused on sustainability and actively finding ways to reduce consumption, including water. These issues explain why more waterless urinals have been selected since the pandemic.
According to the EPA, when a facility replaces all urinals with waterless urinals, each urinal saves about 26,000 gallons of water per year. They base this on how many traditional and newer, more efficient urinals are now installed in the U.S.
Conventional urinals can harbor disease-causing contaminants in the water standing at the base of the urinal. As the urinal is used, and indeed when flushed, these contaminants are released into the air. It is when they are inhaled that they can cause disease. This does not happen with waterless urinals.
As we referenced before, these urinals are touch-free.
Waterless urinals offer what some managers now call predictable maintenance. Over time, they know when the cartridge needs to be topped off with sealant or replaced. Predictable maintenance is impossible with a flush urinal, primarily because of the flush mechanism. These typically malfunction over time – and at any time. Plus, clogs and overflows can happen anytime with a flush urinal.
Before Considering a Waterless Urinal
As more brands have started making no-water urinals, consumers have started thinking they are all about the same. They save water. That is all you need to know.
But they are not the same. One of the significant issues involves the life of the cartridge and its cost. Interestingly, some of the very same cartridges that require the most frequent changes are also the costliest. Many building owners and managers realize this only after installing the urinal.
Refrain from making this mistake. The differences can be startling. Study the varied brands, be sure, and enquire about how frequently the cartridge must be changed and its costs.
