Urinal Flushing in a Post-Pandemic Era

During the worst months of the pandemic, researchers in China reported that the COVID-19 pathogen and other COVID-related microorganisms were released when a urinal was flushed. The flushing, they said, caused an alarming upward flow of coronavirus-laden particles that could shoot into the air as much as two feet in less than six seconds.

The study, published in August 2020 online in Physics of Fluids, confirmed that virus particles of COVID-19 are found in urine, “which means urine-based transmission could be a previously ignored transmission route. [This] also means that besides the toilet, the [flush] urinal, which is a common facility in the male public restroom, could become another dangerous item … promoting virus transmission.”

Xiangdong Liu, one of the Yangzhou University researchers behind the study, said that along with spreading the coronavirus, “urinal flushing [can] promote the spread of bacteria and viruses.”

This discovery of the aerosolization of the pathogen that causes COVID has several profound implications. This was at about the time researchers first realized that the transfer of COVID was most likely to occur by inhalation and not by touching contaminated surfaces.

However, this had far-reaching implications because this is not how health-threatening bacteria and germs are normally transferred. Typically, harmful pathogens collect on walls, counters, and other touchable surfaces.

Once we touch those surfaces, the pathogens are transferred to our hands and fingers. They then can become transferred once again when we touch our mouths or eyes, or touch food, which is then consumed. This is referred to as “cross contamination” and is the way many diseases are spread.

So, what does this mean to us today, as the pandemic drifts into the rearview mirror? Among the things we should know and learn from this study are the following:

·       Urine is normally viewed as “sterile,” and germfree. However, pathogens can and do collect in urine, especially if a person is ill. 

·       When a water-using urinal is flushed, pathogens can and do become aerosolized very quickly, in a matter of seconds, reaching far higher and into more areas than we realized before.

·       If the pathogens are inhaled, there is a possibility this will cause illness. This is how some respiratory illnesses and viruses are spread, such as colds and the flu.

·       However, what is more likely is that these pathogens will filter down to touchable and frequently touched surfaces. It is when we contact these touchable surfaces that the transmission of disease can begin.

And one more thing we should know: this only happens with flush urinals. The burst of water into the urinal is what generates the alarming upward flow as mentioned earlier. When using a waterless urinal, there is no flushing, or flushing mechanism. No water is used.  There is no alarming upward flow.

As a result, the chances of pathogens becoming airborne are exceedingly small, if at all. Even before the pandemic, waterless urinals were reported to be more hygienic than flush urinals, and this is likely one of the reasons.

This is also likely why, in a post-pandemic era, building developers, owners, and managers are taking a much closer look at waterless urinals. As they attempt to do everything possible to ensure the health and safety of their tenants — and get them back to work and in the office — many are now installing waterless urinals.

What we are finding is that in some cases, it is the replacing of flush urinals with no-water, waterless urinals that is one of the first steps building developers, owners, and managers take to help protect tenant health. Based on the study above, it’s a particularly good place to begin.

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

Droughts: Their Impact on Lives and Livelihoods

Severe droughts have been a part of world history since the beginning of time. What's different today, primarily due to climate change, is they are becoming longer with less chance of the drought lifting. 

When this happens, it is referred to as aridification, the gradual process of an area getting drier and warmer. While arid regions may still experience rain events, these will become fewer and fewer over time.

Scientists are now paying closer attention to droughts, aridification, and what is causing them, primarily because they are happening so frequently and impacting more people. NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies is one organization that has been looking into historical precipitation data based on tree rings. If a tree grows over several years, it will have more – and more prominent – annual rings. This typically indicates a period of considerable precipitation.

If there are fewer rings – sometimes none – or the rings are less prominent, it indicates periods of drought.

But droughts do more than disrupt the life cycle of trees and vegetation. They also affect our lifestyles, businesses, and agriculture, and they can cause considerable suffering - even death.  

For instance, according to Statista, which collects statistics on many issues and topics, the following are the five worst droughts in recorded history and the deaths that resulted:

China: In 1928, an estimated 3 million people died due to a prolonged drought.

Bangladesh: Nearly 2 million people died due to drought conditions in this country in 1943.

