by Gary Mays | Jan 20, 2024 | Waterless Urinals
Waterless Urinal Benefits Are Not a Perception
In the plumbing and public toilet hygiene world, preferences and perceptions play a significant role in people’s choices. One such option, particularly in public toilets, is between water-flushing and waterless urinals.
For many, the preference for water-flushing urinals is deeply rooted in tradition and psychology. Understanding this preference requires delving into the realms of habit, perception, and education, particularly in the context of modern alternatives like ZeroFlush waterless urinals.
Habit and Familiarity The Traditional Preference for Water-Flushing Urinals
Humans are inherently creatures of habit. Over the years, the widespread use of water-flushing urinals has ingrained them as a norm in our minds.
This habitual familiarity breeds a sense of trust and reliability, often overshadowing their actual efficiency or hygiene levels. From busy public toilets to private corporate facilities, the sound and sight of water flushing in urinals have become synonymous with cleanliness.
Breaking this cycle of familiarity requires not just introducing new technologies but also demonstrating their efficacy and benefits.
Perception of Water as a Cleaning Agent
Water has long been perceived as the ultimate cleaning agent. This perception extends to urinals, where the presence of water is often mistakenly equated with a higher standard of hygiene.
Ironically, water can be counterproductive in urinal systems, contributing to bacterial growth and the spread of germs due to the moist environment it creates.
Overcoming this misconception involves re-educating the public about the science of hygiene and water’s role, especially in restroom environments.
Waterless Urinal Benefits
Waterless urinals like ZeroFlush offer several compelling advantages:
- Hygiene: They maintain a dry environment, inhibiting bacteria growth.
- Odour Control: Advanced designs effectively trap and neutralise odours without relying on water.
- Environmental Impact: Significant water conservation is critical in today’s eco-conscious world.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Reduced water usage translates to lower utility bills and maintenance costs.
Overcoming Lack of Awareness
A significant barrier to adopting waterless urinals like ZeroFlush is the general need for more awareness about their benefits and functionality.
The advancements in waterless urinal technology have been substantial, yet many still need to learn how these systems maintain hygiene, control odours, and effectively reduce bacterial spread without water.
This lack of awareness is often the biggest hurdle transitioning from traditional to modern urinal systems.
Changing Perceptions Through Education
Education is critical to changing long-held beliefs and perceptions. We can shift public opinion by informing people about how ZeroFlush waterless urinals operate, their environmental benefits, and their effectiveness in maintaining hygiene.
This education should focus on dispelling myths and presenting factual information. Incorporating real-life case studies, user testimonials, and results from hygiene studies can make this educational endeavour more compelling and relatable.
Real-World Exposure to Waterless Urinal Benefits
Seeing is believing, and this holds especially true for ZeroFlush waterless technology.
Buildings such as Pat Rafter Arena, Brisbane Airport, 87 Ipswich Road, McDonalds and Royal International Convention Centre that have already adopted these systems can serve as practical examples, showcasing their effectiveness and benefits in real-world settings.
Encouraging trial installations or pilot projects in public or commercial spaces allows users and facility managers to experience firsthand the advantages in terms of maintenance, cleanliness, and environmental impact.
Such exposure can play a critical role in changing perceptions and acceptance.
In today’s world, where environmental sustainability is increasingly becoming a priority, the benefits of waterless urinals cannot be overstated. Their significant water savings align with the global push towards more eco-friendly practices.
Educating the public about the environmental impact of their choices, including the type of urinals they use, can be a powerful motivator for change.
Waterless Urinal Benefits Are Reality
A lack of awareness and resistance to change challenges the preference for water-flushing urinals, which are deeply embedded in habit and traditional cleaning concepts.
However, by addressing these factors through targeted education and exposure to the benefits of ZeroFlush waterless technology, we can shift the perception towards embracing more innovative, effective, and environmentally friendly restroom solutions.
As a leading plumbing and hygiene solutions provider, Whywait Plumbing is at the forefront of this educational and technological shift, guiding clients towards making informed and sustainable choices in their public toilet facilitiees.
