The Challenge of Plumbing Renovation
In multi-story buildings like condominiums, "risers" are the vertical plumbing stacks hidden within walls that deliver water and remove waste from all apartments. While these systems typically last 30-40 years, building managers often resort to annual repairs as problems emerge. Eventually, these temporary fixes fail, necessitating complete replacement.
This replacement process is extensive and disruptive. Workers must break through walls to access pipes in kitchens and bathrooms, including those in common areas like restrooms and gyms. Then they must put everything back together.
The project typically results in considerable turmoil and lots of unhappy faces among the tenants.
A Chicago Case Study
A 28-story Chicago building with 644 units demonstrates the scale of such projects. The condominium association initially borrowed $20 million to replace their aging risers. When costs exceeded this budget, their bank offered an additional $1 million loan with one condition: find ways to reduce construction expenses.
The Locker Room Challenge
Part of the riser project included redesigning the building's locker room. This required relocating four water-using urinals from one side of the wall to another. While drainage plumbing was available at the new location, there was no water supply. The contractor estimated this single issue would cost over $150,000 and delay the project by at least one week or more.
The Waterless Solution
Looking for alternatives, building management decided to install no-water urinals from Waterless Co. Inc., North America's leading waterless urinal provider. These fixtures only needed to connect to existing drainpipes, eliminating the need for water supply lines.
This decision not only saved the immediate $150,000 in plumbing costs but also prevented project delays. When accounting for the accelerated timeline, allowing workers to proceed with other renovations, the total savings approached $300,000, nearly one-third of the additional loan amount the Association had anticipated needing.
Further, once installed, the Association found the waterless urinals to be affordable, dependable, and reliable.