India: Drought in India resulted in 1.5 million deaths in 1942 and another 1.5 million deaths in 1965.

Soviet Union: An estimated 1.2 million people were reported to have died due to drought in 1921.

China: In 1920, eight years before its most lethal drought, China suffered a severe drought that killed 500,000 people.  

Droughts not only cause deaths, suffering, and hardship, but they can change entire societies. As an example, a series of mega-droughts about 100,000 years ago in Africa caused one of the first migrations in human history. Africans moved away from the African continent because the lack of precipitation made it increasingly inhospitable. With no water, life became impossible.

Here are three more examples of how droughts changed entire societies:

1.   A 2013 report in the National Geographic Magazine concluded it was not civil strife that led to the fall of the pharaohs in Egypt about 4,500 years ago. It was chronic drought.

2.   The Mayan empire in Mexico was experiencing rapid growth about 1,200 years ago. But then drought set in. According to NASA, with drought and dwindling water supplies, crops failed and wars with neighboring nations over water began. This eventually led to the Mayan civilization's demise.

3.   In the U.S., the drought of the mid-1930s drove 2 million people off their land in the Midwest. This period was referred to as the Dust Bowl. However, something else happened during the Dust Bowl that is rarely reported, also causing people to leave this area of the country.

According to the American Red Cross, the arid conditions resulted in the spread of acute infections and diseases. They reported a 100 percent increase in pneumonia cases and acute respiratory infections. Due to all the airborne dust, there was also a steep jump in the number of people diagnosed with eye ulcers and serious eye infections.

The question we all need to ask ourselves now is whether we are living in another era that will result in extensive hardship, potential deaths, and the migration of people out of very dry areas of the country into those with more precipitation. After all, California is now reporting the worst drought in 1,200 years.

The only option we have to combat the effects of drought is to use water more efficiently and find ways to not use water at all. Waterless urinals are one example of a technology that has eliminated water use entirely. We need more technologies introduced that do the same.

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

Wall Street Journal: Droughts Hurt World Economies

CNN - A dried up river in China

>Severe droughts across stretching from California to Europe and China—are snarling supply chains and driving up the prices of food and energy.

>Parts of China are experiencing their longest sustained heat wave since record-keeping began in 1961.

>The drought affecting Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy is on track to be the worst in five hundred years

>In the American West, a drought that began two decades ago now appears to be the worst in 1,200 years, according to a study led by the University of California, Los Angeles.

>The United Nations says the number of droughts worldwide has risen 29% since 2000 because of land degradation and climate change.

>In the U.S., agricultural forecasters expect farmers to lose more than 40% of the cotton crop, while in Europe the Spanish olive-oil harvest is expected to fall by as much as a third amid hot and dry conditions.

>In Europe, rivers such as the Rhine and Italy’s Po that serve as arteries for trade are running at historic lows, forcing manufacturers to cut shipments.

>Heat has forced France to lower production at several nuclear reactors because the river water that cools them is too warm. And Germany, Europe’s biggest consumer of Russian gas, plans to burn more coal instead of gas to generate electricity, but low levels on the Rhine are holding back shipments.

>In the U.S., smaller snowpacks in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California have sharply reduced water supplies in the region, home to the country’s largest agriculture industry.

>The Colorado River has fallen so much that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Aug. 16 declared a second consecutive annual shortage, triggering a second straight year of mandatory water cuts to Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico.

“Our only option at this point is enhanced water efficiency,” Klaus Reichardt

Read the entire article here, may require sign-in: Droughts Hurt World’s Largest Economies - WSJ

Pioneers in Water Efficiency

#water #wallstreetjournal #climatechange #china #europe #electricity #gas #supplychains #agriculture #food #oil

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.

Waterless Co., Inc Made It Again: Best Waterless Urinal Sold in America

The Baja Urinal from Waterless.com

You likely have heard of them. The design firm, Hernandez Greene, a design firm founded by Katrina Hernandez and Josh Greene, has been featured in the New York Times, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, and several European architectural and home decor publications.

