If you are a DIY kind of person, something that you might want to try doing is installing your own urinal, whether at home or at a place of business. Yeah, it will definitely help save money, not to mention that accomplishing something with your hands feels very rewarding too.
That said, urinals do involve a good deal of work when it comes to mounting them. You need the right tools and know-how for the job, and yes, this includes a basic understanding of plumbing. Either way, right now, we are here to provide you with all of the information you need to get the job done.
Should You Install a Urinal by Yourself or Call a Plumber?
OK, so this is definitely a fair question to ask because yes, installing a urinal means that you need to be somewhat familiar with plumbing. However, if you are capable of locating the pipes in your wall, you are able to modify them so that you can feed a water input line into the urinal, and then also install a drain pipe and connect it back to your main drain, then you could do it yourself.
That said, opening up walls, cutting pipes, diverting water, and adding new hardware is not something that you should try doing if you have absolutely no previous experience. At the very least, if you do want to do this yourself, call a plumber first and ask for some advice, particularly in terms of installing and connecting drains and water input lines. With a bit of guidance, you might be able to do this on your own.
How to Install a Urinal
As long as you have the right tools and a bit of previous DIY experience, installing a urinal on your own should not be too difficult. Let’s take you on a step-by-step instructional journey of exactly how to do so.
Step 1: Gather Your Tools
The first thing that you will need to do is to gather all of the necessary tools, which include a tape measure, a clean rag, a drill and drill bits, tape, some PVC cement, a pencil, a bubble level, some plywood, and a drywall saw.
Of course, you will also need to purchase your new urinal along with all of the necessary mounting hardware. With all of your hardware and tools ready to go, you can move onto the next step.
Step 2: Mount the Mounting Board
The next step here is to find the studs in the wall where you want to put the urinal. You will need to mount the mounting plate to the studs and then the urinal to the mounting plate. You need to ensure that you mount the mounting plate to the studs or else the urinal will rip right out of the wall. If necessary, use a stud finder to find the studs.
Keep in mind that the mounting board here consists of a piece of weather-treated plywood. Make sure that it is large enough to mount the full urinal.
On a side note, when it comes to how high up the urinal should be located, standard practice is to make it so that the bottom rim of the urinal is located about 24” off the ground. Of course, exactly how high you mount your urinal in your home will depend on your own height. If you are seven feet tall, you will probably want to raise the urinal up a few more inches.
Step 3: Installing the Water Line
Unless you have a waterless urinal, you will need to install a waterline. Here, you need to mark the locations where the water input line is going to be, as well as the drain pipe. Now, using your drill, drill some pilot holes where the water input and drains are to be. Use that drywall saw to remove as much drywall as needed, so you can fit the water input line and the drain pipe.
You can now place the input line and drain line in the appropriate positions. Remember, you need to actually connect the water input to a water line in your home. Honestly, this is probably the hardest part of the job, because you will need to modify the plumbing in your walls so that a water line can run to the urinal. This is what you may very well need a plumber for.
Step 4: Mount the Wall Hangers
Now you will need to mount the hangers that the urinal will be mounted to. Using the nails and screws that you were supplied with, you need to mount the urinal wall hangers in the correct locations. You can first drill pilot holes if needed, but either way, ensure that the hangers are securely mounted in the mounting board that you installed during step two.
Before proceeding to the next step, make absolutely sure that the wall hangers are securely fastened to the mounting board and that the mounting board is securely attached to the wall studs.
Step 5: Install the Urinal Drain
Before you go to hang the urinal on the wall, you first need to put the drain in the urinal. You will see a metal ring at the bottom of the urinal. Insert a layer of caulking around that ring and then place the strainer into the hole. Press the strainer down very firmly until it is tightly sealed.
You will also need to use a combination of rubber and metal washers as well as a couple of nuts to secure the strainer.
Step 6: Install the Waste Outlet
With some of that PVC cement, you need to connect the waste pipe to the waste outlet. You should have already installed the waste pipe in one of the earlier steps. Ensure that the connection is in the proper location so that there are not any future problems. Ensure that the PVC cement is completely dry before you move on.
Step 7: Mount the Urinal
All you need to do now is to actually hang the urinal. Lift up the urinal and hold it right above the wall hangers that you installed before. Make sure that the urinal is aligned properly with the waste outlet. You need to attach the urinal to the wall so that the waste opening is located right behind the urinal. You can now hang the urinal on the wall hangers and then tighten the screws.
Make sure that the screws are tight enough to hold the urinal firmly in place. Just be careful to not overtighten them, or you could cause damage to the urinal, even cracking it if you go way too far.
Mistakes to Avoid, Tips & Tricks
To finish off, here are a few tips to make things smoother:
- Folks, if you don’t know what you are doing, particularly in terms of plumbing, then this is a job best left to a professional. It doesn’t take much sense to cause serious damage inside of your walls, especially if you cut through a pipe and cause a flood.
- Remember that mounting a urinal is rather permanent, so always measure twice before doing anything. A bubble level is going to come in very handy here too.
- Whenever using any kind of adhesives, ensure that they are completely dried and cured before moving on to any further steps.
- When using your drill and saw, make sure that you wear proper eye protection.
Summary
As you can see, installing a urinal on your own is definitely doable, although not particularly easy, especially if there is a lot of plumbing work to be done. However, if you are careful and do all of the necessary research, you should be able to get it done.