As New Yorkers go back to work, there is one building many would like to work in. That building is the Bank of America’s East Coast headquarters. While not brand new, it continues to be a marvel of innovative, high-tech, and environmentally preferable features.
In fact, the $1 billion structure was one of the first in the United States to earn the top environmental rating from a coalition of building industry leaders and environmental organizations.
Its many unique, Green features include:
· Double-wall technology that dissipates the sun’s heat
· Ventilation systems that run under floors, allowing for more efficient heating and cooling, thus conserving energy
· Monitors that continuously check indoor air quality and ensure adequate fresh air
· A system that collects and reuses rainwater and wastewater, which the designers believe will save as much as ten million gallons of water per year
· Waterless urinals in all the men’s restrooms
Moreover, giant office buildings are not the only facilities looking for ways to be greener and more sustainable - especially when it comes to restroom fixtures.
Schools, universities, and healthcare centers throughout North America are incorporating a variety of new, innovative fixtures in their restrooms in a quest to be more efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly. The new systems include high-tech toilets which use very little water and waterless urinals, which use no water at all.
Curious Addition
Many facility managers are still curious as to how a waterless urinal works. Visually, a waterless urinal looks just like a traditional urinal but without the plumbing usually found at the top of the fixture.
However, at the base of the urinal’s interior is a trap insert or cylinder filled with a thin layer of liquid or sealant. Urine passes through the cylinder and sealant, which forms a barrier to prevent odors from escaping. Urine flows under the barrier layer and down a conventional drainpipe.
As to water savings, conventional urinals use as much as three gallons of potable water per flush. In even a small facility, urinals might be flushed 2,000 times per month. This means one urinal may use as much as 35,000 gallons of water annually, which must be disposed of by transporting it down drains and sewers where it is treated by costly-to-build and maintain local sewage treatment plants.
Maintenance Matters
Some managers and housekeeping departments also wonder if waterless urinals require special cleaning attention or if they become more soiled than a conventional urinal.
Waterless urinals do not require any special cleaning chemicals and tend to be easier to maintain because most are made of smooth, liquid-repellant surfaces. And because no water is used, there are fewer water deposits or stains left on the urinal, which can require scrubbing to remove. Studies have found that germs and bacteria are less likely to develop on waterless urinals as well due to their dryness.
In the U.S., there are a few manufacturers of waterless urinals. Although each type works about the same, they use slightly different systems, requiring different maintenance requirements.
Because of this, facility managers must analyze the several types of waterless urinals and decide which system works best for their facility. Some trap inserts, for example, are very inexpensive and long-lasting, while others are quite expensive and need to be changed often. This can eliminate the savings facility managers might have hoped to achieve by minimizing water use and installation costs.
Waterless urinals have finally found a foothold in the restroom fixture industry, especially in facilities that want to be greener and more sustainable. Waterless urinals are here to stay. They have proven themselves in facilities like the Bank of America building mentioned earlier and are helping promote water efficiency, something we desperately need today.
Klaus Reichardt is CEO and founder of Waterless Co, Inc, Vista, Calif. Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal of establishing a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water efficiency in mind. Reichardt is a frequent writer and presenter, discussing water conservation issues. He can be reached at klaus@waterless.com.
