Serviced urinal sanitising systems have been on the market now for over fifty years. Originally pioneered by Calmic, a division of the Pharmaceutical company, Wellcome plc, their system introduced a specially developed chemical into the flush water every time the cistern flushed.

The urinal sanitising unit was positioned either within the header tank itself or attached to the sparge (down) pipe, where it was often described as having the appearance of a microphone. As the cistern flushed, water entered the sanitising unit, mixed with the chemical in it and then emptied out again at the end of the flush.

The urinal sanitising systems were seen as being a vital addition within the washroom to try to help prevent the build up of deposits within the urinal trap and pipework that often leading to blockages and overflows, as well as to malodours.

The deposits are formed in two main ways, firstly urine, which is highly concentrated uric acid, when it comes into contact with the cold porcelain begins to crystalise out, this added to the lime crystals that form in hard water areas such as in Kent and the South East can quickly lead to a build up of encrustations eventually resulting in a blockage. Once material is deposited on the surfaces of the pipes it forms an ideal medium on which bacteria can grow. It is the bi products of these bacteria which leads to the typical gents urinal smell, and these bacteria can of course increase the risk of infection..

The chemical within the urinal sanitising system, at that time, contained 3 main ingredients:-
A surfactant (detergent) which helped to spread the flush water evenly over the urinal surface as well as having a cleaning effect.

An anti-encrustation agent, such as polycarboxylic acid, which changed the shape of the lime and uric acid crystal so they were long and thin and more easily washed away.
A small amount of perfume was also added to help against the malodours.

One of the main problems with this inorganic chemical type system was that it only works at maximum efficiency if the pipework and urinal trap were deep cleaned first, which was relatively expensive and in old systems often very difficult to achieve..

Nowadays the chemicals are normally biological, containing enzymes which break down the deposits and can therefore help to clear potential blockages. Inorganic acid materials, however, should not also be used in the regular daily cleaning as these destroy the enzymes.

The use of urinal sanitising systems, particularly in conjunction with water management systems, can dramatically reduce the cost of water in metered systems. Water is still, however, required for them to perform effectively and to flush through urine and other materials in the system.

It is important to remember, however, that good daily cleaning is still a vital component in washroom hygiene and that much of the "stale urine" malodours come from the floor and surrounding tiles, through urine splashes, rather than from the urine traps themselves. Once urine seeps into the floor and behind the tiles and bacteria begin to breed on it, it can then be very difficult to deal with. Here biological cleaners can again prove very valuable as of course can airfreshening systems designed to mask the more transient odours and provide a more pleasant environment.

Companies are realising more and more the benefits of clean and hygienic washroom facilities, many now providing antibacterial chemicals and wipes for both cleaning the toilet seat and for hand care in general. What is often missed or forgotten is the area under the rime of the WC where encrustation, although unseen, can quickly build up again providing an ideal environment for bacterial growth.

Anyone using a mirror to look under the WC rim will almost certainly appreciate this situation, again particularly in hard water areas. Here WC sanitisers can play an invaluable role, providing a cleaning at every flush, something that is particularly important in ladies WC's as they expose much more of their bodies to this particular area.

Urinal and WC Sanitising systems can be seen as something akin to having someone cleaning the facilities, after every individual use, and are likely to play an increasingly important role in washroom health and hygiene in the future.

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