Waterless Urinals in New Zealand

Waterless urinals provide a practical way to remove routine urinal flushing water from commercial and public washrooms while retaining a conventional sanitary drainage pathway. This page explains how the technology works, where it can fit, and what New Zealand designers, building owners and facilities teams should consider.

A waterless urinal does not make the washroom waterless. Handwashing, cleaning and other building services still require appropriate water supplies. The change is much more specific: the urinal itself no longer requires potable water every time it is used simply to move urine from the fixture into the drain.

That change can reduce water demand, remove flush-specific hardware and simplify one part of the plumbing architecture. It also introduces a different approach to odour control, cleaning and maintenance that needs to be understood properly.

What Is a Waterless Urinal?

A waterless urinal is a urinal fixture designed to receive urine and discharge it into sanitary drainage without using a conventional water flush during normal operation.

The terms waterless urinal and waterfree urinal are commonly used for this general technology family. Individual manufacturers may prefer one term over the other and may use different methods of odour control.

Waterless does not mean there is no plumbing.

The fixture still needs a suitable waste connection, correctly designed sanitary drainage and appropriate access for installation and maintenance.

How Waterless Urinals Work

Urine is already a liquid and can move down a correctly designed fixture through gravity.

A conventional urinal adds flushing water to that liquid. A purpose-designed waterless urinal instead allows urine to drain directly and uses a separate odour-control method to prevent foul air from returning from the waste system.

The basic system therefore separates three functions that are often grouped together in a conventional flushing fixture:

Waterless vs Flushing Urinals

Both technologies perform the same basic user function, but the infrastructure around them is different.

The correct comparison is therefore not simply “uses water” versus “uses no water”.

It is a comparison between two different fixture and maintenance architectures.

Odour-Control Technologies

One of the first questions people ask about waterless urinals is how drain odour is controlled without a conventional water seal at the fixture.

There is no single universal waterless mechanism.

Depending on the product, systems may use:

• sealing or blocking fluids
• purpose-designed siphons
• replaceable cartridges
• membranes
• mechanical one-way barriers
• other proprietary odour-control arrangements

The common objective is the same: urine must pass into the drainage system while foul drain air is prevented from returning through the fixture.

A successful installation therefore depends on the complete system — not only the visible urinal.

Drainage and Plumbing Considerations

A waterless urinal remains part of a sanitary plumbing system.

Removing the flush-water connection does not remove the need for appropriate waste-pipe design, gradient, ventilation and maintenance access.

This can become particularly important because the urine entering the waste pipe is not being diluted by a conventional flush.

Project considerations can include:

• waste-pipe fall and alignment
• pipe diameter and material
• drainage ventilation
• existing deposits in retrofit pipework
• access for later inspection or cleaning
• fixture outlet location
• connection details specified by the manufacturer

New buildings provide the opportunity to design these elements around the selected fixture from the beginning.

Retrofit projects can also be suitable, but existing drainage should be assessed rather than automatically assumed to be ideal for a different fixture technology.

New-Build Applications

New construction offers a straightforward opportunity to consider waterless urinals before the plumbing and washroom layout are fixed.

The designer can coordinate the fixture with wall construction, drainage position, service access and the wider architectural treatment of the room.

A water supply and associated flush hardware do not need to be installed solely for urinal operation where the selected waterless fixture does not require them.

This can be particularly relevant where water efficiency is already part of the building brief.

Retrofit and Refurbishment Applications

Waterless urinals can also be considered when an existing washroom is being renovated or conventional fixtures are reaching the end of their service life.

Retrofit assessment should consider:

• the position and condition of the existing waste connection
• the condition of the downstream pipework
• the existing drainage fall
• ventilation of the sanitary drainage system
• how the redundant flushing-water connection will be managed
• wall or floor compatibility with the selected fixture
• future maintenance access

Commercial and Public Applications

Waterless urinals can be considered across a wide range of commercial and public buildings.

