To those that have incorporated Urinals...

[IrregularPulse]

We're rebuilding our basement after a recent water heater accident. We're going to go ahead and add a half bath while we're at it and I want to incorporate a urinal. A contractor is doing the work. I just need to pick it out.

Any tips, recommendations or FYI's I should know about? Brand of Urinal? Auto or manual flush? I'd like to use a BL tap handle as the flush handle if possible. Best cakes to use, how often to change them in a home environment, do you even use them, stuff like that.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

The BL handle is pure genius.

 

[KitB]

I've always loved the urinals, at Stasiu's in Minneapolis...
http://www.urinal.net/stasius/

 

[Homercidal]

Flush twice, it's a long way to the kegerator!

 

[TyTanium]

The BL handle is pure genius.

Totally agree. Love it.

 

[rawlus]

toto makes the best stuff.

 

[rawlus]

http://blog.styleestate.com/style-estate-blog/modern-home-urinals.html

 

[IrregularPulse]

The BL handle is pure genius.

Totally agree. Love it.

Not an original idea. I saw/heard it somewhere on HBT a while ago.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

toto makes the best stuff.

Time to get out of the 80's brother.

 

[FuBaR1218]

One of the bars here has a keg as a urinal. They cut it in half and left it a bit higher in the back and plumbed it all in, its quite neat actually.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Not an original idea. I saw/heard it somewhere on HBT a while ago.

Doesn't the idea of having a BL handle kinda negate the idea of an auto-flush?

And, in regards to the giant mint. I prefer WinterGreen.

 

[NateLTB]

Kohler actually makes the best urinals. I would go with a Sloan Royal 186-1 flush valve but I'm not sure if you'll be able to mount a tap handle to the flush handle just because the way they're made (unless you do some welding). The flushometer handles have a seal on the end of them that seals into the body of the flush valve. You're going to want to also check into a carrier for inside the wall that the urinal will be bolted to. Since it's a residential application you may be able to get away from using a carrier and save yourself about $250.
If you're looking to save water you could always go with a waterless urinal. The downside to those is they have a special cartridge in the drain that makes the seal and allows waste to go through. They are extremely nasty to change but you would save some money going that route because you won't need a flush valve.

Do you have a Ferguson near you? I would go in to there and talk to their plumbing salesman.

 

[Brewskii]

I've always loved the urinals, at Stasiu's in Minneapolis...
http://www.urinal.net/stasius/

I knew I'd peed in one of those...

http://www.urinal.net/mcsorleys/

Mcsorleys' ale house NYC

 

[bagpiperjosh]

Is the BL handle because it tastes like what you are flushing?

 

[nhwrecker]

Cool idea - as an FYI, I remember reading in one of the posts of someone that had installed a urinal, that the size of the plumbing was immportant - I think it was wildwest's lean to brewery, but that's 70+ pages long and I couldn't find it in a search.

I think he mentioned that you needed to ensure that you had 3/4" water lines feeding the urinal, not 1/2".

 

[pickles]

I installed a urinal in our bathroom a few years back. I think the urinal itself was Crane; but the flush mechanism was Toto. It was manual and people would constantly leave pee in it. I say go for the auto flush; be prepared its spendy! Also, put down a rug or mat under it, our tile grout got stained. We guys are messy I guess... There is nothing more rewarding than getting up and peeing in your own urinal! My wife and a few of her friends used it once during a party; that was interesting!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I installed a urinal in our bathroom a few years back. I think the urinal itself was Crane; but the flush mechanism was Toto. It was manual and people would constantly leave pee in it. I say go for the auto flush; be prepared its spendy! Also, put down a rug or mat under it, our tile grout got stained. We guys are messy I guess... There is nothing more rewarding than getting up and peeing in your own urinal! My wife and a few of her friends used it once during a party; that was interesting!

I say get the full height urinal and a floor drain a half foot away.

 

[Tinga]

Get something etched in the urinal like a fly or something. Studies show that when you have something to aim at you're much more accurate.