Water Flushing or Waterless: All Urinals Require Scheduled Servicing
ZeroFlush waterless urinals represent a significant leap forward in public toilet hygiene and environmental sustainability. They offer a practical, cost-effective solution that aligns with the modern emphasis on eco-friendliness and efficient resource use.
By choosing ZeroFlush, facilities can significantly reduce water usage while enhancing their public toilets’ cleanliness and overall user experience.
For those ready to make this transformative change, Whywait Plumbing offers comprehensive urinal maintenance solutions tailored to your needs.
Explore our range of services and embrace the future of restroom technology today by visiting Whywait Urinal Maintenance Solutions. Switch to a more sustainable, hygienic, and cost-effective public toilet environment with Whywait Plumbing, your trusted partner in plumbing excellence.
by Gary Mays | Aug 9, 2023 | Waterless Urinals
Waterless Urinals the Future of Water Conservation
In today’s rapidly changing climate landscape, water conservation has become more than just a consideration—it’s a necessity. Pioneering the movement towards responsible water usage, ZeroFlush waterless urinals emerge as the future solution, fusing innovation with responsibility.
The Growing Concern of Water Scarcity
According to the World Resources Institute, more than a quarter of the world’s population faces high water stress, which is expected to rise with the progressing impacts of climate change. With growing urban populations and increased agricultural demands, the stress on our freshwater resources is undeniable.
ZeroFlush Waterless Urinals Leading the Way in Water Savings
Traditional flushing urinals can consume up to 15140 litres of water yearly. By stark contrast, ZeroFlush’s waterless design saves this significant volume per unit annually. Just imagine: installing a single ZeroFlush waterless urinal in a busy commercial space can save as much water as an Olympic size pool over its lifetime!
The Eco-Friendly and Economic Choice
Carbon Footprint Reduction: Traditional urinals not only consume water but also indirectly increase energy use. Treating and pumping water is energy-intensive, translating to higher carbon emissions. ZeroFlush’s waterless design slashes these emissions, contributing to a greener planet.
Cost Savings: Whywait Plumbing, as a respected industry voice, has long advocated for eco-friendly and cost-effective solutions. We affirm that with reduced water and energy bills, businesses can expect significant savings by transitioning to ZeroFlush.
Climate Change: Adapting and Mitigating
As droughts become more frequent and water scarcity affects even historically water-rich areas, solutions like ZeroFlush waterless urinals aren’t just innovative; they are essential. Their technology helps businesses and communities better adapt to a changing climate, ensuring functionality even during water cut-offs or restrictions.
The Hygiene and Maintenance Advantage
Advanced Design: ZeroFlush waterless urinals employ an intelligent design that minimises odours, reducing the need for frequent cleanings and the use of harsh chemicals. This not only conserves water but also contributes to a healthier restroom environment.
Endorsement by Whywait Plumbing: Renowned for its commitment to efficient and sustainable plumbing solutions, Whywait Plumbing recommends ZeroFlush for its superior design and ease of maintenance. They often underline how these urinals cut down on long-term maintenance costs, further emphasising their economic advantage.
Advocacy and Education: A Role for All
Advocacy becomes crucial as consumers and businesses increasingly recognise the need for water conservation. At Whywait Plumbing, apart from providing plumbing solutions, we actively educate our clientele about the myriad benefits of transitioning to waterless systems. ZeroFlush’s impressive water-saving stats and undeniable environmental benefits often stand out as prime examples in their advocacy.
A Commitment to Sustainability
Choosing ZeroFlush goes beyond just product selection—it’s a commitment to a sustainable future. ZeroFlush waterless urinals present a compelling case for businesses, institutions, and public spaces everywhere by saving precious water, reducing carbon footprints, ensuring hygiene, and cutting costs.
