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Waterless vs. Low Flushing


For general Pros and Cons for Waterless Urinals, please click here.

Both waterless and low flushing regimes work well to reduce blockages and odour problems. Moreover, the difference in water usage is surprisingly little as a urinal on a low flushing regime typically only costs between £6 and £30 per year in water costs. Based on Gentworks' experience of both, here is a view of the "pros and cons" when using Urinal Maintenance Devices in each mode.
 

Waterless
Pros Cons
  • No need for flush controllers, therefore set-up costs are lower 
  • 100% reduction in water used for flushing.
  • No limescale introduced into the pipework.
  • No floods from overflowing urinals.
  • No need to maintain flush pipes and cisterns.
  • Easier to self-maintain than 'low-flushing' urinals.
  • Some additional maintenance responsibilities for on-site personnel.
  • Additional care during cleaning
  • Risk assessment on standing water in disused flush pipes (" dead legs") usually indicates they need to be drained and capped.
 
  

 

Low-Flushing
Pros Cons
  • Between 90% and 97% reduction in water used for flushing, dependent upon current flushing levels - typically a 95% reduction.
  • Rinses bowl more regularly to remove hair and debris from sight
  • No need for any additional chemicals or labour.
  • Need for reliable timer flush controllers (e.g. Gentworks Low-Flush). Some currently installed models from leading manufacturers can be adapted to flush at the desired intervals.
  • Sparge pipes feeding urinals with water must be free from blockages.
  • Although less likely to experience waste pipe blockages than most urinals, more liable to blockages over time than waterless urinals. Maintenance contract with Gentworks or another professional service provider recommended.

For the vast majority of washroom environments, waterless and low flushing regimes perform well in terms of odour prevention and blockage reduction. Many large Gentworks customers choose 'low flushing' because of concerns that the required dosing regime for waterless operation would be difficult to adhere to. However, where dosing is performed correctly and to schedule, waterless urinals are exceptionally reliable as they are unaffected by any problems with water supply, for example due to the failure of a flush controller, cistern autosiphon or a blockage in the sparge pipes. Gentworks always recommends conversion to waterless for sites where the dosing regime can be adhered to.