You are currently viewing 5 reasons to install a urinal at home + how to

5 reasons to install a urinal at home + how to

Here’s the answer to modern man’s most asked question: can a urinal be installed in your home?

Urinals can most definitely be installed in homes as they can be hooked up to your regular plumbing like a normal toilet. However, urinals aren’t common in residential homes as not everyone in the household can use them. But there are some pros to having a urinal at home.

Keep reading to find out everything about at-home urinals and how to install them.

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Why are urinals typically not in homes?

Nothing keeps you from installing a urinal at home but somehow almost no one does this. Why?

Urinals are typically not installed in homes because they are limited to the use of men. Women can’t use urinals as urinals are designed for use in a standing position. Another big reason to not install a urinal in your home is that you’ll always need an extra toilet as you cannot use a urinal for number two’s.

This means that urinals require extra space and not everyone has that. You unfortunately cannot replace a toilet with a urinal simply because they don’t cover both feces and urine.

Other reasons why urinals are not typically found in homes are:

  • They need to be cleaned regularly to avoid smell
    • Even more often than regular toilets and no one wants that
    • They also may feel less hygienic
  • The look of having a urinal may put some people off
    • Not everyone likes their bathroom to look like a bar’s
  • It’s an addition to a bathroom rather than a replacement which means you need extra space
    • You’ll always need a toilet for your number two’s
  • Women can’t use a urinal so why would you install something only part of your household can use?

Reasons why you should install a urinal at home

Now that you know that you can install a urinal at home here are some reasons why you should:

Reason why one might want to install a urinal at home is because urinals are handy for men. Most men place them near their man cave, workshop, or at-home bar. If you have the space for one it’s surely a quirky thing to have. They also save more water than a regular toilet.

Other reasons why you’d want to install a urinal in your home:

  • They have an ultra-low water consumption
    • The GPF often lies below 1
  • They keep the bathroom less occupied when a (waterless) urinal is installed elsewhere
  • In a household with mostly men, they save a lot of water
  • They are handy for elderly men for use at night

home urinal

You just need to keep in mind that if you are ever to sell your home new buyers might be put off by the idea of having a urinal at home. Especially if the new owners are a women-only household.

How much does it cost to get a urinal in your house?

It may cost about $500 dollars to have a urinal installed in your home. Urinals cost between 170-600 dollars which is a bit more expensive than a regular toilet. If you do not install the urinal yourself you need to add about $300 worth of labor costs onto the price of your urinal.

Waterless urinals are easier to install as they do not have to be connected to a water supply. They are also a lot cheaper.

If you’re good at plumbing you can install the urinal yourself and save the labor money.

Here’s a video on how to install a urinal:

Here’s an other video on how to install a urinal:

Different kinds of urinals

There are a few different kinds of urinals such as:

  • Waterless urinal
  • ”Regular” urinal
    • These come in a few different designs
  • Trough urinal / multi-person urinal

It goes without saying that you’ll never install a tub or multi-person urinal in your home. How big is the chance you want to use a urinal all at the same time in an average-sized household?

Regular urinals are the ones you mostly see in public areas. It’s recommended to use a regular urinal that uses water when installed in a residential home.

A waterless urinal is the cheapest of all urinals. They, as the name suggests, do not use any water.

Are waterless urinals sanitary?

Unlike what most people think waterless urinals are sanitary as they are coated with a special layer that hides the smell. If they are hooked up to plumbing they deposit of the urine in a sanitary way. You can also flush it by pouring some water through it every once in a while although this is not needed.

When you use a waterless urinal and let it go into nature then yes, they can be a lot less sanitary as the urine is not disposed of properly.

Can you attach a urinal to a toilet?

So what if you don’t want to commit to a urinal but you kind of really do want one anyway? Here’s the solution:

You can attach an attachable urinal to your toilet which basically looks like a splash guard. You can find these on Etsy. They are similar to a splash guard that is made for kids to help them learn how to pee standing up.

These kinds of attachable urinals are great to use when peeing standing up as they guard the rest of your toilet to ensure you don’t splash everywhere. You’ll spouse will be happy!

Upon further research, it seems like there was an actual attachable urinal but it never made production as its Kickstarter failed. To be fair, the Main Drain as it was called, did look questionable.

Best urinals for home

Here are the top three urinals for your home that we’ve picked out based on looks (because you want your toilet to look good), budget, and comfort.

BUT, you need to get yourself some urinal accessories as well:

Disclaimer: TheToiletSpecialist.com is not responsible for any damage caused to your toilet by (wrongly) interpreting information found on this site. Please seek custom advice from a professional to evaluate your current situation.