While writing about many things, they tend to focus on trends in restrooms and bathrooms. For instance, some of their past articles are entitled:

• The 10 Best One-Piece Toilets

• The 7 Best Drop-in Bathtubs

• The Top 5 Ove Décor Toilets (These are oval smart toilets.)

• And for those that can afford them, The 10 Best Clawfoot Tubs

  
  And now, Hernandez Greene has listed The Top 6 Best Waterless Urinals. Published in March 2022:

Modern-day toilets and flushed urinals are highly water-consuming bathroom fixtures. Most conventional urinals use between 1 and 3 gallons of water a day.

And if you consider that an average human pees 6 to 7 times a day, that [uses] 6 to 21 gallons of water every time. This may seem unacceptable for the planet. However, we cannot ignore hygiene and cleanliness. Thanks to new technological innovations, waterless urinals are the solution to high water consumption in bathrooms.

To ensure that readers know what waterless urinals are, the firm explains that waterless urinals “are also known as dry urinals. They require accessibility to drainage networks and are suitable for public places with heavy traffic. Waterless urinals save water, reduce the water bill, and are hygienic. When well-maintained, they are odorless, have few bacteria, and minimal maintenance costs.”

With that said, we can get to the nitty-gritty. According to the design firm, the top waterless urinal now available — based on its environmental consciousness, energy savings, ease of use, and overall quality — is the Baja Waterless Urinal from Waterless Co.

While the Baja model is certainly not new, it is an “innovative” urinary system and, while it is made for installation in commercial facilities, “considered one of the best waterless urinals by many homeowners.”

According to their website:

The Baja’s waterless urinal technology works in a way whereby the liquid is concentrated in a special cartridge known as the EcoTrap cartridge and remains blocked without risk of rising. The urinal is water-effective and reduces water, maintenance, and repair bills.

It is also pointed out that with the Baja, foul odors are blocked from entering the bathroom/restroom, which “guarantees an odor-free atmosphere in the bathroom.”

Maintenance of the Baja Waterless Urinal typically requires no more than misting with a cleaning solution or disinfectant and then wiping clean. As to the EcoTrap cartridge mentioned earlier, it is placed at the bottom of the urinal. “Replacing it is easily done and is only required once every 1,500 uses, about two to four times a year.”

Thank you, Hernandez Greene, for listing us as the Top Waterless Urinal available. However, you are not the first. This model has been honored many times before as the best or one of the best no-water urinals now available. Still, we do appreciate your review.

More raves about the Baja can be found here.

Waterless Co. is a pioneer in water efficiency. To discuss ways to reduce water consumption in your facility, visit www.waterless.com

Comparing Waterless and Flush Urinals When It Comes to Odor

Since the first of the year, we have seen an upsurge in orders for waterless urinals. What appears to be happening is more areas around the country are experiencing water shortages or expect to experience water shortages. 

Further, in worst-case scenarios, such as in California and other western states, aridification has set in. This is the process of the region becoming increasingly dry and often hotter as well.

An old question frequently arises when facilities select no-water urinals: Do waterless urinals release more odors than water-flush urinals? 

Because of this, we are reprinting the following article, which appeared in Facilities Net magazine. 

Two engineers, Doug Yon and David Cossaboon, wrote it. Both are with www.feapc.com and are members of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 

Here is what they have to say:

The University of South Maine offers an example of implementing this technology and demonstrating it as a viable alternative. The university retrofitted diverse types of waterless urinals in about ten of their thirty buildings as of 2005. The university found that waterless urinals were easier to keep clean and created fewer odors than conventional urinals.

Odor issues typically result from poor cleaning or the need to change liquids or cartridges more regularly. In fact, the university found the touch-free nature of the urinals was a plus.

A study performed at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to determine how odors differed between waterless and traditional urinals found odors were more a function of urine on floors and surrounding surfaces than the type of urinal.

The study included a section that evaluated odor proliferation from waterless and conventional, flush-valve urinals. Sensors were located on each urinal at three locations: inside and immediately above the bottom; six inches in front of each urinal and level with the bowl lip; and at ceiling height near a return-air vent.

The study concluded no statistically significant differences in odor existed between the two urinal types.

