Waterless Urinals in New Zealand

Waterless urinals remove one of the most routine uses of potable water in commercial washrooms: flushing urine from the fixture into the drainage system.

They do not remove the need for sanitary drainage, cleaning or maintenance. What they remove is the conventional flush-water requirement and the hardware needed solely to deliver that flush.

For New Zealand architects, building owners and facilities teams, the useful question is therefore not simply whether waterless urinals save water. It is how the technology works, what replaces the conventional flushing arrangement, how the drainage should be considered, and whether the maintenance pathway suits the building.

This page provides the WCTNZ® overview of the category. uridan is the premium waterless urinal technology represented by WCTNZ® in New Zealand, but the principles below apply more broadly to waterless and waterfree urinal systems.

Waterless and Waterfree Urinals

The terms waterless urinal and waterfree urinal are commonly used for the same broad technology category: urinals that do not use a conventional flush-water cycle during normal operation.

Different manufacturers use different terminology and different odour-control mechanisms.

The important distinction is functional rather than linguistic.

How Waterless Urinals Work

Urine is already a liquid.

A conventional urinal adds water so the fixture is rinsed and the combined liquid is carried through the waste system.

A purpose-designed waterless urinal separates these functions.

Gravity moves urine down the fixture and into the waste line. A dedicated odour-control device prevents foul air from travelling back through the outlet.

The exposed fixture surface is then kept hygienic through the cleaning process rather than through repeated potable-water flushing.

How Odour Control Works

Waterless technology is not one single mechanism.

Depending on the manufacturer, the odour-control pathway may use a liquid seal, replaceable cartridge, membrane, mechanical valve or another purpose-designed barrier.

The principle is consistent: urine must be able to leave while foul air from the drainage system is prevented from returning to the occupied room.

New Build and Retrofit Projects

Waterless urinals can be considered in both new construction and refurbishment projects.

New buildings offer the cleanest opportunity because drainage positions, wall construction, service access and fixture selection can be resolved together from the beginning.

Retrofit projects can also be suitable, but the existing drainage deserves proper assessment before a conventional urinal is replaced.

• Existing outlet position and connection type.
• Pipe condition and internal deposits.
• Drainage gradient and ventilation.
• Access for later trap or waste-line maintenance.
• How any redundant flushing-water supply will be dealt with.
• Compatibility between the selected fixture and existing wall or floor arrangement.

For uridan-specific requirements, see the uridan Installation Overview.

Where Waterless Urinals Fit Best

The commercial and environmental case becomes increasingly interesting as urinal use increases.

That is why waterless urinals are primarily associated with commercial, public and shared-use washrooms.

• Office buildings and commercial workplaces.
• Schools, tertiary facilities and training centres.
• Stadiums, sports clubs and recreation facilities.
• Hotels, hospitality venues and entertainment sites.
• Transport, roadside and public amenities.
• Retail and shopping environments.
• Remote or water-constrained commercial facilities.

A lightly used private bathroom can still use waterless technology, but higher-use environments are where avoided flush-water demand can accumulate most strongly over the service life of the fixture.

Understanding the Water-Saving Opportunity

There is no single honest annual water-saving number that applies to every urinal installation.

The avoided water depends on the flush volume of the fixture being replaced, the number of uses, operating days and whether the existing flushing system is functioning efficiently.

This approach allows architects and building owners to calculate the opportunity against real building conditions rather than relying on one generic marketing number.

A busy public venue can produce a very different result from a lightly used workplace.

Waterless Does Not Mean Maintenance-Free

A successful waterless washroom needs a defined operating routine.

Depending on the technology, this may include checking or replacing cartridges, replenishing blocking fluid, cleaning the fixture with compatible products, treating deposits and periodically inspecting the waste line.

Conventional flushing urinals also require maintenance — including flush valves, cisterns, sensors, solenoids, water supplies, traps and cleaning — but the maintenance architecture is different.

For uridan, WCTNZ® provides a defined care pathway using uriCLEAN®, uriLOCK®, uriSTRONG® and uriTABS® as required by the system and site.

See uridan Maintenance Instructions and Urinal Consumables & Care.

Cleaning Practice Is Part of the System

Waterless urinals should not be handed to a cleaning contractor with no explanation and then expected to behave exactly like a flushing fixture.

Compatible cleaning products and simple staff instructions matter because harsh chemicals or incorrect maintenance can interfere with some odour-control technologies.

For asset owners, this means specification should include the operating routine rather than ending at fixture supply.

A useful handover should identify:

• Daily cleaning method.
• Products that should and should not be used.
• How the odour-control system is checked.
• Consumable or service intervals.
• Who responds when a fixture behaves abnormally.

What Architects and Specifiers Should Consider

The best waterless urinal is not simply the fixture with the lowest water use. True waterless systems already remove routine flushing water.

The more useful specification questions are about how the technology fits the building and the operational team.

• Is the fixture suited to the expected traffic?
• Does the design fit the architectural intent?
• What drainage connection and pipe conditions are required?
• What odour-control technology does the system use?
• What consumables are required?
• What does routine maintenance involve?
• Can replacement parts and care products be sourced locally?
• Who supports the facilities team after handover?

Where uridan Fits

WCTNZ® represents uridan as our premium waterless urinal technology pathway in New Zealand.

The range includes ceramic, GRP, compact, high-privacy, floor-standing and higher-capacity urinal formats suited to different commercial environments.

WCTNZ® supports the products with local specification assistance, installation information, maintenance guidance, uriLOCK® and the wider uridan cleaning and care system.

Waterless Urinal FAQs