However, what is less known is that the ORC overflow relief cap can also be used on overflow relief gullies to prevent foul sewer odours from being emitted where the overflow relief gully is inside a garage or carport or patio.
]]>Aquatemp Environmental Solutions has been leading the way in providing innovative solutions for environmental challenges. One of the latest products from the company, the ORC overflow relief cap, has been making waves in the industry for its ability to prevent rainwater infiltration to sewer drains.
However, what is less known is that the ORC overflow relief cap can also be used on overflow relief gullies to prevent foul sewer odours from being emitted where the overflow relief gully is inside a garage or carport or patio.
Recently we were contacted by a client who had a home gym that had become a nightmare to use because of pungent sewer odours. After an investigation, it turned out the area where the gym was located had been built by a previous owner over the old driveway, including the overflow relief gully or ORG. So obviously, there were issues with the ORG as odour emissions were occurring. So to resolve the odour issue, an ORC overflow relief cap was installed.
The results were instantaneous, according to the homeowner who sent us this SMS:
“Hi I have to say it’s so nice to train in the gym without that awful smell it has completely eliminated it…you should advertise it as an odour reducer too,,,I’m sure people have drains outside their windows and get wafts of smells from their outside overflow drains…just wanted you to know…I will put a review on Google or somewhere but I’ll say my drain is outside cheers Di.”
Overflow relief gullies (ORGs) are an essential component of the drainage system, designed to prevent the overflow of raw sewerage inside a building in the event of a blockage or backup. They are typically located outside the house and are connected to the sewer system.
In some cases, ORGs are installed inside patios, garages or carports. While this provides convenience, it can also lead to unpleasant odours being emitted inside these areas.
The ORC overflow relief cap is an easy and cost-effective solution to this problem. The ORC is designed to fit over the top of the ORG, preventing foul odours from escaping. In addition, the ORC is made from high-quality materials that are resistant to weather and UV rays, ensuring its longevity.
The ORC overflow relief cap is also straightforward to install. It fits easily over the top of the ORG, requiring no special tools or skills. The ORC is also easy to remove, allowing access to the ORG for maintenance or cleaning.
In addition to preventing foul odours, the ORC overflow relief cap also prevents snakes, rodents, cockroaches, insects and debris from entering the ORG. This is especially important in areas where insects and debris are prevalent, as they can clog the ORG and cause a backup. The ORC also prevents rainwater from entering the ORG, which can lead to flooding and potential damage to the property.
The ORC overflow relief cap is an excellent addition to any drainage system, and its benefits are significant. The ORC is easy to install and maintain, cost-effective and provides a simple solution to the problem of foul odours emanating from an ORG located inside a patio, garage or carport.
It is essential to note that the ORC overflow relief cap is not a substitute for proper drainage system maintenance. Regular cleaning and maintenance of the ORG and the drainage system are still necessary to ensure a proper functioning sewer house drain system.
In conclusion, the ORC overflow relief cap from Aquatemp Environmental Solutions is an innovative and effective solution to the problem of foul odours from an ORG located inside a patio, garage or carport.
The ORC prevents foul odours from being emitted. In addition, it prevents cockroaches, insects, and debris from entering the ORG and into your house drains.
The primary task of the ORC is to prevent rainwater from infiltrating the sewer house drainage system. Its easy installation and maintenance make it an excellent addition to any drainage system.
As always, it is essential to ensure proper maintenance of the sewer drainage system to ensure its functioning as designed.
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Urinals in the main are water-flushing urinals that use large amounts of water. This water is clean drinking water that has to be treated only to be flushed across the surface of a urinal and then flow down the drain.
The ZeroFlush urinal is Australia's #1 sustainable urinal. With a commitment to innovation and water sustainability, our urinals are designed to save water and protect the environment. ZeroFlush is the perfect choice for businesses and organisations looking to reduce their environmental footprint.
]]>As we head towards net zero emissions targets, every business with toilets and bathrooms needs to start planning its pathway towards net zero.
Urinals in the main are water-flushing urinals that use large amounts of water. This water is clean drinking water that has to be treated only to be flushed across the surface of a urinal and then flow down the drain. This water must flow through the sewers to the sewerage treatment plant to be treated.
All the water flushed down urinals comes at an environmental cost that reduces your business's sustainability goals.
The ZeroFlush urinal is Australia's #1 sustainable urinal. With a commitment to innovation and water sustainability, our urinals are designed to save water and protect the environment. ZeroFlush is the perfect choice for businesses and organisations looking to reduce their environmental footprint.
