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Triple master contractor Ed Del Grande
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By Ed Del Grande
Q: Hi Ed, I'm a contractor and read your column often. A few weeks ago you mentioned that the new waterless urinals can be a water saving option to install in new homes. I have two questions for you. How do they work? And are they a good choice for commercial applications as well? Bill (California)
A: Bill, since you're from California, I know that saving water is most likely a big concern of yours. I recently returned from a tour of Southern California to promote water-saving plumbing fixtures for home use. Many areas offer cash rebates from the utilities towards the purchase price of the fixtures. Keeping that in mind I'll answer your last question first about waterless urinals and commercial applications. Yes, waterless urinals are a great choice for commercial applications and were originally designed for "heavy use" situations. Waterless urinals installed in a busy commercial bathroom like an airport can save up to 40,000 gallons of water per year per urinal! That's the good news. The bad news is that since they use no water, they will require a little extra maintenance work, but it's well worth it for the water-saving potential.
The extra maintenance work is basically just spraying the urinal with the factory cleaning fluids once a day and changing the urinal trap fluid twice a month. This leads is to your second question on how they work. The secret is the special trap fluid that floats on top of heavier liquids inside the urinal drain trap. The trap fluid is an odor absorbing fluid that seals the top of the trap and all the heavier liquids entering the urinal pass through the lighter trap fluid and go down the drain. Twice a month the waterless urinal trap is washed out by pouring a bucket of water down the drain; then the trap is resealed by pouring a cup of the environmentally friendly fluid back into the trap.
That should answer all your questions, Bill, even though I just gave you "watered down" information!
Q: Ed, help! I have water leaking in over a kitchen cabinet, but it does not leak all the time. There are no water lines in the area and I first thought it was a leak in the roof and replaced some shingles but that did not help. There is a plumbing vent pipe that goes across the area but can a vent pipe leak? The water has destroyed the cabinet, and we don't have a clue as to where the leak is coming from. What next? Fred (Chicago)
A: Fred, in my many years as a service repair person, I have encountered many mystery leaks. Usually it's the last thing you would expect to cause a leak. One time I found a leak that ended up being an unused electrical wire that went outside and rain water followed the wire inside the house and halfway across the house till it started dripping in the living room. My point is that you never know with hidden leaks what the cause may be, and you'll waste more time and money trying to guess.
I always recommend taking a first hand look. Since you say the cabinet is ruined anyway, I would have a finish carpenter remove the cabinet and open up the ceiling to expose the area that's leaking. Once you can see what exactly is leaking, now at least you can pinpoint and address the problem. When the problem is corrected, it should be a pretty easy job to repair the ceiling and install a new cabinet.
When dealing with mystery leaks, even a good guess usually gets you in a puddle of trouble!
Ed Del Grande was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. With more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction, he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. If you have a question for Ed, send him an e-mail at eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.
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