Let’s usher in an era of conscious conservation. With industry experts like Whywait Plumbing championing the cause and innovative solutions like ZeroFlush leading the charge, a sustainable, water-secure future is within reach.
by Gary Mays | Jun 13, 2018 | Bathrooms, Blocked drain, City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, DIY Plumbing, Gold Coast Plumbing, Health Issues, Hot Water, Hot Water Heat Pump, Hot Water Solar, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Maintenance, Plumbing Renovation, Sanden “Eco®” Plus Heat Pump hot water system, solar hot water, Sustainable Plumbing, Waterless Urinals, ZeroFlush waterless urinals
Plumbing innovations have always been the norm in the plumbing industry. Innovation is change and is always about better ways of doing the same thing.
When I started my apprenticeship the clearing of a blocked drain started using a plunger and was at least a two-man job using 1m long drainage rods. The rods were screwed together and manually pushed slowly down the drain until we hit the blockage. Clearing drains this way frequently took 3-4 hours.
Plumbing innovations mean that we now clear a blocked drain with state of the art high-pressure jetrodding technology that was unknown 20 years ago.
Innovation is always about change, but at Whywait Plumbing we have always been at the forefront of plumbing innovations. We have always lead change as Gold Coast plumbers from the purchase of our first high-pressure water jetting unit in 1992 or installing vehicle tracking systems or introducing guaranteed upfront pricing in 1999.
What we always considered was developing and improving our way of solving your plumbing problems is now referred to as disruptive innovation. I agree disruptive innovation is the new term in business in the 21st century. But it’s not new it’s just a new way of talking about improving our methods and practices using the latest technology.
Change is the norm, but it just appears to be frantic to an outside observer with online banking, online shopping, online flight bookings and so the list goes on. At least with plumbing, it can’t be done online except for those DIY enthusiasts who believe Google Plumbing has all the answers.
The level of disruption through plumbing innovations has impacted all plumbing installation and maintenance has been significant starting with:
- Increasing use of prefabrication of bathroom and kitchen modules off-site where the plumbing is all undertaken in a factory, transported to the site and connected up to a water and drainage connection.
- Continual advances in sustainability with the advent of low flow toilets, low flow taps, waterless urinals and recirculated hot water.
- Advances in energy efficient products with heat pump hot water units, solar hot water, instant hot water and underfloor heating.
- All of the different materials we now use in the pipework, relining of existing pipework, CCTV cameras to inspect pipes and pipe jointing methods where welding is now obsolete.
- Excavation methods with advanced technologies in hydro excavation and tracking and locating of underground services.
The ongoing changes in technology in the plumbing industry are disruptive if not embraced. I agree that plumbing innovations cause a significant difference in how we undertake to solve plumbing problems and how the plumbers at Whywait work now.
Ultimately plumbing continues to be about protecting the health and safety of the community for now and the future to ensure we have good quality water and sewer systems in our buildings.
by Gary Mays | Nov 14, 2012 | Climate Change, Drain Odours, Health Issues, Waterless Urinals
With the advent of the EnviroSeal system for Zero Flush waterless urinals the days of malfunctioning urinals are over. The ongoing development of Zero Flush waterless urinals signals the end of wasted water and energy in public toilets everywhere. Building owners everywhere are praising the benefits and reaping the rewards of finally having efficient, problem free waterless urinals installed by Whywait Plumbing Services.
For those who are not aware, a Zero Flush waterless urinal utilises gravity and an incredibly smooth porcelain surface to do the work that used to take up to 12 litres of water. While this concept may seem foreign and completely unappealing, a Zero Flush waterless urinal eliminates odour by separating waste from air meaning that foul smells will stay in the drains where they belong.
Zero Flush waterless urinals have hygienic benefits, economic benefits, and environment benefits, some of which are listed below:
- No flushing: When a traditional urinal is flushed, you might think that all the waste is transported directly down the drain. Actually, the rushing water creates a mist that contains waste and contaminates the air. Since waterless urinals don’t flush, they don’t contaminate the air.
- No touching: Traditional urinals rely on flush valves to expel the waste. These valves can have thousands of dirty hands touching them over the course of their life-cycle. Zero Flush waterless urinals have no valves so there’s no touching and no spread of germs.
- Water bills: The name is no exaggeration; a Zero Flush waterless urinal literally uses zero water to operate. With the water bill alone, a Zero Flush waterless urinal could easily pay for itself within a year if not sooner.