Obviously, a ZeroFlush urinal is designed to ensure it does not waste water. Traditional urinals use a significant amount of water to flush urine away, but the ZeroFlush uses simple trap options to prevent odours from escaping. This means there is no need for a constant flow of water to flush the urinal, saving thousands of litres of clean drinking water each year.
Every ZeroFlush urinal is manufactured from 100% sustainable materials, which means once they reach the stage where they require replacement, instead of being dumped in a landfill, they are 100% recyclable.
The urinal is constructed from high-grade, double-glazed vitreous china, a durable and long-lasting material that is 100% recyclable.
The housing and drainage connection at the base of the urinal is manufactured from ABS plastic, a strong and lightweight plastic material that is 100% recyclable.
The housing connection rim from the housing to the urinal is manufactured from polished stainless steel, a durable and rust-resistant material that is 100% recyclable.
All consumable working parts, such as the EnviroSeal trap or the trap insert, are manufactured from ABS plastic, a strong and lightweight plastic material that is 100% recyclable.
The mounting hardware bracket is made from galvanised steel, a durable and rust-resistant material that is 100% recyclable.
The odour barrier oil is 100% all-natural vegetable oil and biodegradable with no chemical additives allowing it to drain into your sewer drains safely.
The ZeroFlush urinal 201 and 501 models have a sleek and modern design that will complement any bathroom decor. The smooth lines and high-quality materials give the urinal a clean and contemporary look that will enhance the overall aesthetic of any bathroom facility.
A ZeroFlush urinal costs significantly less than traditional water-flushing urinals for both product and installation costs. Water piping and sensor flushing systems are eliminated, so they are simple to install in any new building construction or renovation. The installation is as simple as installing a 40mm or 50mm PVC drain pipe and fixing the urinal onto the wall.
Retrofitting ZeroFlush urinals to replace older ones can be challenging but not impossible. Retrofitting depends on the urinals needing removal and the waste pipe location.
Every model ZeroFlush urinal is easy to install as it comes with all the necessary hardware and instructions for installation and is designed to be compatible with standard drainage.
Removing outdated water-flushing urinals or old-style waterless urinals and replacing them with ZeroFlush ensures you move towards increased water sustainability to meet net-zero targets. From the first day of installation, water conservation targets are exceeded, with each ZeroFlush urinal potentially saving 12583 litres per month of fresh drinking water.
ZeroFlush waterless urinals save you 100% of the water used in your old water flushing urinals plus 100% of your sewer costs especially if your council or water authority charges you via a sewer discharge factor.
Energy savings are increased with no clean water required to be pumped to the urinals for flushing. This, in turn, dramatically reduces waste water and associated treatment costs.
Once installed, the urinal requires minimal plumbing maintenance. The only regular task is to replace the cartridge and odour barrier oil every few months or to service the EnviroSeal unit.
Traditional urinal maintenance costs are almost eliminated. Frequent problems such as blocked traps, corroded grates, hard water stains, defective sensor flushing units, broken flush valves and vandalism of the exposed mechanisms are consigned to the past.
Even other waterless urinals require far more frequent servicing than a ZeroFlush does.
The only daily task is to clean the urinal; we can even supply you with a specialised natural urinal cleaner.
Aquatemp Environmental Solutions is committed to providing the highest quality, environmentally friendly, sustainable products, and the ZeroFlush urinal is no exception.
We are confident that installing ZeroFlush urinals will significantly reduce your environmental footprint, assist your transition to net zero and save your business money in the long run.
]]>Today, we increased our prices online and sent out new price lists to our distributors and resellers.
The consumables used for ZeroFlush urinals in the main originate from the United States and therefore are paid for in US dollars. However, the crash of the Australian dollar to under 65c and trending lower has enormously impacted our costs. Allied to the direct product costs is the continual high freight costs, mainly paid for in US dollars.
You are sadly mistaken if you think the increases end in buying the product and paying the freight to get it here. Once the shipment arrives in Australia, the Australian Government then charges a myriad of charges listed below, with a box of parts last week that cost $2980 USD having Australian entry fees of $989.31:
This year's dramatic increases in our WaterMark annual fees are added to our cost pressures. They have doubled and are now costing us almost $100 per week. WaterMark has increased all the fees we pay them, but of course, we get no protection from them for companies using non-approved parts on ZeroFlush urinals.
We are not apologising for raising our costs; we realise every business operation is being impacted, but we are just trying to explain why we have increased our prices twice in the last six months.
]]>These savings are realistically achieved by installing any ZeroFlush urinal with the EnviroSeal operating system. In addition, EnviroSeal units reduce maintenance costs compared to oil-based waterless urinals substantially.
