Just this past week, my department moved into a new “green” building. This said building is supposed to save money on electricity, heat/air conditioning, waste, and water … a pretty nifty thing, methinks. Most of the structure (or at least the office cubes) was made out of recycled material … bigger windows are used to add more natural light in the building, and the roof has some sort of new insulation in it.
Additionally, the restrooms have controls on the faucets, as well, as some automatic controls on the toilets that help to conserve water. But, the thing that impressed/scared me the most was the waterless urinals that were installed in said restroom. I was amazed/concerned by this new (at least to me) technology, and how it works … after all, I really don’t want to smell somebody else’s urine while I’m releasing mine. Much to my surprise/relief, the urinal does do a terrific job of somehow eliminating/sucking down that pungent smell, and because I’m curious/nosey, I had to find out how this works … and where else can one find information on just about anything? You guessed it - I found it at Wikipedia.
So, here’s what I found out - these urinals (or advanced urinal technology) utilize a trap insert filled with a sealant liquid instead of water. The lighter-than-water sealant floats on top of the urine collected in the U-bend, preventing odors from being released into the air. Although the cartridge and sealant must be periodically replaced, the system saves anywhere between 15,000 and 45,000 gallons (approx. between 56,800 and 170,000 liters) of water per urinal per year.
Folks, that’s a lot of water … and if the technology works well (and is affordable), then I totally encourage it. This reminded me of a story about waterless urinals and the city of Philadelphia. And, of course, I have Wikipedia once again to back me up with this. According to Wikipedia, in March 2006, the Associated Press reported that the plumbers union in Philadelphia had become upset because the developer of the city's newest skyscraper, Liberty Property Trust, had decided to use waterless urinals. Many in the union decided that because of the decision that this would lead to less work for them. The developer cited saving the city 1.6 million gallons (approx 6.06 million liters) of water per year as its deciding factor.
Wikipedia stopped here, but from what I remember, the union required the building contractor to put in pipes, even though the building did not require them for the urinals … this is where unions step way beyond their intended purposes and cause problems … yes, I’m also speaking to you, Detroit. Seriously, if the owner of the building wants waterless urinals, AND it’s going to help with efficiency, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY OF PROGRESS!
But, I digress … hey, here’s the link to Wikipedia , and a picture of the urinal in case you are interested.
9 comments:
Good memory. That's now the Comcast Building -- thanks for the cable bill, guys.
But that's minor compared to "card check" + the financial bailout. No way state/local public pension funds become solvent when Washington starts writing checks.
Pending card check legislation will certify unions without a vote once 50% of employee signatures are collected -- yeah, no possible intimidation there.
Expanding, aggressive unions + somebody else paying the bill = financial black hole. Hope you like taxes.
I was afraid when you said that you needed to find out how it works, your next sentence was going to be "So I stuck my nose in the urinal, hit the flusher, and it sucked my nose down into it."
Cause you would do something like that.
McKenzie's Brewhouse has had one of these installed for a few years- you probably just didn't notice it.
Good to know how it works though!
What if the company that makes the chemical that eliminates the odor goes out of business! This is creeping me out a little. Keep us posted if the bathroom smell gets out of control.
As a woman, this doesn't concern me, but when they make a device where the seat is automatically wiped and sanitized before I sit down, then we can talk.
"the union required the building contractor to put in pipes, even though the building did not require them for the urinals "
Are you f*cking kidding me?
I love some good urinal information!!!!!
this story is a pisser los
I heard about this too and I applaud the designers for trying to be a bit more green. It seems like our lovely unions in Philly are still stuck in the dark ages.
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