A closer look at products, technology and processes that can ensure both cost-effectiveness and cleanliness

— By Thomas A. Westerkamp

Restrooms present facilities with a range of ongoing challenges, from poor fixture performance to access problems and vandalism. Upgrading these areas of facilities offers engineering and maintenance managers a chance to remedy these problems, but only if the upgrade is planned well and carried out properly. Among the challenges of upgrading restrooms are identifying areas within restrooms that need upgrading, quantifying financial benefits of upgrades to help sell projects to top management, and staying abreast of product and technology advances.

Identifying needs
Surveys of complaints show that the most frequent complaint about restrooms is cleanliness, which can represent 30-40 percent of all complaints. Complicating this issue is that management is concerned with the cost of added custodians or plumbers to do the work to minimize these complaints.

One strategy in this case is to focus on upgrades that address cost and cleanliness issues at one time. If the upgrade improves cleanliness, it also is likely to address much of the overall dissatisfaction, and the restroom will do a better job of fulfilling its function, while protecting the safety and health of users. If the project also is cost-effective, management will be able to fund the improvements with savings achieved.

Cost-effective restroom cleanliness is partly a product of specifying and installing the most effective and efficient materials, labor and equipment, as well as maintaining it properly for optimum performance. Wall and floor surfaces should be made of low-maintenance tile or the equivalent in liquid form — epoxy or polyurethane mastic. Though expensive initially, these materials tend to be easier to maintain and last longer than other alternatives. Also, fixtures should be high quality and modern in design. Toilet and urinal features should include low water consumption and battery-operated automatic flush valves. Specifications should include low-maintenance design and construction.

Sink features should include low water consumption and no-hands, automatic, battery-operated cold- and hot-water valves that are vandal proof. Vandal-proof features include protection such as caps and covers that are durable and require special tools to remove. These features should eliminate tampering by making it difficult or time-consuming, increasing the risk of detection.

Quantifying financial benefits
The actions managers take to ensure restroom cleanliness also can reduce cost if they incorporate proper planning and execution. The issue of water volume offers insights in this area. The volume of water that fixtures use varies widely. For example, up-to-date sink faucets with low-flow aerators can cut rates by one-half.

The volume of urinal flush valves varies from 1 gallon per minute (gpm) to 1-1/2 gpm — a difference of 50 percent. Toilet flush valve volumes vary from 1.6-4.5 gpm — a difference of 180 percent. By sizing the flow rates of these valves for optimum performance, managers and specifiers can save significantly on the water bill.

The operative idea here is optimum flow, not minimum flow. A frequent complaint is that the water volumes of low-flow fixtures are too low for some uses and can result in stoppages by not flushing completely each time. Specifiers should check the code and talk to building inspectors to find out about their opinions before finalizing specifications.

Plumbing for savings
Each plumbing product comes with an operation and maintenance guide, and specifying this guide as a part of the order will ensure product performance when the flush valve, sink valve, towel dispenser, soap dispenser or water closet is installed and maintained. These documents help maintenance crews install the fixtures to perform as designed.

The challenge for managers is to devise and implement a plan that combines cost-effective new product specification and efficient inspection and maintenance to address problems in key areas:

Water filters. Managers can use water filters to reduce stains on fixtures and corrosion in piping with filters. Stains can result from minerals or other chemicals in the water, such as iron, sulfur, low-pH water, chlorine or turbidity. Iron leaves rust-colored stains on sinks and toilets. Sulfur causes a strong rotten-egg odor and corrodes pipes and drains, as well as appliances that use water.

Low-pH water often leaves a bluish-green stain and corrodes piping and drains, too. Turbidity relates to suspended solids in the water that make it cloudy and can fowl piping and drains. If tests show that some of these contaminants are in a facility’s water, it is wise to invest in a customized filter system, which will pay for itself in improved cleanliness and longer piping system life.

Faucets. Retrofit sink plumbing fittings. Investing in low-flow aerator nozzles for sinks reduces water use. Using low-flow flush valves for urinals and toilets that also feature battery-operated no-hands operation not only lowers water use, but also enhances cleanliness by removing the possibility of transferring germs by handling the faucets. These faucets deliver water only when a user breaks the sensor beam that turns on the water. When the beam is again restored, the sensor turns off the flow.

Water heaters. Energy-efficient water heaters save money, too. Managers who haven't looked into replacing a water heater recently might be in for a surprise because new models are more energy efficient. Also, facilities using a 140-degree setting instead of a 120-degree setting for the hot-water temperature can lower the temperature setting to gain further savings in energy costs.

Toilets. Toilet and urinal valves offer another savings benefit. Investing in the low-flow flush valves will help reduce water use. Also, retrofitting existing valves with automatic, battery-operated, vandal-resistant valves, or replacing manual valves, with new automatic-type valves will save money and improve cleanliness at the same time. Managers should not be concerned that batteries will fail and cause units to fail. Battery-operated automatic valves continue operating several thousand cycles after the low-battery warning light comes on, giving maintenance personnel time to replace the batteries.

Lighting. Facilities using incandescent light bulbs in restroom light fixtures can consider switching to fluorescent bulbs, a move that will lower energy use while maintaining high, or even higher, lighting levels.

Custodial care. Daily custodial care of the restroom and equipment is essential for optimum performance. Each day, custodial personnel should follow a routine to ensure that:

• every toilet and sink is spotless, every flush valve is working
  
  
• all low batteries are replaced
  
  
• every dispenser is cleaned and refilled
  
  
• every dryer is cleaned and operating properly
  
  
• floors, walls and mirrors are clean
  
  
• every stall wall is cleaned
  
  
• every door closer is cleaned and works properly.
  

Burned-out light bulbs should be replaced immediately and fixtures cleaned regularly to keep the restroom bright and pleasant looking. All waste containers should be emptied before they are full and cleaned. If this is done, less waste will end up on the floor, minimizing the additional cleaning.

Cleaning crews should not allow graffiti to remain on surfaces. Periodic inspections during open hours should be designed to detect and remove graffiti or other vandalism as soon as it appears. Constant surveillance pays off because it discourages repeat occurrences. Many graffiti-removal products on the market are effective on most surfaces.

The final step
Regular follow-up inspections are the best insurance that crews are delivering proper custodial care. Supervisors can observe custodians at work to ensure they use proper methods and equipment. On-the-job training instills good work habits, and on-the-job praise for a job well done instills pride and the desire to continue the good work.

Inspectors should check out restrooms each day following cleaning. The supervisors should use the same route sheet used by custodial workers to check each item for proper cleaning and replacement. Also, the supervisor should check the materials and cleaning equipment to ensure materials used are in the right proportion and that equipment is clean and in good operating condition.