Every ZeroFlush urinal installed with an EnviroSeal operating system is guaranteed to reduce water costs simultaneously with lowering your carbon footprint, eliminating urinal odours and eradicating the spread of infections caused by water vapour from water flushing urinals.
Blocked and overflowing urinals are reduced significantly with EnviroSeal as there is no concealed trap to become clogged with tissue, toilet paper and gum.
The simple design and eco-friendly ZeroFlush urinals with EnviroSeal eliminate expensive plumbing infrastructure as there is simply no need to use water as, after all, urine is 96% water. This means water savings on average of 100000 litres and a reduction of 105kg of CO2 emissions per urinal annually. In addition, EnviroSeal prevents airborne infections created by water vapour spray during flushing a water flushing urinal that has been shown to spread 250000 bacterial germs per centimetre per flush, landing on floors and walls, skin and clothing. Furthermore, the water vapour spray from a water flushing urinal aids in spreading viruses including Covid-19, influenza and norovirus.
EnviroSeal also accelerates the flow of urine down the drain. Again, there is no concealed trap catching the urine but rather a simple one-way valve that immediately opens to allow urine to flow into the drain and then seals again. Included with EnviroSeal is a BioPur unit which has a replaceable enzyme bio tablet that breaks down uric acid and biofilm proteins making the urine PH neutral. The BioPur tablet reduces the energy required in sewerage treatment processing, reducing environmental impacts.
The elimination of water flushing with a ZeroFlush urinal eliminates calcium buildups caused by a chemical reaction between water and urine. This stops the all too common experience with water flushing urinals of drain odours, floor and wall odours, and clogged urinals after the concealed trap become calcified and backs up. Once again, this dramatically reduces expensive and avoidable plumbing emergency costs.
ZeroFlush urinals use 100% environmentally friendly spray and go three-in-one urinal cleaner, a sanitiser, deodoriser, and disinfectant. It quickly eliminates odours and cleans porcelain, fibreglass & stainless steel surfaces with unique surfactant technology that sanitises and disinfects every surface. Spray & Go Urinal Cleaner & Deodoriser is Australian manufactured from 100% organic ingredients derived from natural plant extracts and other natural ingredients that produce immediate results. When sprayed on the urinal, Spray & Go Urinal Cleaner & Deodoriser penetrates the uric acid crystals, removing the urea components that eliminate both the urine stains and odours, leaving behind a pleasant Lemongrass fragrance. Best of all, spray and go technology removes the need for harsh bleaches, acid-based drain unblockers, and plastic urinal mats, which further enhances the environmental benefits and reduces costs.
The installation of a ZeroFlush urinal is 70% less than a water flushing urinal in the construction phase, plus all the added advantages in water bill reduction and maintenance costs.
Your installing ZeroFlush urinals with EnviroSeal guarantees an end to foul-smelling urinals and urine odours from the floors and walls. Best of all, it allows you to share the environmental benefits that a ZeroFlush urinal brings. As a result, your customers are increasingly aware of, look for, and appreciate as Australia moves forward to Net Zero status.
]]>Your business could ultimately be held responsible for ensuring a safe and clean environment for both employees and customers. Even with all the publicity surrounding Coronavirus, over 30% of people using your public toilets will walk out without washing their hands. Every one of that 30 % will touch your door handle.
Door handle sanitation affects every person who enters through the door into public toilets and bathrooms. Every person using the bathroom facilities can be in a race to the bottom of personal hygiene. Every person opening the door can be affected by poor personal hygiene habits of every other person who has opened the door before them.
Installation of a Purleve hygienic door handle provides an added level of protection to ensure employees and customers are unaffected by questionable hygiene habits of every other person using your businesses public toilet facilities.
If you think a door handle cannot spread Coronavirus think again. Last week in China, the Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that a DNA sample taken from a door handle at the home of a Coronavirus patient tested positive for the disease. Deputy-Director Zhang Zhoubin of Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that Coronavirus is primarily spread via direct or indirect contact with infected objects. This means that people will expose themselves to an increased risk of infection if they handle food or rub their eyes after touching with their hands any object or surface already compromised by Coronavirus. This confirms the previous World Health Organisation briefings that Coronavirus can survive on indoor surfaces for up to five days.
Doors on the entrance to public bathrooms typically are home to a multitude of bacteria and virus strains. The majority of which carry disease-causing germs such as Coronavirus that continually multiply if not treated. Treatment is as simple as the installation of anti-bacterial Purleve hygienic door handles in your business. This creates a safer more inviting environment which contributes to increased cleanliness which will reduce overall maintenance costs.
