reducing water consumption in Industrial facilities

They are doing this not only because they may be in areas suffering from chronic droughts or climate change, but because it is simply good business.

The less water used, the less these industries must pay for water, and in some cases, the cost of water may be one of their most significant expenses.

 Key Points:

 

·       Exactly how are industrial facilities reducing water consumption?

·       By changing employee behaviors. 

·       By benchmarking consumption. 

·       By analyzing their water bill.

·       By giving staffers prices and incentives for using less water.

·       By putting the staff in charge.

·       By minimizing the use of water for cleaning.

·       By checking restroom fixtures and installing water fixtures that use less or no water at all.

Learn More Here

 #waterconservation #waterconservation #waterefficiency #aridification #industrialrealestate

Industrial facilities making strides in reducing water consumption

They are doing this not only because they may be in areas suffering from chronic droughts or climate change, but because it is simply good business.

The less water used, the less these industries must pay for water, and in some cases, the cost of water may be one of their most significant expenses.

 Key Points:

 

·       Exactly how are industrial facilities reducing water consumption?

·       By changing employee behaviors. 

·       By benchmarking consumption. 

·       By analyzing their water bill.

·       By giving staffers prices and incentives for using less water.

·       By putting the staff in charge.

·       By minimizing the use of water for cleaning.

·       By checking restroom fixtures and installing water fixtures that use less or no water at all.

Learn More Here

 #waterconservation #waterconservation #waterefficiency #aridification #industrialrealestate

Here’s How to Make Restrooms Greener, Healthier, and Saving Money At It

Even with all the rain in California, half of the country is currently experiencing some form of drought. This makes this a perfect time to think about ways to make restrooms greener water efficient. The main reason for this is with more people starting to go back to the workplace and back to school, a green restroom is typically a healthier restroom.

We want to do everything possible in a post-COVID era to ensure restrooms, no matter where they are located, are clean, safe, and healthy as people return to the swing of things.

With all of this said, how do we go about making a restroom greener and save money too? Among the steps are the following:

Use green-certified cleaning solutions. These cleaning solutions have been independently tested and verified to help reduce cleaning's impact on the user and the environment.  Plus, today’s green-certified cleaning solutions are very cost competitive.

Use disinfectants sparingly.  In April 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they are concerned that we are overusing disinfectants. Further, not only is this unnecessary, but the possibility of someone also getting COVID by touching a surface is remote. The problem with disinfectants is that they can be harmful to the user.   Further, the CDC reports poisonings related to disinfectants have gone up since the pandemic began.

Install waterless urinals. When it comes to making restrooms greener, waterless urinals can serve us in two ways. There probably is no other building technology that can reduce water consumption as much as installing waterless urinals. Further, waterless urinals are healthier. By eliminating the "plume" of air released when a water-using urinal is flushed, this helps eliminate the chances of harmful pathogens being released into the air.

Sensor-Controlled Lighting.  There is no reason for lights in restrooms to be left on all day. Sensor-controlled lighting helps save energy. Taking this a step further, LED light bulbs should be installed. They use less energy, generate more light, and last far longer than traditional light bulbs.

High-Efficiency Toilets – with Lids. We have discussed the need for high-efficiency toilets several times in our posts. These typically use less than the 1.6 gallons per flush currently mandated by law. However, due to COVID, we should add a lid to these toilets. The lid helps prevent plumes from escaping, as we referenced earlier. This makes for a healthier restroom.

TMV. Thermostatic mixing valves are not as standard in North America as in other parts of the world. These valves mix the hot and cold water feeds to a pre-set temperature. This way, when the faucet is turned on, the water is automatically at the correct temperature. We often waste water if we must wait for it to get warm or, just the opposite, get cold. TMV systems can help eliminate this problem. Further, they help prevent releasing water that is too hot and scolding.

Enhanced Ventilation. Restrooms are not always well ventilated. Today, not only do we need well-ventilated restrooms, but air systems should have enhanced air filtration systems, such as HEPA filters, if possible. These do not work with all HVAC systems. Another option is using UV-C systems that electronically clean air as it is being released into the restroom.  These systems "zap" the air, killing pathogens in the process.

