# Any preference on urinals?



## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

I don't have all that much experience with urinals. I've snaked out several and put a handful of them in when I did new construction. I'm guessing there are models that are less likely to have issues. I've just never had to decide on which to put in since they've already been selected and on site when I arrive.
I'm replacing one that sprays water from the top holes whenever it's flushed. This one has had several issues within the past year so they're ready to replace it.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

V.A Hydro-ooter said:


> I don't have all that much experience with urinals. I've snaked out several and put a handful of them in when I did new construction. I'm guessing there are models that are less likely to have issues. I've just never had to decide on which to put in since they've already been selected and on site when I arrive.
> I'm replacing one that sprays water from the top holes whenever it's flushed. This one has had several issues within the past year so they're ready to replace it.





My first choice would be a urinal with an exterior trap, but those are pretty much non-existent today. My second choice is a "jet-flush" style where there is a hole pointing into the trap to get the siphon going.












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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Tubular trap is the best IMHO. Ferguson carries them.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

I prefer urinals that actually use water. I don't like the 'waterless' ones.

Reminds me when I was a kid in the 1970's we had a really old elementary school house.{ I think it was old back then}...the urinals were from the ground all the way up to the flushometer in the boys room. I really like those.

I've never installed one. An old-time plumber told me the traps were a pain to connect.


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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

I'll definitely be using one that uses water. I've replaced the handle and control stop within the last few months so I doubt they'd want that to go to waste.
I'm looking for one with a deep bowl (is that what they're called in urinals?) because they have another one like that that they like better. 
With the urinal cakes they use the shallow urinal would get the floor wet as water bounced off the cake. I had to turn the water down to the bare minimum so it would stop. They don't have the same issue with the deep urinal and I don't think they want to change the type of urinal cakes they've already stocked up on.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

As tommy stated the floor mounted ones are a pain but they really are the best. I refuse to use a waterless urinal on principal. They stink!!! Both figuratively and literally. One place around here still has a trough style urinal WITHOUT dividers.


The first thing I do when I have to unclog a waterless urinal is install a hot spigot under the sink. If that is not possible I tell them they need to pour a 5 gallon bucket of HOT water down it once a week. The spigot is there so either they can rinse it out frequently or I have it for when I inevitably come back. I also inform them to use the trap sealant and the green gumballs or a pink mint. 


I hate cleaning urinal drains, it is the second worst job in drain cleaning. I especially hate cleaning "waterless" urinal drains because they offend me as a plumber. I put "waterless" in quotes because they end using plenty of water to keep them flowing. I take my sweet time, they are going to pay me good to do a good job. A good enough job that their wallet remembers it. Then they will surely keep up with the maintenance or have us install a normal urinal that won't need drain cleaning every year, assuming people actually flush them which is also a very big issue.




Assuming they have a good hot water supply the easiest first step to cleaning a urinal drain is forcing down hot water for a couple mins. If you go straight to the snake cable you can knock larger pieces off the wall of the pipe and make a worse clog. Or you'll just catch your snake on a hard piece and get tangled up. Urinal drains are one area the mini-jetter can really shine. I only use the head which has one foward hole and three backward. I either connect a tee to the urinal flange or position a bucket under it. With the tee I can use the shop vac to suck up the returning flow.




I have a spare shop vac bottom. I think I am going to get a lid for my trash barrel and mate the shop vac bottom with it so I can put my shop vac onto my 35gallon barrel. That would really help when using the mini-jetter. I would have to cut most of the bottom off so it would maintain a relatively low profile for storing in the van. The other option is trying to modify the lid to accept the top of my shop vac directly. I know you guys like you bucket head vacs but they just don't have the same power.








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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

American Standard Washbrook is pretty good in cutting down on splash back and it’s got extended sides for the more timid (not me of course lol). 

https://www.americanstandard-us.com...brook-0125-gpf-flowise-universal-urinal-18690


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## Venomthirst (Jun 20, 2018)

89plumbum said:


> American Standard Washbrook is pretty good in cutting down on splash back and it’s got extended sides for the more timid (not me of course lol).
> 
> https://www.americanstandard-us.com...brook-0125-gpf-flowise-universal-urinal-18690


Mostly what we put in aswell... hard as hell to snake but... just take em off snake both ways and down drain as.well...

Put in whatever fits back in with least amount of work if it had an external trap put one of those back in if it has integral trap put one of those back in... 

I really hate all urinals equally and I believe it's really a matter of getting the engineers fixture units for building capacity..