A Purleve hygienic door handle has innovative automatic sleeve dispenser technology which ensures every person who touches the handle can be assured that the handle has never been touched by another person. Automatic sleeve dispenser technology has artificial intelligence to know when the handle has been touched. This ensures it advances another self-contained, never been touched sleeve to fully cover the handle which guarantees every person touches a completely hygienic and sanitary door handle.
Reduced risk for your businesses customers and employees when leaving your public bathrooms makes good financial sense. This, in turn, creates a superior perception of your businesses sanitation combined with better health, better manners and a better business image.
Ultimately in today's world, every business needs to create a safe, clean environment for their customers and employees. Contact Aquatemp Environmental Solutions today on 1800 999 010 to discuss how a Purleve hygienic door handle provides business owners with a cost-effective solution during this Coronavirus outbreak while also protecting them against bacteria and virus that affect public bathrooms and toilets every day.
]]>ZeroFlush waterless urinals are a guaranteed path to reducing water and energy consumption plus greenhouse gas emissions in any type of non-residential commercial building. Installing them will always help water and energy sustainability.
]]>Replacing a water flushing urinal with a ZeroFlush waterless model can save an average of 152000 litres annually per urinal. There’s one urinal for every three toilets in non-residential properties, which together account for more than a quarter of Australia’s water consumption.
The supply of water to commercial office buildings, shopping centres, educational facilities and hotels utilises a substantial amount of energy. The simple act of installing ZeroFlush waterless urinals and the disconnection of urinals from a buildings water reticulation system can reduce by 50% a building’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Throughout Australia, water charges continue to increase annually with the advent of sewerage discharge factors based on the amount of water consumed which requires reductions in water consumption to avoid hefty annual increases. For commercial property managers, this means they must budget for paying for water coming into the building and also going out via the sewage system. This means the installation of ZeroFlush urinals will not only aid with sustainability but reduce water and energy costs.
The urban myth that waterless urinals are unhygienic and stink is a myth perpetuated by opponents of waterless urinals that has no foundation in fact. A recent study by the Shanghai Environment Project Design Institute once again proved that waterless urinals contain five times fewer bacteria than water flushing urinals. Bacteria and germs from water flushing urinals are created by airborne fecal matter that is reproduced when the urinal flushes water. The combination of water moisture with the fecal matter creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grow and flourish. As waterless urinals don’t flush water every time they have been used the opportunity for bacterial and germ contamination becomes very remote.
The real reason most male bathroom facilities have putrid odours is triggered by the bacteria created from airborne fecal matter and water moisture. Urine by itself has a very soft odour but combined with the water flushing urinals spraying of water particles it can quickly create odours over the entire bathroom facility.
ZeroFlush Waterless urinals are precisely what they sound like. Instead of using water to flush away the urine, like traditional urinals which waste anywhere up to 25 litres of water every time they flush. ZeroFlush waterless urinals utilise gravity, putting urine through an odour barrier or one-way valve system which eliminates 100% of the water from a conventional flushing process.
Replacing a flushing urinal with a ZeroFlush waterless model can save an average of 152000 litres annually per urinal. There’s one urinal for every three toilets in non-residential properties, which together account for more than a quarter of Australia’s water consumption.
The supply of water to commercial office buildings, shopping centres, educational facilities and hotels utilises a substantial amount of energy. The simple act of installing ZeroFlush waterless urinals and the disconnection of urinals from a buildings water reticulation system can reduce by 50% a building’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Throughout Australia, water charges continue to increase annually with the advent of sewerage discharge factors based on the amount of water consumed which requires reductions in water consumption to avoid hefty annual increases. For commercial property managers, this means they must budget for paying for water coming into the building and also going out via the sewage system. This means the installation of ZeroFlush urinals will not only aid with sustainability but reduce water and energy costs.
The urban myth that waterless urinals are unhygienic and stink is a myth perpetuated by opponents of waterless urinals that has no foundation in fact. A recent study by the Shanghai Environment Project Design Institute once again proved that waterless urinals contain five times fewer bacteria than water flushing urinals. Bacteria and germs from water flushing urinals are created by airborne fecal matter that is reproduced when the urinal flushes water. The combination of water moisture with the fecal matter creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grow and flourish. As waterless urinals don’t flush water every time they have been used the opportunity for bacterial and germ contamination becomes very remote.
The real reason most male bathroom facilities have putrid odours is triggered by the bacteria created from airborne fecal matter and water moisture. Urine by itself has a very soft odour but combined with the water flushing urinals spraying of water particles it can quickly create odours over the entire bathroom facility.
