Waterless urinals – The modern day necessity
Waterless urinals have been in the UK for over 10 years now but there is a lot of bad press surrounding them due to the old technology at the heart of the product. They used to work using a membrane style trap. The membrane was supposed to open when wet and close after use to prevent the smells from leaking back into the washroom. Ironically the membrane didn't have a very good memory and would fail to close after use, so the smell of raw sewage would leak back into the washroom.
Over the last 10 years companies such as Falcon Waterfree Technologies in the US have been perfecting the waterless urinals cartridge technology to remove the problems associated with washroom smells. They now have over 350,000 units installed in locations worldwide including football stadiums such as the New Camp in Barcelona.
The smells associated with urine are caused when urine mixes with water which causes a chemical reaction and creates ammonia gas. No water, no reaction, no smells! Waterless urinals are made of porcelain which is a non porous material which is ergonomically designed to ensure that every drop of urine is collected by the cartridge. The cartridge locked into an O-ring using a special key so you never have to handle the cartridges when changing them. By locking the cartridge into the O-ring an airtight barrier is created. The urine is collected through a small hole in the centre of the cartridge which passes through a blue liquid seal that forms and air tight barrier and prevents any smells coming back through to the wash room. By using such technology the new style of waterless urinals are 500 times more effective than a standard P-trap (REF: comparative tests by UCLA. Plus, testing conducted by the California Institute of Technology)
Urine is 97% water and 3% waste, this waste is made up of uric sediment. The cartridge collects the sediment so that only the water is passed through to the sewer. This is why there is no need for a flush urinal; you don't need water to wash water away. The cartridges fill with uric sediment over time and therefore need to be replaced, the frequency of which will depend on the amount of use is required of them. Somewhere with a busy footfall will need a replacement cartridge every 2 months, less busy washrooms will be around every 6 months, but the average cartridge is good for around 3000 uses.
If you currently have urinals installed into your building with a flush sensor and are looking to install waterless urinals , you can expect to…
• Reduce your water consumption by 60,000 litres of water p.a.
• Reduce your CO2 emissions by 10kgs p.a.
• Reduce your water bill by £112 - £209 p.a. depending on your water supplier (figures based on water and sewage rates of between £1.87 and £3.49)
If you are replacing an old style system with no flush sensors you can expect to…
• Reduce your water consumption by 150,000 litres of water p.a.
• Reduce your CO2 emissions by 26kgs p.a.
• Reduce your water bill by£280 - £523 p.a. depending on your water supplier (figures based on water and sewage rates of between £1.87 and £3.49)
There is a new company in the UK called Eco Ad Ltd who has the sole distribution in the UK and Ireland for quite a unique Falcon product. Eco Ad waterless urinals have an advertising space built in to the top of each urinal. Eco Ad sells this advertising space and pays back a percentage of the revenue generated to you. This ensure you cover your cost of investment with 18-24 months and see a 55% return on investment year on year.
Over the last 10 years companies such as Falcon Waterfree Technologies in the US have been perfecting the waterless urinals cartridge technology to remove the problems associated with washroom smells. They now have over 350,000 units installed in locations worldwide including football stadiums such as the New Camp in Barcelona.
The smells associated with urine are caused when urine mixes with water which causes a chemical reaction and creates ammonia gas. No water, no reaction, no smells! Waterless urinals are made of porcelain which is a non porous material which is ergonomically designed to ensure that every drop of urine is collected by the cartridge. The cartridge locked into an O-ring using a special key so you never have to handle the cartridges when changing them. By locking the cartridge into the O-ring an airtight barrier is created. The urine is collected through a small hole in the centre of the cartridge which passes through a blue liquid seal that forms and air tight barrier and prevents any smells coming back through to the wash room. By using such technology the new style of waterless urinals are 500 times more effective than a standard P-trap (REF: comparative tests by UCLA. Plus, testing conducted by the California Institute of Technology)
Urine is 97% water and 3% waste, this waste is made up of uric sediment. The cartridge collects the sediment so that only the water is passed through to the sewer. This is why there is no need for a flush urinal; you don't need water to wash water away. The cartridges fill with uric sediment over time and therefore need to be replaced, the frequency of which will depend on the amount of use is required of them. Somewhere with a busy footfall will need a replacement cartridge every 2 months, less busy washrooms will be around every 6 months, but the average cartridge is good for around 3000 uses.
If you currently have urinals installed into your building with a flush sensor and are looking to install waterless urinals , you can expect to…
• Reduce your water consumption by 60,000 litres of water p.a.
• Reduce your CO2 emissions by 10kgs p.a.
• Reduce your water bill by £112 - £209 p.a. depending on your water supplier (figures based on water and sewage rates of between £1.87 and £3.49)
If you are replacing an old style system with no flush sensors you can expect to…
• Reduce your water consumption by 150,000 litres of water p.a.
• Reduce your CO2 emissions by 26kgs p.a.
• Reduce your water bill by£280 - £523 p.a. depending on your water supplier (figures based on water and sewage rates of between £1.87 and £3.49)
There is a new company in the UK called Eco Ad Ltd who has the sole distribution in the UK and Ireland for quite a unique Falcon product. Eco Ad waterless urinals have an advertising space built in to the top of each urinal. Eco Ad sells this advertising space and pays back a percentage of the revenue generated to you. This ensure you cover your cost of investment with 18-24 months and see a 55% return on investment year on year.
