The one big hang-up that is common here is equating the sanitary qualities of a urinal in the home with that of a row of urinals in a mens room at an airport, truck stop, etc. Yet people easily dismiss the comparison of a row of public toilets as having any resemblence to their own home bathroom.
A urinal is JUST A TOILET THAT'S MOUNTED HIGHER UP ON THE WALL. A toilet THAT NEVER SEES ANY SHIT (at least it shouldn't in your own home
- no more than expecting to find shit in your shower or wash basin).
No friggen tank mechanism / flapper to putz with every 5 years.
No flushing and re-filling noise to deal with in the middle of the night (at least - not much noise).
If there's no room, if it's too expensive to put in - that's fine.
Plenty of new homes are always being built, or remodeled. Bathrooms
*ARE* bigger these days.
But don't give me the "it's too yucky" or "un-hygenic" reason. That's bullshit. Urine is actually a sterile body fluid (at least it is if you're healthy) and I'd argue that the average urinal will capture a higher percentage of wayward urine than the average toilet.
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Will Today?s Homeowners Accept Home Urinals?
Stylish and water-efficient, urinals may be making their way into more homes
By Robert Kravitz July 26, 2010
A Los Angeles journalist faced a dilemma. After purchasing a home in
2007, he realized it needed a new bathroom. While contemplating how he wanted the bathroom to look and what materials and fixtures he wanted to install, it occurred to him that one of his dreams had always been to have a urinal in his master bath.
The contractor was more than happy to install one. However, a very successful real estate broker next door said that installing a home urinal was ?absolutely? the wrong thing to do. It seems that for most people, urinals conjure up all kinds of unsanitary images. Ultimately, the journalist decided to let this dream go unfulfilled.
At about the same time, a woman in Ontario, Canada, told her designer that she wanted a home urinal installed in her new master bedroom, believing it would help keep the bathroom cleaner and more sanitary. ?My husband?s aim isn?t that good,? she said. ?So it seems like a good solution.?
OVERCOMING BARRIERS
It?s true that many people, men as well as women, find the thought of installing a home urinal a bit grungy, to say the least. After all, it is not uncommon to find unsightly and unsanitary urinals in truck stops, gas stations, schools, sports arenas, and scores of other locations.
However, builders of high-end homes and apartments have found that today's consumers are more receptive to home urinals, often because they have seen elegant versions in luxury and boutique hotels. Instead of the typical office urinal, which has not changed much in design in decades, these versions are typically sleeker and smaller and are available in softer colors and even unusual shapes, such as teardrops and orchids.
Architects and designers also report that in recent years (or at least before the economic downturn), clients have been requesting home urinals more frequently. For example, Fenwick Bonnell (of Powell & Bonnell, a design firm in Toronto) reports that his company completed a renovation in 2007 that included his-and-her bathrooms with a bidet for the lady and a urinal for the gentleman.
At another home, this one in Plano, Texas, a $3 million entertainment wing included a urinal at the request of the homeowner. The addition?s designer, Ashley Astleford, said she was not surprised at the request because home urinals have become more common in recent years.
COST & INSTALLATION
Home urinals such as the upscale and stylish models described above typically range in price from $300 to $650 for no-water urinal systems to $900 to $1,300 for conventional flush water urinals. Of course, there is no set upper limit. One woman actually gave her husband a $10,000 urinal as a gift to install in their penthouse apartment in Edgewater, New Jersey.
In addition to the cost of the unit, installation charges must also be considered. If the urinal is part of a new construction project or a bathroom renovation, the additional costs are minor. However, if the unit is added to an existing bathroom, the costs can run several hundred dollars. This is due primarily to plumbing costs. Water must be brought to the urinal and a drain system must be installed to remove the waste.
One way homeowners have reduced these costs is to select one of the no-water, or ?waterless,? home urinal systems mentioned earlier. These units, which can save as much as 10,000 gallons of water annually, typically cost less than conventional urinals because they have fewer water-related parts. While they still require a drain system, no water connections or flush systems?the most expensive part of a home urinal installation?are necessary. A cylinder placed at the base of the urinal prevents sewer gases from being released while allowing waste to be removed.
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Waterless Co.?s Anza and Baja are both waterless urinals that can help reduce residential water use.
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Contemporary designs such as these by UK-based Philip Watts Design take the "grunge" factor out of a residential urinal. Shown here are Gloo, which is offered in 11 solid colors (top left) and an LED-illuminated model, and Spoon (bottom). For more information, visit
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Clark Sorensen?s handcrafted porcelain urinals come in a variety of flower-themed designs, including California poppies (top left), orchids and tulips. Non-flora-related urinals are also available at
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See also:
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