Taking these and many other steps will help keep restrooms cleaner, safer, and healthier. They should also help building owners cut operating costs and, if no-water urinals are installed, reduce water consumption dramatically. In other words, they have benefits all around.

What A Cleaning Expert has to Say About Cleaning Waterless Urinals

Ben Walker is a well-known and very respected cleaning consultant. He and his company, Management, Inc., work with large facilities and contract cleaning companies all over the world, helping them streamline cleaning operations, improve efficiencies, and reduce cleaning-related costs.

A few years back, his company was hired to help streamline cleaning operations for a new, exceptionally large, state-of-the-art building in San Diego, CA.

As he was touring the facility for the first time, he noticed something in the restrooms he had never seen before: waterless urinals. He was told they were installed because they can help reduce water consumption dramatically, as much as 35,000 gallons (about 132489.35 L) of water per year per urinal. In thirsty California, as well as many other western states, waterless urinals are now commonplace. In 2006, not so much.

Walker says that as far as cleaning and maintenance in the new building, everything was going perfectly – at least initially. The client was happy as were the building’s tenants. But by the third month, problems developed. The waterless urinals that the building proudly installed were releasing pungent odors that could be sniffed throughout the facility.

“This was a problem I had never faced before,” says Walker. And it was not just Walker. “I found…the custodial crew members [were also] struggling to keep the new waterless urinals clean, but a very pungent odor was beginning to overtake the facility.” 

What Walker later found out was that while waterless urinals offer “huge benefits,” as he called them, allowing organizations to meet their sustainably needs, they have their own cleaning requirements, many of which differ from the ways traditional, water using urinals are cleaned.

"While the cleaning procedure for waterless urinals isn’t difficult, they have additional process that managers need to be aware of.” 

Now aware of this, among his suggestions to managers and cleaning professionals are the following:

Read the cleaning instructions. Most manufacturers provide cleaning instructions with the waterless urinals. All too often, no one reads those instructions until a problem arises. Those problems usually can be eliminated if the instructions are read before any cleaning is performed.

Make sure the staff is using the proper cleaning solutions recommended by the manufacturer and that the chemicals are diluted properly. Some brands may require specific cleaning solutions; however, most waterless urinals can be cleaned using traditional cleaning solutions such as all-purpose cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants.

Keep the cleaning solutions from draining into the cartridge at the bottom of the urinal. The cartridge serves an especially important function. It helps prevent sewer odors – such as those this building in San Diego was having – from escaping into the building. If the cleaning solution fills the cartridge, it could reduce its effectiveness. To prevent this from happening, remove the cartridge when cleaning. (NOTE: This is Walker’s advice. This may not be necessary with all waterless urinals).

Wipe the urinal cleaning from the down. Also, use a cotton cloth or microfiber towel. Some cleaning professionals use paper towels. Paper towels are good for drying hands but not effective in cleaning, including cleaning waterless urinals.

Finally, take note as to when the cartridge was installed. Some cartridges have a noticeably short lifespan, two or three months.

Our comment: Interestingly, these short-lived cartridges are often the most expensive. The cartridges installed in urinals manufactured by Waterless Co., Inc, are inexpensive and can last as long as six months. Further, waterless urinals from Waterless Co., come with a unique key that can be used to quickly remove the cartridge when it needs to be changed.

Finally, determining when the cartridge needs to be changed can be subjective. Cleaning professionals should conduct a sniff test every time they clean a restroom where waterless urinals are installed. After two to six months, depending on what type of cartridge is installed, an odor may become noticeable. That means it is time to change the cartridges. Have more cartridges in the supply cabinet to remove the old unit and install a new one, in seconds.

Water and Economics: The Inevitable Connection

This article was originally published in Water Quality Products. Click here to read the original article.

While it may surprise those focused on water-related issues, potable water and a country’s GDP can be very closely intertwined. To better comprehend this, let us first get a better understanding of GDP.

