There are three key reasons to select waterless urinals. These are:
1. Environmental performance. Depending on where they are installed and the type of facility, several sources now say that one waterless urinal can save as much as 35,000 gallons of water per year. In drought-prone areas, this is a significant water saving.
2. Ease of maintenance. In general, waterless urinals are easier to clean and maintain than flush urinals. Here's why. Products are now available for waterless urinals such a Nviroclean that allow cleaning professionals to spray the urinal and then walk away. However, disinfectants and all-purpose cleaners will also work fine. In this case, just spray and wipe. The point is, no scrubbing or brushing is required when cleaning waterless urinals.
3. Cost benefits. We will discuss this in more detail below, but waterless urinals typically cost less to purchase and certainly less to install than conventional water-using urinals. Installation costs are low because waterless urinals only need to be connected to drain plumbing.
But there is more to cost savings than meets the eye. Water consumption – along with the cost to remove water, typically listed as sewer charges on water utility bills - in a commercial facility can be costly, and it is getting more expensive all the time. This means saving water is one thing, and a great thing at that, but how does this translate into saving money?
Well, a 2015 study conducted in a major high-rise building may have some answers for us. This study compared the water consumption and operating costs of 14 of the building's flush urinals to that of 14 waterless urinals over a four-month period.
Here is what they found.
Once the no-water urinals were installed, water usage in the building dropped by 14 percent. That amounted to nearly 23,000 gallons. This shows just how much water the water-using urinals were consuming in just four months.
But now, let us look at the dollars and cents. The researchers said that on an annual basis, this would save the property $15,246.
This corresponds with what a leading Green building association estimates. This association says just one waterless urinal should save a property $2,000 per year if it replaces an "automatically" flushing urinal. An automatically flushing urinal is one with a sensor-controlled flush mechanism.
But let's dig a bit deeper and consider the return on the investment (ROI). While the charges and costs to own a no-water urinal can vary, with a no-water urinal from Waterless Co., Inc., we can say the average price is $300.
The cylinders placed at the bottom of the urinal are very inexpensive using the Waterless system, about $10 each. Let us say we need to replace them twice per year, for a total cost of $20.
The means that a new Waterless urinal will cost a building owner about $320 the first year after installation.
But if the waterless urinal saves the owner $2,000 per year, this means it will pay for itself in just three or four months. When most building owners consider ROI, they often figure in years. For the ROI to be this short is virtually unheard of.
As we mentioned earlier, helping to protect the environment, ease of maintenance and cost savings are the key benefits of waterless urinals. Now you know, the cost savings can be more than you realized.