Typical applications can include:

• office buildings
• schools and tertiary facilities
• sports clubs and recreation centres
• stadiums and event venues
• restaurants, bars and hospitality facilities
• hotels and accommodation facilities
• retail and shopping environments
• transport facilities
• roadside and public amenities
• remote or water-constrained commercial sites

The environmental and commercial case generally becomes stronger as urinal use increases because the avoided flush is repeated every time the fixture is used.

Calculating Water-Saving Potential

There is no single annual water-saving figure that honestly describes every waterless urinal project.

The actual saving depends on the flushing system being compared, the number of uses and the building's operating pattern.

A simple starting calculation is:

For example, a busy public building will produce a very different result from a small office with occasional urinal use.

This is why WCTNZ® recommends assessing water reduction against the real building rather than relying on one generic brochure figure.

The wider resource benefit can also extend beyond the water meter. Potable water has to be sourced, treated and distributed before use, while the additional flushing volume then becomes part of the wastewater stream leaving the building.

Cleaning and Hygiene

A waterless urinal still requires routine cleaning.

The absence of a flush should not be confused with the absence of hygiene management.

The cleaning method needs to suit the fixture surface and the odour-control technology being used.

Depending on the system, unsuitable chemicals or cleaning practices can interfere with the trap, cartridge, membrane or sealing-fluid arrangement.

A proper facilities handover should therefore identify:

• the normal cleaning method
• approved or compatible cleaning products
• products or chemicals that should be avoided
• the maintenance method for the odour barrier
• consumable replacement or top-up requirements
• the response if abnormal odour or drainage behaviour develops

Maintenance and Whole-of-Life Considerations

Waterless does not mean maintenance-free.

Depending on the technology, the system may require periodic cartridge replacement, barrier-fluid replenishment, deep cleaning, trap servicing or inspection of the downstream waste line.

Conventional urinals also require maintenance, but in different places. Their operating system can include water supplies, flush valves, cisterns, sensors, solenoids and associated components as well as the fixture and drainage.

For building owners, whole-of-life assessment can consider:

• fixture purchase
• installation
• water-supply plumbing
• flush hardware
• water and wastewater charges where applicable
• waterless-system consumables
• routine cleaning
• replacement components
• scheduled servicing
• drainage maintenance

Specification Considerations

Once routine flush water has been removed, the specification decision becomes less about litres per flush and more about the quality of the complete system.

Useful questions include:

• Is the fixture designed for the expected use and building type?
• What odour-control technology does it use?
• What sanitary drainage conditions are required?
• Is the fixture suitable for new-build, retrofit or both?
• What cleaning method is specified?
• What consumables are required?
• What servicing intervals apply?
• Are replacement parts and consumables available in New Zealand?
• What technical documentation is available to the project team?
• Who supports the system after handover?

These questions are particularly important in public and commercial buildings because facilities management continues long after the design team has completed the project.

WCTNZ® waterless urinal technology

The uridan Waterless Urinal System

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

uridan is a specialist waterless urinal manufacturer whose products are designed around waterless operation rather than adapting a conventional flushing fixture after the fact.

The heart of the system is the dedicated uridan siphon used with uriLOCK® blocking fluid. Urine passes through the siphon into sanitary drainage while uriLOCK®, which is lighter than urine, remains above the liquid in the trap and maintains the odour barrier.

Design-led — Scandinavian fixture forms developed for architectural commercial interiors.

Waterless by design — no conventional flush-water system is required for normal urinal operation.

Purpose-designed odour control — the uridan siphon and uriLOCK® form the core of the waterless system.

Defined maintenance pathway — uriCLEAN®, uriLOCK®, uriSTRONG® and uriTABS® support routine and periodic system care.

The range includes different fixture forms for commercial and public washrooms, while WCTNZ® provides the New Zealand layer around product selection, specification support, supply, installation information, consumables and ongoing maintenance guidance.

WCTNZ® uridan Resources

For projects specifically considering uridan, the following brand and technical resources provide the next level of information.

About uridan uridan Technology Waterfree Urinals uridan Installation Overview uridan Maintenance Instructions uridan Troubleshooting Guide Urinal Consumables & Care

uridan in New Zealand — specification, supply and long-term support through WCTNZ®.

Frequently Asked Questions