ZeroFlush waterless urinals are a guaranteed path to reducing water and energy consumption plus greenhouse gas emissions in any type of non-residential commercial building. Installing them will always help water and energy sustainability.
]]>ZeroFlush waterless urinals innovation continue to defy the critics of waterless urinals as they continually outperform every other water flushing and waterless urinal available today.
Unlike many other urinals, ZeroFlush waterless urinals have continued to evolve and are world leaders in developing sustainable solutions. The introduction of the EnviroSeal operating system is reducing costs by eliminating expensive odour barrier oils.
Continuous innovation continues with the EnviroSeal with the introduction of the Wonder Wizard Tab's which almost eliminates uric salt buildups in the urinal and prevents blockages. The Wonder Wizard Tab's are easily replaced every month as part of the daily cleaning procedure.
In public toilets, every urinal and every toilet must be cleaned every day. The simple cleaning procedures required to clean a ZeroFlush waterless urinal make the daily cleaning a dream for cleaners as it's so quick to undertake as long as the manufacturer's instructions are followed.
In cleaning a ZeroFlush urinal, the commitment to using environmentally sustainable products has continued with the rejection of harsh chemical products and acids.The introduction of Aquatemp Spray & Go specialist urinal cleaners which are 100% manufactured from nature's most powerful cleaner, plant-based enzymes. The combination of EnviroSeal with a Wonder Wizard Tab cleaned with Aquatemp Spray & Go delivers a superior odourless performance to every public toilet facility.
Installation of ZeroFlush waterless urinals provides significant cost benefits in the installation cost as no expensive electronic water flushing systems are required. This reduces the initial capital expenditure and eliminates their ongoing maintenance costs.
Above all ZeroFlush installation will save water and sewerage discharge costs from the local water authority. A recent study was undertaken across 11 McDonalds restaurants with ZeroFlush urinals that conclusively showed a drop in water use of 19% over a 6 month period.
Contact Aquatemp now to discuss how you can benefit by installing ZeroFlush waterless urinals as we can guarantee the following:
The use of Desert urinal cartridges as a substitute or retrofitted waterless urinal operating system is non-compliant, illegal and not approved on ZeroFlush waterless urinals.
Claims by Desert that their unique urinal cartridge is reusable and can fit nearly all waterless urinal brands are fraudulent, deceptive and deceitful.
The simple fact is that Desert has no WaterMarked approved urinal cartridges that have been tested, certified and approved for use in:
Do not be fooled if representatives or distributors of Desert Eco System Company tell you that their waterless urinal cartridge can be retrofitted to any waterless urinal because, entirely simply, they are LIARS.
Worst of all, they are leaving you wide open to possible legal action from manufacturers, state government plumbing authorities and possibly the most frightening from no-win no-pay law firms under Workplace, Health and Safety legislation breaches.
The Desert urinal cartridges are only approved for use in one waterless urinal, the Desert No Flush urinal.
Desert Eco System Company has long made dubious claims offering simplistic answers to complex problems.
When many Australian cities were gripped by drought and water shortages in 2006-09, companies like Desert sprung up everywhere to take advantage of government subsidies. In those days, they were known as Desert Eco, claiming that their blue pill called the Desert urinal cube could turn your water-flushing urinal into a waterless urinal and save you thousands of dollars yearly. This, of course, was illegal, but they failed to inform consumers of their products of this.
The Desert Eco blue pill or urinal cube did untold damage to urinals with blockages and odours. So in 2010, amendments to AS/NZS 3500.2-2003, part of the Plumbing Code of Australia, were introduced to clarify that converting water-flushing urinals to waterless urinals was illegal. This was under clause 11.24.3 Conversion to waterless urinals: Urinals shall not be converted into waterless urinals unless the wall-hung or slab urinal has been authorised for use as a waterless urinal, and the requirements of Clauses 11.24.2.1 and 11.24.2.3 have been satisfied.
As a manufacturer, it is incredibly frustrating to get phone calls telling us that ZeroFlush urinals are defective, stink and do not work.
Unfortunately, when we investigated this, we found the problem is not the ZeroFlush waterless urinal, but relatively simple servicing is being undertaken in a non-compliant manner. Often the cause is the installation of untested, unapproved and illegal after-market systems such as Desert urinal cartridges or Enswico Key-System urinal wastes.
ZeroFlush waterless urinals are all WaterMark approved, having undergone incredibly stringent testing and certification in their entirety, so they are compliant under Australian law with ATS 5200.469, which is the Australian technical specification for waterless urinals. This guarantees performance and protects consumers.