GDP has long been considered one of the best barometers of a country’s economy and economic growth. The Gross Domestic Product of a country measures a country’s production in a given amount of time, typically in annual increments. It includes all the goods and services produced in a country regardless of their purpose.  

Traditionally overlooked in GDP is the impact water—or lack of it—can have on a country’s economy. However, a study published in March 2020 clarified that what the researchers called “water scarcity” can have significant, long-term negative impacts on a country’s economy and growth.

Let’s look at that study now.

Entitled “Evaluating the impacts of water resources technology progress on development and economic growth over the Northwest, China,” it was published in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal, and conducted by scientists at China’s Shaanxi Normal University.

The scientists focused on a region of China as it existed in 1996 regarding population growth, industry and economic development, and overall living conditions. The collected metrics gave them the region’s GDP, which they followed through 2017.  

We should note that a geographic area’s living conditions can be a crucial component of GDP. As living conditions improve in a region or country, GDP increases because people purchase more products and services. However, particularly pertinent to our discussion, water use also increases.  

With the GDP stats in hand, the researchers then examined the impact water shortages and water scarcity had during these 21 years. They found that “water scarcity is increasingly becoming the biggest bottleneck for urban future development” in this and other semi-arid provinces in China.  

Other Concerns

The researchers noted two additional issues that are impacting not only this area of China but also many other areas of the world, including here in North America.  

1. Overload. Most areas of the world access underground water reservoirs—aquifers—in varying amounts to meet their water needs. Typically, with rainfall events, these aquifers become refilled and regenerated. However, the researchers found that demand for this underground water is greater in the analyzed areas than the speed at which the aquifers can be refilled. This they termed overload.  

2. Water Efficiency. Water efficiency typically refers to long-term water-reducing strategies, often measured by the amount of water used and delivered. However, it also focuses on water waste. The researchers found that there is considerable water waste in this part of China, with a great deal of it originating from the water-providing utilities in this area.

The water waste most often happens when the water is treated and delivered, along with how manufacturers and industry use it in this region. Vast amounts of water, the researchers pointed out, are wasted by the industry sector.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The following are some of the researcher’s conclusions. We should note that while many of these recommendations pertain specifically to this area of China, they have universal applications to regions and countries and their economies around the world. With that said, the following were among their conclusions:

• Progress in water technologies that help reduce water consumption can increase GDP growth.

• Development of products that reduce waste and help use water more efficiently can result in more significant economic expansion.

• Water scarcity will hinder future economic development in China and other parts of the world, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.

• Even in non-arid regions, water scarcity can constrain economic growth.

Fortunately, we are making considerable progress in introducing water-using technologies that can reduce water consumption, cut waste, and use water much more efficiently. Cities and municipalities are making significant advances. El Paso, Texas, for example, is building an advanced purification system to treat sewage water and turn it into drinking water. This direct-to-distribution approach helps reduce water waste.

In New York City, six colleges have banded together to reduce water consumption, primarily by finding ways to use water more efficiently. It is estimated this will save more than 1.3 million gallons of water per month.

Additionally, increasingly commercial facilities are installing low-flow restroom fixtures and waterless urinals here in North America and around the globe. Because more water is typically used in restrooms than in any other location in a commercial building, this step alone will save millions of gallons of water annually.

But this study tells us we must do more and continue to do more. Preventing water scarcity and improving water efficiency is a journey. There is no endpoint. And protecting this vital natural resource will also help protect and grow the economies of countries around the globe.

Klaus Reichardt is the founder and CEO of Waterless Co., Inc. He frequently reports on all types of water-related issues and can be reached at klaus@waterless.com

Source: “Evaluating the impacts of water resources technology progress on development and economic growth over the Northwest, China.” Na Qiao, Lan Fang, Lan Mu. PLoS One, March 12, 2020.

Business Longevity - Here's How They made it Happen

The life span of businesses in the U.S. keeps declining. In 1958, a publicly traded company had a life span of about 61 years. That’s down to 18 years today.

