Buyer Tips - Urinals Buyer Tips Infrared or ultrasound sensors can help avoid water waste attributable to double flushing. Siphonic jet and blowout urinals, which flush automatically at given intervals, can be configured with timers or sensors that avoid automatic flushing during unoccupied hours. Retrofitting an existing urinal with a water-conserving valve can save substantially on water use at little cost. Technology Options For specialized situations like prisons or hospitals, non-ceramic, metal urinals are available which have straight drain lines and a 0.5 gpf rate. Replacing an existing 3.0 gpf with a 0.5 gpf urinal can produce very large lifetime water savings, especially where water costs are high.
Waterless urinals offer enormous water cost savings.
A waterless urinal uses a chemical trap with a low specific gravity chemical. This allows waste to flow down the discharge pipe without permitting sewer gases to escape. Daily maintenance cleaning of these urinals is important for odor control. Costs of chemicals and traps need to be compared with water cost savings. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provided supporting analysis for this recommendation.