A common urinal misconception (you would laugh at how often we have to use that phrase) is that the more flushing the cleaner the urinal. The truth is far from it. Urinals and their drainage pipes are designed to deal with a specified amount of water inflow through flushing. Anytime you exceed that amount, water starts to accumulate along the drains which will eventually lead to urinal leaking and flooding. And you can only imagine how bad overflowing urinals will be for your organization…
Why is My Urinal Leaking?
It may sound a little awkward throwing the possessive “my” in front of “urinal”, but let’s face it. If you have a business that has a bathroom…you own urinals. Are water clogs in your pipes the bane of your existence? Here are some reasons why:
Most of the water clog is caused by a mixture of uric sediment (from urine) and the limestone (from water). This “sludge” deposits in your urinal drainage pipes and restricts the flow of flush water from the urinal to the sewer, via the main drain. As a result, water starts to accumulate at the urinal basin which could lead to urinal leaking. There is a small opening for urinal drainage pipes, so they can only take in a certain amount of water before the excess starts to accumulate! Thus, if your flush is broken and leaks water, you’re in for trouble with urinal leaking! Due to their size, urinal drains are susceptible to clogging by any foreign object, from chewing gum to shedding hair. Think of it as a slow-moving car that is causing a major traffic jam.
How do I Fix a Leaking Urinal?
Nobody wants to spend their whole day fixing a urinal. We get that better than anyone! The plumbing is extensive, the nuts and bolts come in all shapes, the tools are hard to find, and a certain level of expertise is required. Furthermore, the urinal itself is full of bacteria. But when faced with water accumulation and flooding, here are a few simple solutions to fixing the urinal:
Turn off water supply to the urinal. The primary water supply switch is protruding from the wall. Access it through a screwdriver and rotate to shut it off. This will prevent further water accumulation. Open the flush head and replace the diaphragm in the event your flush is broken and is causing water accumulation in the urinal. Locate your drainage pipe. After shutting off the main water supply valve, use a spanner to open the drainage pipe. The sludge deposited along the inner lines of the drainage pipes have to be scrapped off. Once the inner pipes have been cleaned out, the water accumulated at the urinal base can be cleaned with the help of a plunger. Carefully place the plunger on the top of the urinal drain and give it several strong thrusts. This will open any drain-level clogs that might have built up over time.
Many problems with urinal leaking cannot be fixed with a few simple nuts and bolts, however. That’s when you’ll have to bring in the big guns. If you’re looking for a plumber in Phoenix, you’ve found the best team in the Valley. Give us a call for service within 24 hours and stop your leaks before they stop you!