As to small businesses, they too “lived” longer years ago. But today, the average life expectancy of one of the 31 million small businesses in the United States is about 8.5thirty-oneirty-oneears. This may be even shorter now due to COVID.

So, when we hear about a company such as Waterless Co., Inc., manufacturers of no-water urinals and other restroom products, celebrating its 32nd anniversary, business owners might want to get some insight into how they did it.

Here are quotes from Klaus Reichardt, CEO and founder of Waterless Co., Inc., on how he did it:

Believe in your product or service. “Running a business is not for the faint of heart. You have to believe in your product or service to get others to believe in it too.”

Give it time. “It took months of knocking on doors before we got our first major customer. Give a new business a reasonable amount of time to take off.”

Know the start-up costs. “This varies depending on the type of business but have a good idea how much money it will take to get the company moving. And don’t expect profits right away. Typically, profits are two or three years down the road.”

Have well-defined values.  “Most businesses become a reflection of the owner’s values. If you have strong ethics and solid values, you will attract not only employees with similar values but customers as well.”

Adapt to change. “Due to COVID, building construction and renovation virtually came to a halt. Those were our main markets. But at the same time, more homeowners decided to install home urinals. We changed direction fast, got our home urinals green certified, and that has proven to be a wise decision.”

Listen to your customers. “Always view your customers as the gift that keeps on giving. Their feedback on your products and services is what helps improve your offerings, helping the business grow stronger, and more profitable.”

About Klaus

Klaus Reichardt is CEO and founder of Waterless Co, Inc, pioneers in advancing water efficiency.  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

How Can Restaurants Deal WIth Drain Flies

Drain Flies

A big problem that many restaurants and commercial kitchens must grapple with is flies; all types of flies are attracted to the smells coming from a kitchen.  But if you look at their flying habits more carefully, you will find that the flies are most interested in the floor drains. That’s why they are sometimes called “drain flies.”

Floor drains installed in all commercial kitchen facilities are “U” shaped, even though they are often called “p-traps.”  When the p-trap is working properly with a primer, a small amount of water fills the “u” portion of the trap, which plays an essential role.  It keeps sewer odors from escaping and entering the kitchen. 

But these p-traps can be an even bigger problem in commercial kitchens and draw more flies than other locations.  During the day, food debris finds its way down these drains.  It slowly starts to fill the pipe, and without enough water to flush the food through the “u” and down the drain, it collects and often clogs the drain.  Because there is already some water in the pipe, it provides enough moisture for the food debris to begin to decay, releasing fly-attracting odors.

Once this happens, restaurants and commercial kitchens can have serious problems.  Because the decaying food can become such an important food source for the flies, they breed in the area, their eggs find a home in the drainpipes, and soon entire generations of flies are born in the drains.  This becomes their home.  The fly population grows, the flies, as flies often do, collect germs and bacteria on their feet, and as they fly around the kitchen, spread those germs and bacteria wherever and whenever they land.  This is why restaurant inspectors invariably check floor drains to see if they are working properly and if they have become infested with flies.  (See Sidebar Below: The Life of a Fly)

Dealing with Floor Drain Fly Infestation

There are four things we must do when it comes to ridding a floor drain of flies.  These are:

·        Better sanitation

·        Odor control

·        Eliminating any larval nesting materials

·        And keeping the drain from drying up.

Better sanitation, which will help eliminate odors that draw the flies, can be as simple as flushing the floor drains with water on an ongoing basis.  This will push decaying food debris down the drain, and with effective force, on down to the sewer.  pH neutral cleaning solutions can also be used to help clean the drain in the process.  Being pH neutral, it will not damage the drain.  As to the larvae, it may be necessary to call in a pest professional but not always.  Foams and sprays are available that will kill the larvae, flies, or other insects such as cockroaches living in the drains and prevent future generations.

It is also important to keep the floor as dry as possible.  Moisture attracts the flies, and when it comes into contact with food debris lodged in the drain, as we discussed earlier, the food starts to decay.  To flies this is like ringing the dinner bell…come and get it.  But we have to be careful not to let the floor stay too dry for long periods of time. 