 

[Homercidal]

Arduino that sucker and make your OWN autoflush!

 

[IrregularPulse]

I installed a urinal in our bathroom a few years back. I think the urinal itself was Crane; but the flush mechanism was Toto. It was manual and people would constantly leave pee in it. I say go for the auto flush; be prepared its spendy! Also, put down a rug or mat under it, our tile grout got stained. We guys are messy I guess... There is nothing more rewarding than getting up and peeing in your own urinal! My wife and a few of her friends used it once during a party; that was interesting!

If you had it to do again, would you put it in? Or was it more of a novelty that wore off quick and ended up being a waste of money?

 

[pickles]

Definitely would do it again. Keep in mind that this was in a bathroom on the lower level of the house, not in a basement/game room. I've since purchased a new house and don't have room for one, but when I move (and wife allows it) I'll put in another. It was never really a novelty, although it seems like it. The house was completely gutted and a high end remodel done that included two baths; one was full bath plus urinal.

 

[mcwilcr]

Get yourself one of these.

Or one of these.

They are specially designed to help avoid unwanted splash back or spillage.

 

[bagpiperjosh]

just make sure none of your friends take a dump in the urinal.

 

[Rbeckett]

Flush twice, it's a long way to the kegerator!

Homer, You got it all wrong..... Pee hard and flush twice it a long way to Bud's brewery. Since I came back from Germany I have seriously missed my Pils and Hefe's. Gonna do something bout that soon enough. Nearly 90% done with my brew rig. Just a few more little bits here and there and build a trick stand for a cripple. But, I am having a blast learning to brew. It is an addiction I wont go to jail for anyway...
Bob

 

[Pilgarlic]

I know someone with an anatomical anomaly that causes him to pee in split streams at a nearly 90 degree angle to one another, left and right. For him, it's either a urinal or sit. He installed a urinal in his home in about 1980. No cakes. Never had a problem with it. Visitors always get a big kick out of it.

 

[kmmuellr]

A urinal is on my shortlist once my basement brewery is in place. Bar opening party is this weekend, but the brewery is still the garage.

I was thinking of just plumbing the drain into my sump, which is quite active (ie, it pumps at least twice an hour, and pumps into a storm drain not my yard.) Those w/ experience w/ a urinal, what do you think? Would I have stink issues w/ it going into the sump?

I think it would be fine, but two friends have said that it was a bad idea.

K

 

[pickles]

A urinal is on my shortlist once my basement brewery is in place. Bar opening party is this weekend, but the brewery is still the garage.

I was thinking of just plumbing the drain into my sump, which is quite active (ie, it pumps at least twice an hour, and pumps into a storm drain not my yard.) Those w/ experience w/ a urinal, what do you think? Would I have stink issues w/ it going into the sump?

I think it would be fine, but two friends have said that it was a bad idea.

K

Even though some old sewers are combined with storm runoff; you cannot do this. I repeat don't do it; it doesn't meet any modern building code, and is just plain nasty!

 

[IrregularPulse]

I'm pricing this out to see if we can swing it. We upgraded to Drywall from paneling and are adding a non existent bathroom, so cost is a factor.

Per my understanding, I need to buy a urinal unit and a flush unit. Anything else that will add significant cost? It looks like I could get in one there for $200-$250.

Correct me if I'm wrong or point me to a cheaper option.

 

[pickles]

You obviously have the added expense of extra water supply and drain connections, but otherwise that's it. Were can you find the pair for $250? Seems a bit low but it's been years since I looked at them.

 

[IrregularPulse]

You obviously have the added expense of extra water supply and drain connections, but otherwise that's it. Were can you find the pair for $250? Seems a bit low but it's been years since I looked at them.

My contractor's price includes everything installed, I just need to supply the fixtures. Online It looks like I can get a Urinal for $91 (cheapest I saw) and the Flush valve for about the same. I need to go to Lowes and see what they have as far as stock as well.

Are those the only two components I need besides water supply? Does the urinal come with the drain trap?