Be aware that under Australian consumer laws, if you have installed Desert urinal cartridges in any waterless urinal other than the Desert No Flush urinal based on the dubious claims made to you by representatives of Desert Eco System Company, then you are not only entitled to a refund of all your money but also compensation to pay for your waterless urinals being returned to a legally compliant status as per your waterless urinals WaterMark certification.
]]>Recent meetings in Singapore and Malaysia regarding Purleve hygienic door handles had everyone asking the same question and that is, "lets be honest, do you always wash your hands for 20 seconds as per the recommendations?"
Research recently undertaken in New Zealand uncovered a poor hand-hygiene record by medical practitioners throughout all hospitals in New Zealand. The research demonstrated that of the 3,416 hand washing opportunities for medical practitioners in hospitals that hand washing only occurred in 1,952 of those opportunities. Therefore in the 1,464 incidents when handwashing did not take place there was a likelihood that infections be transmitted to other patients.
Most disturbing of all was that the research found that doctors, surgeons and hospital chefs are among the worst offenders at not adhering to hand hygiene.
This is further emphasised by figures from New Zealand's latest Health Quality and Safety Commission National Hand Hygiene report. It found that over four months medical practitioners across all hospitals had a poor rate of hand washing with compliance at 57.1 per cent. In New Zealand the national standard is 70 per cent for hand washing. Alarmingly student doctors' compliance with hand hygiene was only 41.7 per cent.
Proving that a greater emphasis on training in hand hygiene is required for hospital domestic staff, including cleaners and those working with food was confirmed with only 35.6 per cent of the domestic staff washing their hands.
The poor adherence to hand hygiene and handwashing is further emphasised in New Zealand after an Environmental Science and Research study found superbug infections in hospitals had risen 10 per cent. The most well-known hospital superbug is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA and is most commonly spread via dirty hands.
Hand hygiene requirements in hospitals are that medical practitioners should wash their hands at five key moments:
The research report found the lack of handwashing hygiene adherence for all hospital workers occurred most commonly after leaving patients and before procedures.
Doctors were found to most commonly wash their hands before and after seeing the patient. Many doctors felt that the five moments of hygiene added a level of complexity that many were unaware of.
The New Zealand Ministry of Health has found to increase compliance to over 73% requires a robust audit procedure plus providing the right-hand hygiene equipment and facilities including posting of signs about the possible consequences.
New Zealand's associate health minister Jo Goodhew called for better tracking of how often hospital workers washed their hands. "Clean hands save lives, it's as simple as that," she said.
]]>Waterless urinals have been around for 20 years now having become available in the mid 1990's. Depending on your perspective they are beginning to gain widespread acceptance coupled with notoriety. But in a time where water is becoming increasingly expensive in commercial buildings, getting rid of the flushing urinal is an excellent way to reduce overheads and operational maintenance costs.
Despite what misinformed engineers and plumbers say waterless urinals aren't some ill-advised attempts at water sustainability and eco-friendly urinals. In fact waterless urinals are a significant improvement in urinal design both waterless and water flushing, not just for commercial building owners, the environment but for the user experience.
Aquatemp Environmental Solutions has below produced a guide to assist consumers and explain how waterless urinals work.
The difference between waterless urinals and water flushing urinals is contrary to some opinions much more than simply turning off the water supply. It is impossible to turn a water flushing urinal into a waterless one by not flushing an existing urinal or putting in dubious urinal valves or odour blocking products or urinal mats. Water flushing urinals are similar to toilets as they use gravity driven water to rinse out the bowl and flush waste down the drain and through the wastepipes to the sewer.
That delightful odour that is a universal characteristic of mens public toilets is, in reality, the chemical interaction of water and urine that creates the bacteria that produce that "delightful" urine smell in male toilet facilities. That odour is eliminated by installing waterless urinals because the water is eliminated from the equation. In fact urine by itself is sterile. Waterless urinals create a dry operation that prevent bacteria breeding in wet areas on tiles plus the surface of the urinal will typically stay dry unlike water flushing urinals that are perpetually moist. The removal of water and urine overspray combats the growth of odour producing and harmful bacteria.
All urinals are shaped by design to minimise splashing and maximise gravitational pull which ensures that the urinal bowl drains fully after use. Waterless urinals dont waste expensive water to push the urine to the waste outlet and down the drain. Instead waterless urinals utilise specially designed trapping systems that force urine down the drain and prevent sewage odours from entering up through the pipes. The majority of waterless urinals on the market today use replaceable cartridges and use usually a blue liquid sealant that is lighter than urine floating on top of the urine in the trapping system and creating an odour proof barrier.
