Urinal Fixtures
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The Highly Disputed “German Study” of Non-Water Urinals (2005-2006)
In 2004-2005, Dr Mete Demiriz of Gelsenkirchen University of Applied Sciences in Gelsenkirchen Germany completed a study of dry (non-water) urinals in the University’s very extensive laboratory facilities dedicated to plumbing technologies. When the study report and presentation were reviewed by water efficiency advocates and by plumbing system professionals in North America, it set off alarms. Those alarms were related to the build-up of solids in the drainlines behind the non-water urinals. The findings of the study were disputed here, the reasoning being that plumbing codes and other conditions in Germany are not identical to those in the U.S. As such, study findings could not be applied here.
NOTE: If you download and review the study report and accompanying presentation, you are encouraged to also read the refuting technical response offered by Falcon Waterfree Technologies and the two other reviews as well.
All 5 documents may be downloaded here:
- Dry Urinal Study Report-Demiriz.pdf
- Dry Urinal Study Presentation-Demiriz.pdf
- Dry Urinal Study Technical Response-Falcon.pdf
- Dry Urinal Study Review-Koeller.pdf
- Dry Urinal Study Review-Pape.pdf
(Some files may be large. If the file does not automatically download, right click on the link above and select "Save Target As..." from the drop-down menu.)
Odor Test for Urinal Fixtures (2000-2002)
One of the issues brought forth by the entrenched opponents of non-water urinals is odor. Of course, ALL urinal fixtures will cause odors if not cleaned or maintained properly. Furthermore, odors can result from a lack of cleaning of the floor surfaces beneath the urinal as well. Unfortunately, in most cases, odors have been unfairly attributed to the non-water urinal technology when the real cause may lie elsewhere.
Two studies of odors from urinal installations have been completed in the last six years. Both provide important information on this subject. NOTE: The UCLA study was commissioned by a manufacturer, Falcon Waterfree Technologies LLC.
- UCLA Study, December 2000 (PDF)
- Pacific Northwest National Lab Study, November 2002 (PDF)
IAPMO Code Hearing Appeal Rulings on Non-Water Urinals (2005)
At an IAPMO Standards Council appeals hearing held at IAPMO on November 17, 2005, arguments were heard against several actions taken by the Association Technical Meeting in September on the Uniform Plumbing Code that would prohibit the installation of non-water urinals. The rulings resulting from those appeals to the IAPMO Standards Council are provided in four letters:
- Letter Ruling No. 1 (PDF)
- Letter Ruling No. 2 (PDF)
- Letter Ruling No. 3 (PDF)
- Letter Ruling No. 4 (PDF)
Plumbing Standard for Vitreous China Non-Water Urinals (2006)
ASME/ANSI A112.19.19-2006 was approved by the American National Standards Institute in September 2006. Once this new (copyrighted) standard is published by ASME, it can be ordered via this website: http://catalog.asme.org/home.cfm?CATEGORY=CS&TaxonomyItemID=3032
A very brief summary of the topics covered by A112.19.19-2006 may be downloaded here:
- ASME A112.19.19-Summary.pdf