In general, waterless urinals have been better-received and maintained in office environments and higher-education institutions. Installing a test fixture might benefit other areas, including high-traffic locations, settings prone to vandalism and fixture abuse, and K-12 schools.

Another consideration when installing waterless urinals is the professional training of custodial and maintenance personnel. Training will primarily affect the custodial staff because proper cleaning is the key to waterless urinal maintenance.

Staff training should occur before and after installation to alert workers to changes in cleaning and maintenance procedures, including replacing or cleaning cartridges.

Managers will have to determine if waterless urinals are suitable for their buildings. When considering the installation of these urinals, it is essential to identify the products' location and whether installation truly will be cost-effective and environmentally beneficial.

Finally, research has shown waterless urinals are just one way to become more environmentally responsible.

If a facility manager is seriously considering taking positive steps toward creating a water-efficient building, engaging a qualified consulting-engineering service can help evaluate, design, and implement potential water-efficient technologies and strategies.

World Water Week Fast Approaching

Water is Life

Waterless® Co., Inc.

Celebrating our 31th Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Press Release

World Water Week Fast Approaching

Vista, CA – August 1, 2022 - World Water Week is fast approaching. Since 1991, it has occurred in late August or early September. This year, it takes place from August 23 to September 1.

 World Water Week is organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), a non-profit organization that focuses on reducing water consumption and using water responsibly and efficiently. 

 Because its origins are in Sweden, many in North America are unaware of this event. But because parts of the U.S. are experiencing rapid aridification – a permanent climate change resulting in much drier and warmer conditions – the event is garnering much more attention here than in the past.

The theme of World Water Week 2022 is Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible. 

 "Historically, communities treat groundwater (water from aquifers) as a water savings account," says Klaus Reichardt, CEO and founder of Waterless Co., Inc., marketers of no-water urinals and related products. 

"They would borrow only as needed and then let it naturally refill. [But] many areas of the world, including several western U.S. states, are becoming dependent on their groundwater savings account. This has the potential of setting up some dire consequences."

This is because it can take anywhere from ten to fifty years to replenish aquifers. "If there is little or no rainfall and the aquifers are dry, where will these areas of the world get water?" asks Reichardt.

To help address this challenge and offer suggestions, the organizers of World Water Week are offering a series of online courses, programs, and accreditation at no charge. These are available to individuals and businesses by visiting the organization's program site here.

In addition, prizes are given out each year to people and organizations that have made significant contributions to the sustainable use and protection of the world's water resources.

They are handed out during World Water Week at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm and presented by H.M King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

More information about the event is available here.

About Waterless Co., Inc.

Waterless Co. Inc. has established a well-respected reputation as being an innovative manufacturer of no-water urinal systems.  Based in Vista, Ca, the nearly 31-year-old company is the oldest manufacturer of waterless urinals in North America.  The company offers a full line of Waterless No-Flush urinals, cleaning liquids, and cost saving accessories. Visit: www.waterless.com 

Waterless Co. Inc.

1050 Joshua Way
Vista, CA 92081 USA
800.244.6364

sales@waterless.com

Media Contact: Robert Kravitz

Phone: 312-880-8176

E-Mail: robert@alturasolutions.com

Aridification and How Facility Managers Can Address It

Aridification

Recently I published an article in Facilities Management Advisor on water shortages and aridification.

The goal of this article is to help facility managers better understand aridification and point out that there are ways for us to address this.

Innovative technologies are being introduced that should help us use water much more sparingly and efficiently.

 The article also points out the following:

What is aridification? Merriam-Webster defines aridification as the “gradual change of a region from a wetter to a drier climate.”

 How do we know aridification has set in? Today, we have many ways to measure it by examining rainfall trends. But it is also based on the reduction of moisture in soil. In drier and hotter temperatures, moisture evaporates, leaving soil drier

Does aridification mean there is little or no rainfall? There will be wet periods, but they will be rare.

What does 1924 have to do with aridification? The last time California and the western half of the U.S. were as dry as they are today was in 1924.

Will aridification get worse? While there may be some wet years, because the aridification we are experiencing today is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, the answer is yes. 