Some restaurants try to sweep debris from floors – often into floor drains specifically - and then just damp mop the floor, trying to keep water use to a minimum.  They may be doing this because they are in a part of the country that now requires restaurants to reduce water consumption.  In other situations, the kitchen is virtually a 24/7 operation so they do not have the chance to flush clean the kitchen floor, which would allow a considerable amount of water to rinse down the drain, keeping it running properly.

We already mentioned what can happen when the p-trap dries up.  Sewer odors can be released.  This means we are in the same situation.  The odors, this time from the sewer and not decaying food, are drawing the flies, and our fly and infestation problem returns.

So, what can we do if our commercial kitchen is in a state where water consumption must be reduced or if the kitchen is up and running day and night?  Because we are not using much water to clean the floor, we must make sure the p-trap stays full.  There is a simple and inexpensive way to handle this, and it is often surprising how many restaurant managers are unaware of this.  There are products available referred to as “priming” solutions that can be poured down the drain to keep the p-trap filled.  These solutions lasts for months, are not impacted by severe cold or hot weather, and keep the p-trap full and operating correctly.

To prevent flies and other insects from becoming a problem in your restaurant or food service kitchen, there is no substitute for proper cleaning and maintenance: drain flushing, cleaning on a regular basis, and priming solutions that keep the drain full a couple of times per year.  These steps will force flies to visit your competitor down the street and leave your restaurant alone.

A frequent speaker and author on water conservation issues, Klaus Reichardt is founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc, Vista, CA, makers of waterless urinals and other restroom products.  He founded the company in 1991 with the goal to establish a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water conservation in mind. He may be reached at Klaus@waterless.com

Sidebar: The Life of a Fly

·        Flies tend to lay their eggs, 100–200 of them at one time, in organic matter such as hair, grease, and food; often they look for such places as dumps, sewers (including floor drains), and garbage heaps to lay their eggs.

·        Eggs hatch in about two days and continue to live in and eat the organic matter in which they were laid; this lasts for nine and 15 days before they emerge as adults

·        After they hatch, flies feed on fecal matter, discharges from wounds and sores, sputum (mucus), and all sorts of moist decaying matter such as spoiled fish, eggs, and meat

·        Flies are suspected of transmitting at least 65 diseases to humans, including typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, poliomyelitis, yaws, anthrax, tularemia, leprosy and tuberculosis

·        They spread disease not so much because it is on their bodies but because they regurgitate and excrete what they have eaten wherever they come to rest

·        Flies are most active in the evening; however, this may not be true if located in a commercial kitchen

·        Flies do not bite; their mouths are sponge-like

·        Flies cannot breed in large numbers if their food sources are limited

·        Flies typically live about two to three weeks

Source: Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Addressing the Big “I Told You So”

In California, the water year ends every September 30. The rainy season begins again in November. In an overview of water conditions from 2021, the state reported California was suffering the driest winter in at least 100 years. Specifically, 2021 marked the third year of extreme drought, the most severe drought condition. The report also claimed:

The water year that ended September 30 was also the second driest on record due to extreme heat and lack of rain and snow.

All 58 counties in California are now under a drought emergency proclamation.

Throughout the state of nearly 40 million people, water utility companies were telling residents they must reduce water consumption dramatically. For those residents that did not hear the call, the utility companies would take over, forcing a reduction to offenders.

But then something unexpected happened. By January 2023, the state’s water condition had changed dramatically. What is now referred to as a series of atmospheric rivers drenched the state virtually from top to bottom. And this continued into April. According to Benji Jones, a reporter for Vox News, the state pivoted “from extreme drought to extreme floods.”

This has led to a chorus of California old-timers, who have been through many droughts before, to say, “I told you so.” In their experience, extreme drought conditions eventually end. They may not pivot as dramatically as has happened recently, but they do end. And when droughts end, people typically stop thinking about water — or water shortages. Water is once again abundant; there is plenty to share, so concerns are now out of sight, out of mind.

