If you have an old urinal installed at home, and you want to get rid of it, or if you have to work on a job where urinal removal is required, then you first need to know what the appropriate steps are.
Now, keep in mind that today we aren’t talking about how to fix a broken urinal, install a new one, or anything else of the sort. The goal of today’s article is to simply teach you how to remove that urinal from the wall. This is actually a fairly quick and easy process, so this one isn’t going to be too long!
How to Remove a Urinal
As mentioned earlier, this is not a very long or difficult process, but it can be dirty, so that’s something we will be addressing in this guide. If done properly, and if you have the right tools, this whole thing should not take more than 10 or 15 minutes at most.
1. Lay Down Some Plastic Sheeting
The first thing that you will want to do before you touch the urinal is to lay down some plastic sheeting. This could be a large plastic tarp or a series of garbage bags that you have cut up and laid down.
Now, in the next step, we will be turning the water off and giving the urinal a slight cleaning to prevent debris and liquid from getting everywhere. However, there will inevitably be some liquid that comes out when you remove the urinal, so laying down some plastic to prevent that liquid from getting everywhere is not a bad idea.
2. Put on Some Protective Gear
Although this is not 100% necessary, because removing a urinal is not dangerous, it can still be a bit dirty, so wearing some protective gear might be something to consider. By protective gear, we are talking about wearing some goggles to prevent liquid from getting into your eyes, a face mask to avoid inhaling anything that shouldn’t be inhaled, and wearing some rubber gloves, just so you don’t have to touch the urine of thousands of men while removing the urinal from the walls.
It’s best to try to be as clean and sanitary as possible when removing a urinal from a wall.
3. Give the Urinal a Quick Cleaning
If you are really worried about hygiene, you can always give the urinal a quick scrub to ensure that there is no leftover urine or debris present when you go to remove it. Remember, this is a very physical job and you will be in close contact with all parts of the urinal, so disinfecting it first is not a bad idea. It’s not completely necessary, especially if you are not too squeamish, but that said, being clean is an important part of any job.
You can just spray some bleach or any other kind of disinfectant onto and into the urinal to kill off any bacteria. If you want to go the extra mile, particularly to avoid foul odors during transportation, using a scented disinfectant and scrubbing the urinal with a sponge is an option.
4. Turn the Water Off
Once you have cleaned the urinal sufficiently and flushed it a couple of times, it is time to turn the water off.
Right at the top of the urinal, usually to the right of the flush handle, you will see a stop valve. For most urinals, you will need to use a hex key to turn the stop valve in a clockwise direction in order to turn off the water to it. Turn the water to the urinal off, and then give it a couple of flushes to ensure that there is no water remaining in the pipes.
5. Loosen the Fittings
Now comes the fun part, actually removing the urinal from its fittings. Use a pipe wrench to loosen the fittings on either side of the flush handle. You can then take the fittings off with your hands, and then remove the valve itself. This should easily come out.
You will then need to use your pipe wrench to loosen the nut that connects the urinal to the tubing that leads to the valve. In other words, remove the metal tube that allows water to flow into the urinal. You should now be able to remove this by hand.
6. Remove the Bolts Underneath
You will now need to use a socket wrench or a similar tool to remove the nuts from the bolts from underneath the urinal. Keep in mind that the urinal hangs on the bracket that is attached to the wall near the top of the urinal. Now, you need to pull the urinal out and off of the bolts on the bottom.
It might help to have a second person to help as urinals are quite heavy.
Right after the bottom of the urinal has been pulled off the bolts, you can then lift it up and off of the bracket holding it in place. You can now place the urinal on the ground and then dispose of it as you see fit.
Mistakes to Avoid, Tips & Tricks
Lastly, here are some additional tips to keep in mind before you get started:
- You absolutely want to wear gloves, long sleeves, and even rubber boots for this job. There will likely be some liquid that leaks out during this process, and no, it won’t be just water.
- You definitely want to disinfect the urinal first, before you start handling it.
- Remember that unless you are putting a new urinal in place of the old one, you will have some holes in your wall that will need dealing with.
Summary
There you have it folks, a step-by-step process on how to remove a urinal from a wall.
As you can see, it’s really not that hard, although also not very enjoyable.