Its sexist and there should be female urinals too then.. like a floor drain with a seat.. oh I guess that's been invented it's called a water closet... damn have to go back to drawing book


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

Venomthirst said:


> Its sexist and there should be female urinals too then.. like a floor drain with a seat.. oh I guess that's been invented it's called a water closet... damn have to go back to drawing book


They’re already invented 
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_urinal


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## mtfallsmikey (Jan 11, 2010)

They put Toto's in the new and remodeled baths in one of my buildings, seem to flush good.


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

skoronesa said:


> V.A Hydro-ooter said:
> 
> 
> > I don't have all that much experience with urinals. I've snaked out several and put a handful of them in when I did new construction. I'm guessing there are models that are less likely to have issues. I've just never had to decide on which to put in since they've already been selected and on site when I arrive.
> ...




Agreed. 
External trap, is easy to clean and clean the drain.


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## Standard Drain (Feb 17, 2016)

From a drain cleaners perspective; a jet-flush which creates a siphon is by far a better long term option as less calcified urine builds up.

Around here a lot of the bars have urinals with external traps; which is a quick clean to run through a row of them.

Personally I would recommend the jet flush for any place that is not a bar for ease of maintenance.


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## gosaka (Aug 17, 2019)

I like the floor mounted units, the ones I have seen have normal 2" plastic trap that 1/4 or 3/8 slides through. It also enables you to run water to rinse line and your cable. I once had a trough urinal that had all the ice inside melted and was holding >25 gallons of lemonaid. I sat there cursing and wondering what I was going to do, ended up putting plunger over the hole and emptied p-trap.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

gosaka said:


> I like the floor mounted units, the ones I have seen have normal 2" plastic trap that 1/4 or 3/8 slides through. It also enables you to run water to rinse line and your cable. I once had a trough urinal that had all the ice inside melted and was holding >25 gallons of lemonaid. I sat there cursing and wondering what I was going to do, ended up putting plunger over the hole and emptied p-trap.





Floor mounted urinals are pretty rare around here except for a couple really old school bathrooms.


A urinal trough full of piss sounds horrid. I would make them empty it first. I could understand some piss but if it isn't draining but they let people keep using it that isn't my fault and it won't be my problem.








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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

skoronesa said:


> gosaka said:
> 
> 
> > I like the floor mounted units, the ones I have seen have normal 2" plastic trap that 1/4 or 3/8 slides through. It also enables you to run water to rinse line and your cable. I once had a trough urinal that had all the ice inside melted and was holding >25 gallons of lemonaid. I sat there cursing and wondering what I was going to do, ended up putting plunger over the hole and emptied p-trap.
> ...


 Some people are worse than animals. I've been to some where they've taped plastic trash bags on the urinals and put a big "out of order" sign on it. Guys still take a piss on it.
That's why I carry 2 shop vacs. One is for urinals and toilets and the other is for sinks and other gray water.


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

V.A Hydro-ooter said:


> Some people are worse than animals. I've been to some where they've taped plastic trash bags on the urinals and put a big "out of order" sign on it. Guys still take a piss on it.
> That's why I carry 2 shop vacs. One is for urinals and toilets and the other is for sinks and other gray water.


Like this one


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

V.A Hydro-ooter said:


> Some people are worse than animals. I've been to some where they've taped plastic trash bags on the urinals and put a big "out of order" sign on it. Guys still take a piss on it.
> That's why I carry 2 shop vacs. One is for urinals and toilets and the other is for sinks and other gray water.







If I had room for a second shop vac I could think of 100 things that would go in its place before I put a second shop vac on the van.








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## V.A Hydro-ooter (Oct 14, 2018)

skoronesa said:


> V.A Hydro-ooter said:
> 
> 
> > Some people are worse than animals. I've been to some where they've taped plastic trash bags on the urinals and put a big "out of order" sign on it. Guys still take a piss on it.
> ...


 So far the second shop vac hasn't taken the space I could've had something else in. The second one is only 4 gallons so it's not too bad to find a place for it. I have a kuv and I make sure I keep it neat and organized so I usually have extra floor space.
I use it for my " clean jobs" only.


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## gosaka (Aug 17, 2019)

>tfw
@skoronesa

I wish I could have told them to empty it. That was below my former employer though...
I'll admit I used the same bucket head for 7 years. Those things take a beating.


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## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

Urinals with Automatic flush valves work the best , *******s can't seem to flush the urinals when their done pissing so that causes the drains to build up. Also installing a cleanout above the santee that comes to the side of urinal is great so you don't have to pull the urinal.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Debo22 said:


> Like this one





In that case it appears both urinals are piped together and clogged downstream so the bag filled up because people used the urinal which wasn't closed off. Not really joe blows fault if he is just pissing in a urinal with no sign. Joe blow piss taker doesn't know plumbing or that they may be/are connected.










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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

I like the floor mounted units, or at least the low mounted urinals. That way I don't have to worry about coming into contact with it when I whip it out to use them.


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