- Maintenance: No flush valve to fix. No blocked pipes that need unblocking. Little to clean. A Zero Flush waterless urinal is so efficient it needs next to no supervision.
- Price: With all their benefits, Zero Flush waterless urinals are in higher demand. Zero Flush have been producing urinals in larger numbers, which means the prices are lower. You can now even purchase a waterless urinal for nearly half the same price as a traditional urinal.
- Potable water supplies: Yes, the world is almost covered in water so it seems like we can use it as we please. The truth is, we only have so much potable water that we have access to. With Zero Flush waterless urinals, wasting water is unnecessary.
- Energy efficiency: Some people take it for granted that water is available in pipes all the time but it doesn’t get there by accident. It takes a great deal of energy and electricity to move water. Zero Flush waterless urinals save the environment by conserving energy.
For building owners Zero Flush waterless urinals installed by Whywait Plumbing Services are a smart choice for hygiene, budgeting and the environment.
by Gary Mays | Aug 26, 2011 | bathroom renovation regret, Bathrooms, City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, Gold Coast Plumbing, Gold Coast Water, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Toilets, Water Saving Tips, Waterless Urinals, ZeroFlush waterless urinals
Waterless urinals increase water sustainability
Falcon waterless urinals at The Oasis Shopping Centre installed by Whywait Plumbing in 1998
In 1998 Whywait Plumbing installed the first waterless urinals on the Gold Coast at The Oasis Shopping Centre. At that time the owners of The Oasis Shopping Centre, Thakral Holdings had as Engineering Director, Tony Harvey. Tony Harvey was ahead of his time focusing on setting sustainability targets for all Thakral properties in both electricity and water.
These first waterless urinals were fibreglass Falcon urinals with disposable cartridges. To say they were not successful was an understatement. We were continually servicing the Falcon urinals as they suffered from frequent blockages due to their cartridge design. The cost to replace cartridges constantly far outweighed the water-saving benefits at that time.
Servicing these Falcon waterless urinals became a detested task by Whywait’s plumbing technicians as invariably removing the cartridge resulted in getting covered in urine that was in the cartridge. To all of our plumber’s relief we ripped them out and replaced them with ZeroFlush waterless urinals in 2004.
Water flushing urinals stink
Traditional water flushing urinals are a significant waster of potable water in most commercial buildings. Most men are aware of that distinctive odour of male public toilets. Contrary to popular believe that odour is not usually from the urinals. It is, in fact, an odour created by the mixing of water vapour and urine creating bacteria that thrive in the wet environment of the grout in the tiled floors and walls.
In fact the installation of Australian WaterMark approved waterless urinals such as ZeroFlush creates a dry environment that does not allow bacteria to grow in the tile grout and create that distinctive odour. A properly maintained and serviced waterless urinal will give trouble free service, eliminate expensive and ever increasing water costs plus reduce carbon emissions.
Do waterless urinals stink?
Whywait Plumbing technicians have investigated numerous instances of waterless urinals being blamed for blocked drains or odours. In reality this is consistently not the case as investigation always reveals the real causes such as dry floor wastes, incorrect installation or incorrect servicing.
The most common cause is inappropriate or non-existant servicing procedures. Far too many plumbers fail to upskill themselves with current sustainability skills, methods or requirements. Often these same plumbers fail to read simple instructions on servicing methods and requirements and instead advocate the removal of the waterless urinals. It is normally simple to identify the poor servicing as the plumbers maintaining the urinals fail to purchase servicing materials and then blame the waterless urinals for poor performance.
Whywait Plumbing is aware of buildings where government subsidies have been paid to the owners to install waterless urinals and ignorant building managers have allowed plumbing companies to remove the urinals and replace them with expensive water guzzling urinals. The plumbers who undertake these activities are in our opinion conducting a fraud and their motives are transparent.
This approach is to the detriment of their clients and the community as a whole whom have embraced sustainability to make efficient use of expensive water and protect our environment.
If you want assistance with your urinals contact Whywait Plumbing on (07) 5580 4311 to organise a site audit.