However, according to water activist Mina Guli, we forget that “water is everything, and we treat it as if it is worth nothing,” especially when it is so plentiful. While we may not have treated it as “worth nothing,” what is correct to say is that for decades, concerns about water and the availability of water in the U.S. have been minimal. It’s always been there when we needed it, even during water shortages.

But here is what we are ignoring: billions worldwide lack adequate access to clean water — and the crisis is growing. While conditions have improved due to some government interventions, the problem is expected to only worsen in many parts of the world — including the U.S. — due to climate change, global warming, and population growth. And right now, according to an April 2023 report by the Council on Foreign Relations, “a paucity of international coordination on water security has slowed the search for solutions.”

The report quotes Georgetown University’s Mark Giordano, an expert on water management and water scarcity issues. “[What’s really happening] is a scarcity of financial and political wherewithal to put in the infrastructure [needed] to get people clean water.” In other words, we are not addressing the issue because, once again, concerns about water are not top of mind.

Can we continue down this path?

Many have concluded that water stress — the lack of dependable, readily available freshwater — will soon devastate public health and international economic conditions. This deprivation can spur several transmittable diseases that can impact not only the water-stressed areas of the world but globally. Diseases such as cholera, typhoid, polio, and hepatitis A all typically increase when water is scarce. Malnutrition, especially among children, increases stunting (impaired growth) and wasting (low weight for height/severe weight loss). Water scarcity also makes agriculture much more difficult.

Waterless Co, Inc. believes the days of putting water out of sight/out of mind are over. Water stress will have global repercussions that many believe may even result in wars. It’s time to put water center stage, where it belongs.

Waterless Co., Inc is a pioneer in water efficiency. We are the go-to company when it comes to reducing water consumption, understanding the many benefits of waterless urinals, and finding ways to use water more efficiently.  For more information, contact a Waterless Co Specialist. 

Five Urinal Malodor Issues and How to Fix Them

While we do not hear about it much any longer, some facilities installing no-water urinals report malodor issues. 

To explain what is likely happening and how to correct it, we need a little reeducating.

To do this, we turn to Klaus Reichardt, CEO and Founder of Waterless Co., Inc, the oldest marketer of waterless urinals in the U.S. If malodors are an issue, among the steps he suggests taking are the following:

Replace the cartridges. Most waterless urinals have specially designed cartridges at the bottom of the urinal. Also known as a trap, they are designed to temporarily hold urine and send it down the drain. Plus, they block sewer odors from being released into the restroom. Depending on use and cartridge type, these should be replaced every three to six months.

Clean the urinal. Do not flush water down a waterless urinal to eliminate malodors. This step can damage the cartridge. Instead, thoroughly clean the inside and outside of the urinal with an all-purpose cleaner and a disinfectant if needed. Typically, waterless urinals only need to be cleaned with an all-purpose cleaner.

Clean walls and floors. Splatter is a concern with all types of urinals. The most common spatter landing spots are nearby walls, partitions, and floors. Regularly scheduled cleaning of these areas helps eliminate odors.

Clogged urinal. If a urinal is clogged, overflowing, or not draining correctly, remove the cartridge and use a plunger with water to unclog the pipes. This is more of a problem with a water-using urinal, but it can happen with waterless urinals.

Retrofits. Many waterless urinals installed today are retrofits. The old urinal is removed, and a new waterless urinal is installed. Managers should know that conventional urinals leave deposit build-up in the plumbing below the urinal. For this reason, the drainage system should be cleaned before the no-water urinal is installed.

“Many of these odor problems apply to conventional urinals as well,” says Reichardt. “No matter what type is installed, if there is urinal malodor, there usually is a reason. The steps will help in either case.”

#Waterless Co., Inc is a #pioneer in #waterefficiency. We are the go-to company when it comes to reducing #waterconsumption, understanding the many benefits of waterless urinals, and #waterefficiently. For more information, contact a Waterless Co Specialist. 

The Floor Drains Were Guilty?

The Floor Drains Were Guilty?