This article also suggests ways we all can adjust to aridification and help reduce its impact on entire sections of the country.

To read the article in its entirety, visit: https://bit.ly/3PRGTFW

IN MEMORIAM

Lisa Saenz-Brown

It is with the greatest of sadness to inform you that we lost Lisa Saenz-Brown last week.

For the past 23 years, Lisa has been an integral part of Waterless Co. Inc. and has contributed vastly to the company’s success.

Working hand in hand with Klaus Reichardt, founder and CEO of Waterless, she was ever on the lookout for new ways to improve procedures and move the company forward… and she did. 

The office was her “personal heaven,” she often stated. Her positive and fun personality always came through.

She is survived by her husband, Matthew, and her loving three dogs.

Klaus Reichardt and the Waterless Team

A Facility's Questions About Waterless Urinals - and the answers

Recently, a large facility contacted us. They are considering installing waterless urinals and wanted to know if we could address some of their questions. 

Because many of these questions are similar to what we hear from other organizations, large and small, we decided to publish the questions and our answers here. 

Below is the gist of the call:

Besides the apparent water savings, are there any other benefits to waterless urinals compared to the traditional style? 

Yes, there are. No more mechanical parts to repair or replace—this also means a lower parts inventory. Plus, they are invariably less costly to install than traditional urinals because no flush vales or special plumbing is needed. This also means no more urinal overflows. Waterless urinals are more hygienic due to dryness (less or no bacteria growth), and as no water is used, sewer charges are often reduced. Vandalism, if any, is minor.

 What are the downsides to a waterless urinal when compared to the traditional style? 

 Honestly, the only ones are psychological. Sometimes users just like flushed urinals better.

 What type of maintenance, and at what frequency, is required for these products? And do these urinals suffer from a build-up of uric salts? 

We know the build-up in drain lines on flushed urinals comes from the combination of water and urine. With no water present, these hard encrustations will no longer occur when no-water urinals are installed. What is left in the line is soft sediment, which can be flushed out when the cartridge, which sits at the bottom of the urinal, is changed. 

Before installation, the drain lines should be snaked/cleared to ensure a clean flow. Plumbers prefer clearing the drain when a waterless urinal is installed. If there is a blockage, there is no longer a need to remove the urinal to access the drain line for snaking. Remove the Eco Trap cartridge at the bottom of the urinal and snakes the drain line. Saves labor and time. 

As to cleaning and maintenance, waterless urinals are cleaned the same way traditional urinals are cleaned. Except there is no reason for water or powdered cleaners. Simply spray the urinal, inside and out, with a cleaner and disinfectant. That should be all that is needed.

 Is Blue Seal liquid harmful to the environment in any way? 

Blue Seal is safe for the environment. It is biodegradable, which means that the ingredients will break down and blend back in with the earth. In most cases, these substances degrade without leaving any toxins behind. Further, the Eco Trap – the cylinder placed at the bottom of the urinal mentioned earlier - is recyclable. Also, on average, Blue Seal is added about two times a month, three ounces each time. This is an insignificant amount going into the drain line. 

Can these fixtures support a concentrated high-usage environment? 

Absolutely! We have our urinals installed in stadiums, such as the Atlanta Falcons Stadiums, and you can imagine the use for 437 urinals! Also, McDonald’s restaurants have had them installed for years.

What would be involved in replacing a traditional urinal with a waterless style? Could they be swapped out urinal-for-urinal, and how long is the entire process? 

Typically, the urinals can be swapped out in 50 percent of our installs. In the other 50 percent, the drain line may need to be lowered. In a simple swap out, the water is turned off; the flush valve is removed and capped at the tile. The urinal is removed, the drain line snaked, and the waterless urinal installed. 

For lowering the drain line, if that is necessary, the same removal procedure is followed, then some tile is removed, and with the opening, the drain line is lowered inside the wall. 

In most cases, it takes about 45 minutes to remove a traditional urinal and install a new waterless urinal. Add about 15 minutes more if the drainpipe must be lowered.

Waterless Co. – Pioneers in Advancing Water Efficiency