Water-free urinals save costs and stay hygienic
May 12th 2009 Water Solutions [GB] of Crayford in Kent has pioneered the use of waterfree urinals as a means of making major saving in water costs and, since 1998, the company’s product has found favour in the washrooms of organisations as diverse as Madame Tussauds and the London School of Economics; Alton Towers, British Airways and London’s City Airport and the Environmental Agency. At first sight the idea of a non-flushing urinal may sound bizarre and more than a trifle unhygienic but Government research undertaken by the Building Research Establishment has shown that waterless urinals are if anything less liable to contamination than those with a regular water flush.
The reason for this unlikely fact is that the limescale left by tap water naturally absorbs urine making a deposit that is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Without water, that breeding ground does not exist. At a time when water supplies in many parts of the country are becoming uncomfortably tight and where costs are spiralling,Water Solutions innovative and award winning system becomes ever more attractive.
A small unit is fitted into the outlet of the urinal bowl and contains a one way valve that allows liquid to pass through, then self seals as soon as flow is complete.The need for a trap is completely eliminated and so is that familiar stale urinal odour since there are now no exposed surfaces where the bacteria that cause it can breed. To complete the fresh atmosphere in the washroom, the unit has a domed head that, when activated by the presence of urine, releases a pleasant citrus smell. Cisterns and their connecting pipework become completely redundant, leaving the room uncluttered and offering further savings on plumbing maintenance and replacement.
The water free urinals themselves need only a periodic wipe-over to eliminate dust plus, of course, the removal of debris and the only real maintenance required is that the Water Solutions units be replaced at regular intervals. The simplicity of the system means that retrofit installation is quick and easy and of course if the system is fitted new, the savings on pipework and plumbing are very considerable. The fear of frost damage is also a thing of the past.
Estimates that the flushing of urinals accounts for between 20% and 30% of a commercial organisation’s water consumption might initially be dismissed as an exaggeration. However the calculation that a single urinal with a half-hour flush pattern consumes nearly 125,000 litres of water per year gives credence to the figures and indeed several of the clients of Water Solutions report savings within the range estimated.
With the escalation in the price of water over the last five years the future of the water-free urinal seems a good bet. The likelihood that prices will continue to rise steeply as further major investment becomes necessary to replace and extend what is still basically a Victorian system make the good bet a racing certainty. More articles from Water Solutions (GB) Ltd: | 
