Fixtures Control Fixed Costs: Reduced Water Technologies More
Prevalent in Restrooms
BY DAWN SHOEMAKER
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In the near
future, building service contractors (BSCs) are in for a little
sur-prise when they enter their customers’ restrooms. We are
going to see more and more examples of water-reducing and even
no-water restroom fixtures.
And it is already happening. For in-stance, the new Bank of
America build-ing in New York’s Times Square has waterless or
no-flush urinal systems, as does the recently remodeled Chicago
So-cial Security office. Airports are in-stalling or
experimenting with a variety of toilets that use substantially
less water than the current minimum of 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf).
And this is down from 3 or more gallons per flush not long ago.
Why is this happening? Many facility managers believe water
conservation is a natural extension of incorporating Green
cleaning and Green building operation. Additionally, a big
driving force has been LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) certification. Facilities that have taken
significant steps to reduce water use may receive as many as 7
points toward the 32 necessary for certification.
And then there is cold, hard reality. Many states in the Western
United States are experiencing droughts that some experts
believe may continue indefinitely.
Because BSCs are the ones that will be expected to clean these
new restroom fixtures designed to use less water, it might be a
good idea to know more about what we can expect. In addition, it
will help to examine any new cleaning and maintenance
procedures these new fixtures will require.
HET Systems
For decades, most toilets in North America used as much as 5 gpf.
However, in 1992, new regulations in the United States required
that toilet manufacturers bring this amount down to just 1.6
gpf.
The requirement has saved billions of gallons of potable water
and will continue to save water for decades to come. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency reports that more than 7 billion
gallons of water per day will be saved in the United States
alone by 2020 as a result of this change.
But there were problems with some of the initial “low-flow”
toilets. Many required multiple flushes to work
satisfactorily, defeating the purpose of installing a low-flow
fixture in the first place. However, these issues were
alleviated relatively quickly, and the level of customer
satisfaction is exceptionally high.
New designs and systems are also being introduced.
High-efficiency toilets (HETs) have enhanced pressure-assisted
flush valves for more thorough waste removal. The fixture is
essentially airtight and produces a noticeably faster, more
powerful flush at less than 1 gpf.
Low-Flow Urinals
BSCs still find facilities that have old urinals dating back 40
or more years. These units often use as much as 7 gpf, a huge
amount of water. Today’s urinals use about 1 to 1.5 gpf. To
reduce this even more and use water more efficiently, some
facilities are experimenting with timed-flushing systems that
flush an entire bank of urinals at the same time using a preset
amount of water.
Building managers like them because they can be set to flush
several times an hour during busy times and less frequently
during off-hours.
A welcome feature of this system—as with sensor-controlled
urinals, which are becoming commonplace—is that users aren’t
required to touch flush handles. One possible drawback is use of
electricity. Most of these systems use power provided by the
building. If the power goes out, the urinals don’t get flushed.
Waterless Urinal Systems
We are starting to see more waterless or no-flush urinals in the
facilities we clean, especially in
many newer or environmentally preferable facilities. These
systems have actually been around, in one form or another, for
more than 100 years in Europe, but they received little
attention in the United States until the early 1990s, after
several droughts in parts of the country.
Because waterless or no-flush urinals use absolutely no water,
many facility managers, BSCs, and tenants are unaware of how
they actually work. The system incorporated on most of these
units is actually rather simple:
• Gravity drains the urine into a vertically designed trap
cylinder that sits atop the drain area.
• The trap cylinder (on most units) is filled with a small
amount of sealant. Together, the trap and sealant prevent odors
from escaping.
• Urine is temporarily stored in the trap cylinder, but with
use, it eventually flows into a drainpipe connected to the
urinal, similar to a conventional urinal.
Waterless urinals, because they do not have all the plumbing
requirements of a conventional urinal, usually cost less to
purchase and install—another reason for their growing
popularity.
Cleaning Needs
Often building managers and tenants believe it is the water used
by the fixture that helps keep it clean and sanitary. However,
this is not the case. Most of the water, according to a recent
study by Texas A&M University, is simply wasted. The study
estimates that as much as 40,000 gallons or more of potable
water per fixture/per year just goes down the drain—water that
could be used for scores of other purposes.
BSCs will clean the new high-efficiency toilets, low-flush
urinals, and timed-flush systems essentially as they have
cleaned the fixtures that are being replaced. However, some of
these new fixtures will have smoother porcelain surfaces to help
remove water and waste. Abrasive cleaners may scratch these
surfaces, marring their appearance and defeating their
purpose.
As for waterless urinals, most manufacturers say that cleaning
and maintenance involves simply wiping with an all-purpose
cleaner and nonabrasive cloth. Because waterless urinals stay
dry, bacteria, germs, and water stains are less likely to
develop.
The trap cylinder does need to be replaced every three to six
months, although some facilities and school districts report
changing them as little as once per year. In most cases, the BSC
will be asked to perform this chore.
However, the replacement frequency can vary significantly, and
this is one area where property managers and BSCs, if they are
involved with waterless urinal selection, must do their
homework. Some trap cylinders are considerably more expensive
than others and, surprisingly, must be changed more frequently
than less-costly models. This means any cost savings
expected—reduced costs of installation, water use, and
electrical use to deliver water and take it away from the
facility—are essentially eliminated.
Although the new urinals and toilets of the future will not be
that dramatically redesigned, we can expect substantial changes
in the amount of water they use as well as some changes in the
ways they are maintained. Ultimately, they are all part of the
trend we are seeing throughout North America. Facilities are
being built with protection of our planet in mind. ❑
Dawn Shoemaker is a writer with AlturaSolutions Communications,
Chicago. She can be reached at 773.525.3021.
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