Is there any advantage to installing a brand new waterless urinal over a conversion? For example, are the purpose-designed waterless urinals in any way better than any conversion or will they work just as we’ll and cost just as much to maintain, etc?
All waterless urinals on this website work well, with the correct care. We only prmote products we have tested thoroughly and trust. The urinal bowl is just a receptacle for a waterless urinal system. In most cases, replacing a perfectly good urinal bowl with another is difficult to cost justify. This is almost always true of washrooms with flushed urinals that have a visible cistern and water pipes because putting in a new urinal usually means going to the trouble of removing all the equipment and pipes related to flushing, leaving areas of the wall that need filling and redecoration. If the cistern and pipes are concealed, the costs of neatly changing to a purpose-built urinal are less, but there is still the cost of the new bowl and their fitting.
For washrooms with concealed pipework, the Uridan Admiral should be considered. The Aquafree conversion system for standard urinals costs around £100 per year to run but the consumables for the Admiral are likely to be less than £20 per annum. However, it will take years for the cost of the new bowl and fitting to be recouped.
For washrooms with visible pipework, converting the current bowls is likely to be most cost-effective but the Aridian bowl with the GW6 cartridge and the Uridan Cadet are worth considering.
If the washroom is scheduled for a major refurbishment, including the replacement of the existing urinal bowls, then the difference in cost between deploying a purpose-built waterless urinal and standard urinal converted to waterless is obviously less. Gentworks offers a standard urinal bowl with a waterless kit for under £100 but purpose-built waterless bowls start at around £230. However, the low running costs of using a Uridan waterless urinal or an Aridian with a GW6 cartridge will make up for the difference in bowl price usually within 1 to 3 years.
An important factor in the decision is the maintenance and cleaning requirements of each type of waterless urinal system. If you think it will be difficult to ensure that cleaning personel use compatible cleaning products, resulting in the need for more consumables to make up for the damage, then the Aridian with the GW6 cartridge is by far the best choice. If a cleaning regime can be followed, then the Uridan and Aridian bowls will probably require less regular maintenance than a converted urinal using the Aquafree system.
For a comparison of urinal bowl and running costs, please go to http://www.waterlessurinals.co.uk/Comparison-of-Waterless-Urinal-Costs.html .