As many administrators may remember, 2003 was the first year we started hearing about severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. The first officially reported case of a victim of SARS occurred in mid-February of that year when a 48-year-old Chinese businessman, traveling through Hong Kong, apparently contracted the disease. In a very short time, the business man died, as did the doctor who was treating him.

In time, the disease spread to many other parts of Asia as well as other parts of the world. Even North America was impacted. The first recognized North American case of SARS occurred in Toronto, when a woman who had just returned from Hong Kong fell ill to the virus on February 23, 2003. 

Somewhat unbelievably, 257 people living in the greater Toronto area also came down with the disease, and public health officials suspect the transmission may have started with this first victim. This is because many of the SARS victims were patients, visitors, and healthcare workers in Toronto-area hospitals, which, due to lack of information, awareness, or neglect, simply had not adopted measures to stop the transmission.

Altogether, it is estimated that about 8,000 people were stricken with the disease during this outbreak and about 775 died from it. At first it was not clear how SARS was being spread. Very often diseases are transferred by cross-contamination--the virus is living on something or someone and then transfers to something or someone else. Public health officials initially believed this was how SARS was spreading. However, in time researchers discovered that one of the main ways SARS spreads was through airborne transmission.

SARS and the Amoy Gardens Apartments

In September 2003, the World Health Organization published some of the first studies on SARS and found that SARS likely started in China, and one way it was spread in Hong Kong was through that city’s Amoy Gardens apartment building.  An upscale high-rise complex, many apartments in this building and other Hong Kong apartment buildings have floor drains located in their kitchens and bathrooms. Researchers discovered that fecal droplets containing the SARS virus were present in the building's drainage system, but they weren’t sure how the virus was getting into the apartments.

While looking for a connection, the researchers discovered that many of the floor drains did not have a water trap seal. A water trap seal is created when water builds up in the U-shaped or J-shaped pipe under the drain.

The reason this U- or J-shaped pipe is installed in most drains around the industrialized world is to prevent sewer odors from being released into the interior air, and it also prevent insects from entering the facility. In the case of the Amoy Garden apartments, the drains had dried out, which is not uncommon, and the fecal droplets containing the virus drifted up the pipes and became airborne, soon circulating into many of the apartments and the common areas of the building, causing the illness to spread.

The Facility Connection

A close look at many facilities will find that floor drains are often present throughout the complex. They are commonly located in shower and restroom areas. Because water from showering or mopping and cleaning floors is common, water and moisture frequently flows down floor drains, keeping these water traps filled with water. Thus, no odors or airborne contaminants can be released.

However, floor drains are also found in scores of other areas of a facility such as mechanical and HVAC rooms that may not receive as much moisture. As a result, floor drains can dry out, and odors can and often are released. And should disease-causing contaminants, bacteria, or viruses exist in the sewer pipes, there is potential that they can become airborne and cause disease, just as happened at the Armoy Gardens apartments a decade ago.

However, there are easy and inexpensive ways to prevent this from occurring. One way is to pour a small amount of EverPrime, sometimes known as a liquid primer in the drains, which can keep the trap sealed for months, possibly years. Schools often use these liquid trap sealers to help prevent drainpipes from drying out over the summer months when their buildings are mostly vacant, so that odors don’t fill the facility when school reopens.

While no one can say with certainty, it is possible that the SARS epidemic could have been minimized if health officials had realized sooner that SARS was spread through the air and that a simple plumbing fix could have helped stop the transmission.  This experience, while unfortunate, has taught us the importance of water trap seals not only to keep odors out of buildings but also to prevent the spread of disease and maintain the health of building inhabitants and visitors.

Administrators should also make sure that the water traps in floor drains are always filled, and in those areas that do not receive much moisture--where there is a possibility if not likelihood that the floor drains will dry out--there are simple and inexpensive ways, such as mentioned earlier, to remedy this problem.

A frequent speaker and author on water conservation issues, Klaus Reichardt is founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc, Vista, CA, makers of waterless urinals and other restroom products.  He founded the company in 1991 with the goal to establish a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water conservation in mind. He may be reached at Klaus@waterless.com