Very simply as the urinal drains, the urine filters through the the sealant with uric acids sinking to the bottom of the trap which removes uric acid from slowly trickling through the plumbing wastepipes and prevents crystallization in the wastepipes. This prevents urine and sewer gases from finding their way back up the urinal. As the urine enters the main trap chamber and through the sealant the urine overflows downward through the S-shaped interior and into the plumbing wastepipes leaving the uric salts behind.
The trap is designed not only to force urine to drain, but to prevent the sealant from being disturbed, ensuring that, once drained, neither urine nor sewage odours will escape. After approximately 5000-15000 uses depending on the waterless urinal brand the sealant will begin to degrade. This will require the old cartridge to be removed, the urinal cleaned, and a new cartridge put into place.
The major criticism of this design is that it's a supposedly eco-friendly solution but in reality requires the repeated use and disposal of a plastic cartidge or trap and the installation of extremely expensive odour barrier oil. Zero Flush waterless urinals addresses this problem by not only eliminating the replaceable trap but also the liquid sealant odour barrier technology with the introduction of the EnviroSeal system .
Basically, instead of having a cartridge using odour barrier sealant or oil the EnviroSeal system utlises elastomer seal technology that opens to let urine through and immediately seals to prevent odours escaping. The addition of BioPur enzyme kits prevents uric salts from damaging the plumbing wastepipes plus eliminates odours escaping from the Zero Flush urinal. To download more information click on the following link
When properly maintained in accordance with manufacturers instructions, waterless urinals are completely odour free and absolutely hygienic. Waterless urinals are an excellent way to reduce water consumption, reduce water charges, reduce maintenance and operational cost and eliminate that pungent mens public toilet smell.
]]>Fresh & Green biological cartridge's have no approvals to be used in ZeroFlush waterless urinals or any other urinal that we are aware of. Furthermore we have received advice that under Australian consumer laws if you have brought and installed Fresh & Green inserts based on representations made by Alsco representatives then you are not only entitled to a refund but also compensation to have your urinals brought back to a legally compliant status.
After inspecting installations of not only ZeroFlush urinals but other manufacturers urinals late last year and earlier this year we were concerned about unlicensed persons (in the main cleaners) removing urinal parts and replacing them with a product marketed as Fresh & Green.
In our technical update in April we published an article Fresh & Green Inserts Are Not a Compliant Urinal System in which we said, "Fresh & Green is a substandard inferior product with no WaterMark and no approval from manufacturers for its installation in any urinal. Fresh & Green inserts are a one product fit all solution. Fresh & Green inserts are an appalling product that essentially leave an open sewer connection on the urinal which emits foul odours. Invariably the urinal manufacturer’s get the blame for their product being defective when the problem is the servicing being done in a non-compliant manner by installing non approved Fresh & Green inserts rather than the tested and WaterMark approved consumerable products to save a few dollars."
The distributors of Fresh & Green contacted us claiming there were inaccuracies in our article and that they did indeed have WaterMark approval see Response From Fresh & Green Distributor
After checking out the claims of Alsco's regional general manager, Robert Carlile we stand by our claims that Fresh & Green inserts are not a compliant or approved or authorised system to be used in waterless urinals. The facts are simply:
Very simply Fresh & Green cannot be used as a replacement part in ZeroFlush waterless urinals and replacing tested and approved urinal parts with non tested and non approved after market parts is not only dangerous but is also illegal.
]]>In addition to the successful Odour Barrier Oil System for the ZeroFlush waterless urinals, Aquatemp is launching an innovative new trapping system, EnviroSeal, which will increase sustainability performance and substantially reduce maintenance costs.
]]>The Aquatemp team is excited to launch its new category of sustainable systems for the ZeroFlush waterless urinal product line. The first installation in Australia of these revolutionary new upgrades to waterless urinal technology has been installed on level 2 arrivals at Brisbane International Airport.
In addition to the successful Odour Barrier Oil System for the ZeroFlush waterless urinals, Aquatemp is launching an innovative new trapping system, EnviroSeal, which will increase sustainability performance and substantially reduce maintenance costs.
The EnviroSeal system will eliminate water use and significantly reduce labour and maintenance without using oil or chemicals. In addition, the ZeroFlush waterless urinals save up to 150,000 litres of water per urinal annually. This is significant monetary savings for any facility and is further enhanced by EnviroSeal, which guarantees the lowest operational costs and most cost-efficient system available anywhere, plus enhances sustainability and environmental concerns.
