ABCB non-water flushing urinals review
Manufacturers of waterless urinals worldwide were dismayed and astounded when the Australian National Plumbing Regulators Forum released an Advisory Note on 2nd November 2009 regarding the installation and maintenance of waterless urinals.
This advisory note had a devastating effect on urinal installation and servicing that was not reversed until the release of updates in 2010 to AS/NZS 3500.2-2003, which clarified the requirements for the use of waterless urinals and effectively banned the practice of converting water flushing urinals to waterless urinals.
Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) is currently having a performance review undertaken on all non-water flushing urinals.
It was refreshing in our discussions with the engineers conducting the review to have it confirmed that waterless urinals with WaterMark approval all perform without problems if they are serviced and maintained correctly. This is exactly our experience with ZeroFlush waterless urinals.
To read our complete submission for the ABCB non-water flushing urinals review, we have printed it below:
ZeroFlush Submission to ABCB Performance Review of Non-Water Flushing Urinals
Aquatemp Environmental Solutions is unique in Australia as we are not only the manufacturer, but we are also licensed plumbers, so undertake not only distribution and sales but also installation and maintenance servicing of Zero Flush waterless urinals.
We have been installing and maintaining waterless urinals since 1998, first with Falcon and then with Uridan, so have a wide range of experience in the operation of waterless urinals and urinals in general.
Our experience consistently is that waterless urinals are seldom the problem but consistently are blamed for every issue in male toilet facilities. In 99% of calls we attend, stating that the urinals stink, we find the same problem over and over again of the urinal not being serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Again in every instance, we find that the building owners or facility managers are requiring that the cleaners service the urinals. This is a clear breach of the law in every state. What those building owners and facility managers are failing to recognise is that they are leaving themselves personally liable for large damages claims made even worse by the new federal Workplace, Health & Safety Act.
The other major problem we see is the supply of inferior products with no WaterMark and no approval from manufacturers by hygiene companies such as Cannon Hygiene. The badly named Fresh & Green inserts, which are a one product fit all solution, are an appalling product that essentially leaves an open drainage connection on the urinal, which emits appalling odours. The urinal manufacturers get the blame for their product being a dud when the problem is the servicing being done in a non-compliant manner to save a few dollars.
The illegal “conversion” of water-flushing urinals to waterless urinals by companies such as Desert Eco has caused huge image problems as Desert Eco turns off the water and throws odour-masking chemical blocks into the urinal. This has been widely adopted by the Queensland Government in direct contravention of their own Plumbing & Drainage Act.
In buildings where we have installed and maintained the ZeroFlush waterless urinals, we have absolutely no issues. A perfect example of this is Southport Sharks Football Club, where we have over 30 urinals, with the first installations being five years ago. We provide a yearly contract where we service and maintain the urinals. There are no odour problems and no blockages of the drains. In complete contrast are buildings where the cleaners do all of the servicing as required by the building owners or facility managers. The urinals universally in these buildings stink as they do not use the correct consumables and reuse parts that are not designed to be reused.
We frequently investigate complaints to us that the urinals are faulty, and every time we investigate, we find defective servicing is the issue, not the urinal. Waterless urinals are like any other product in that if they are serviced and maintained correctly, then there is no problem.
Many of the problems associated with a WaterMark-approved waterless urinal fixture would disappear immediately if state governments simply enforced the law.
Gary Mays, born and educated in Auckland, New Zealand, has called the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, home since 1986. Currently, the Executive Director at Whywait Plumbing Pty Ltd and Aquatemp Environmental Solutions Pty Ltd. He’s a licensed plumber with an impressive international business background in New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore. Gary is known for his vigorous advocacy in plumbing, water conservation, sustainability, and small business growth. He is an influential and forward-thinking leader, a frequent voice in modern media for his industry insights and deep dedication to ecological, environmental, and professional causes.