The EnviroSeal is available in two configurations: traditional white or the new chrome plated. Using a standard J-Trap seal, both systems are enhanced by a Bio-Pūr Enzyme and Deodorising Block. In addition, silver Ion technology is inbuilt into the manufacturing process to reduce bacteria further.
These innovative EnviroSeal solutions address the issue of incompatible chemical cleaners and maintenance errors that sometimes occur. All chemical cleaners and any amount of water or other liquids can be placed in the ZeroFlush Urinals with the EnviroSeal system without a negative effect on performance or odour.
The EnviroSeal advantage enhances the ownership advantages of installing a ZeroFlush waterless urinal which is the culmination of proven technology, environmental concern and continuous innovation. ZeroFlush urinals upgraded to the patent-pending EnviroSeal provide superior odourless performance and trouble-free operation while improving total bathroom sanitation and hygiene. Key savings are:
Once again, the ongoing research and development that has led to the creation of EnviroSeal confirm that it is ZeroFlush first and then everyone else a distant second with waterless urinals.
]]>Until 1998 commercial building owners were predominantly concerned with maintaining a clean public toilet facility and little or no thought was given to sustainability. It was a known operational fact that for businesses such as shopping centres or restaurants that had a high movement of people that the cleanliness of their toilet facilities boosted the success of that business. The best example of this worldwide would be McDonald's who take great care to maintain their toilet facilities as many traveller's will specifically hunt out a McDonald's restaurant specifically because they know there will be clean toilets available.
According to a recent industry survey more than 75% of adults would avoid a restaurant, hotel or shopping centre if they encountered dirty toilets. A clean and hygienic toilet is absolutely critical for any building. In many ways the toilet facilities act as an ambassador and speak volumes about the overall management of a building.
In recent years it has become increasingly clear that building managers must also strive for sustainability. As such, businesses and building owners and managers strive to incorporate products that are not only sustainable but are visibly environmentally friendly.
As one of the most visible areas of any building, the toilet facilities are the source of more complaints than any other operational aspect of a building. Unfortunately, public toilet facilities are one of the most difficult areas in a building to keep clean. Sustainable product choices in the toilets contribute to a cleaner, more hygienic experience and are also better for the environment. An area that Aquatemp Environmental Services has not only pioneered but continued to develop product in, is waterless urinals. Waterless urinals are only mentioned in an environmental context, where both the immense water savings of up to 152000 litres and more per urinal, per year and carbon emissions reduction of up to 320kg per urinal, per year are cited.
There is a common misconception that waterless urinals are not as hygienic as their flush urinal counterparts. However, waterless urinal systems actually reduce odours and contribute to a cleaner, more sanitary public toilet facility. A few facts demonstrate why:
According to the Journal of Infection Control, bacteria such as those that cause the influenza virus can thrive and linger on surfaces for up to 72 hours. As a result water flushing urinals contain more bacteria and microorganisms than waterless urinals. The waterless feature of waterless urinals can help reduce the risk of cross-contamination because users are not required to touch a flushing device that may harbour bacteria.
Waterless urinals require minimum maintenance to ensure a clean, hygienic, sustainable, user-friendly experience. The Zero Flush urinal supplied by Aquatemp Environmental Solutions require like all urinals periodic maintenance whilst on a daily basis it is simply a matter of a simply spray of the urinal with Zero Flush Spray and Go a mild cleaner that requires no wiping clean as you would with a flush urinal. Because there’s no water, there will be no lime scale or calcite build up, which makes cleaning fast and easy.
With Zero Flush waterless urinals, building owners and managers can be assured that their public toilet facilities will be sustainable, cleaner and the experience of their clients will be both hands-free and hygienic.
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After many months of onsite testing, product tweaking and revision we are now able to launch the first major innovation to the technology of ZeroFlush waterless urinals in 6 years. The EnviroSeal system finally elimates the frequent need for servicing with insert replacement and the use of extremely expensive odour barrier oil.
The ZeroFlush EnviroSeal system with the integral BioPur kit is next generation technology that reduces servicing costs significantly. The EnviroSeal technology allows ZeroFlush to leap ahead of the 30 year old systems used by all other waterless urinal manufacturers, which is to trap urine in the urinal and prevent odour emissions by pouring in a barrier of oil to float on top of the urine.
The advantages afforded with improved sanitation and hygiene by using the EnviroSeal system to building owners and facility managers who install ZeroFlush waterless urinals are:
EnviroSeal systems are the culmination of proven technology and continuous innovation. Available now in either a chrome or white finish.
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