Urinal vs. Toilet

[ladderwell]

Informal poll: Urinal vs. Toilet

I'm getting started on my 36'x48' shop within the next 6 weeks. And I'm back and forth between urinal and toilet.

Urinal positives: simpler, can plumb into the rain drains and send out as "grey water", will likely be cheaper to put into service.
Urinal negatives: can't poop in a urinal, have to walk into the house to use toilet.

Toilet positives: don't have to run for the house (70') to poop, i could have a mini apartment when i'm in the doghouse, more readily available for purchase.

Toilet negatives: have to add a sump with grinding pump, as I won't have enough fall to get to the septic tank, can't really plumb into rain drains.

These are a few things I came up with. Cost isn't really an issue for either scenario, was just seeking some input for either. What do you all have, and are you happy with it. Thanks all.

 

[onewheat]

Urinal - based on number of times you would need one over the other and the ease of one over the other. You can also have a urinal on the wall with just a small half wall or partition or whatever. Toilet - you need to make a room. You can buy a urinal at Lowe's. Very simple.

 

[Delta74]

go with a toilet, while your at it, add a shower so your clean when you have to enter HER area, other reasons, better resale value, its a little more HER friendly and it saves the 70 foot burrito dash in bad weather.

just a urinal, while kinda cool for the guys area, it means tramping back to the house for other duties, IMHO its a half assed job, if I was looking to buy when you finally sell and go bigger I would be wondering WTF did all this and cheaped out, and it drains into the rain drain??? GROSS wonder if he crapped in a bucket too.....

all this is just MY thoughts, don't have either, but looking to buy in next year or two, either want huge shop already, or enough room to build, and will build shower,toilet sink if I can get approval. most places here with the room for huge, they build the damn house on the BACK of the lot huge front yard, 10 feet of back yard.

 

[tshetter]

I have always wanted a urinal out in the shop.

Toilet would be awesome. So would a shower in a corner.

 

[drmarkr]

Urinal, given your situation!! I like to take dumps in the house anyway....warmer in the winter and I can grab a laptop if I want to multi-task.....

Wish I'd of done both in my shop, but I went with the toilet.

Hell, 90% of the time, I just walk outside and use the desert anyway!

 

[luke7734]

Hope this answers your questions... it's a garage.. plan ahead for the deuce. . You can grab a sandwich inside too.. Cmon your a guy.. who doesn't dream of a urinal.. I'd buy a house just because it had a urinal.. This is the corner of my garage.. urinal and shower.. though I have heated concrete.. and a shifter is only 30' through a wall into the living area.. Urinal vote here for sure..

 

[Wood'nMetal]

Urinal. If nothing else for the cool factor!

 

[dittle fart around]

"can't poop in a urinal"

Those are words to live by.

 

[Chaznsc]

Urinal positives: simpler, can plumb into the rain drains and send out as "grey water".....

If I'm your neighbor, that's not a positive.

 

[Bear]

Thanks to the Habitate Restore store you can do both.

 

[ADSR]

Thanks to the Habitate Restore store you can do both.

Lmao! Love the valve!

 

[k1rodeoboater]

"can't poop in a urinal"

Those are words to live by.

...well that's not entirely true...you can...just not advisable.

My dream shop build has a toilet and stand up shower in it so I can come back to the house clean.

 

[ADSR]

"can't poop in a urinal"

You could in high school.

 

[onewheat]

At my B-I-L's garage, you just piss out the back door - that's what planting pine trees is for. As far as grey water goes - how much urine do you really think you'll be putting down? Dogs can go in the yard all day long and it doesn't affect your neighbor sat all. I don't want my buddies dropping a deuce anywhere near me - they could hit the house. I don't stock clothes in the garage either, so why a shower? That is all garage space you give up for a full bathroom.

 

[Beachside Hank]

Urinal + half- wall, and a thunder jug for emergencies

 

[SuperD]

I first found this forum over the exact same question 2 years ago. Here are my answers for you.
1) do you really want one of your buddies to take 'dump" in your shop?
2) the ladies don't like a urinal.( unless they know how to back up)
3) how man times have you gone outside and pissed behind the truck?
Put a urinal in, you'll never look back! It's alright to be a guy!

 

[William Payne]

If you are anything like me (iritable bowel) you may want the toilet. Believe me when you got to go you got to go and there is nothing worse then having a sudden need to go but know that the toilet is a good distance away.

I had to give up a really good rented storage shed because it just was not a good thing to not have a toilet nearby.

 

[HTGTS350]

"can't poop in a urinal"

Those are words to live by.

Who says you can't poop in a urinal?

 

[Responder]

Urinal is my vote. I have one and have no regrets that I didn't put in a toilet.

 

[larry4406]

I would install a Zoeller grinder pump and then install a legit bathroom. Sink, toilet, urinal, and a shower.

Being able to cleanup in the garage bathroom after working in the yard or the cars is ideal. Keeps the mess outside of the house and keeps the wife happy.

 

[BillK]

can plumb into the rain drains and send out as "grey water"

I don't think that "yellow" water is considered the same as grey water as far as plumbing codes go.

 

[rwf]

Both + shower

 

[HoosierMark]

Be smart. Plumb it for both and only put the urinal in. If it becomes an issue upgrade. Same with shower. Put the pipes under the floor and out the foundation wall. Cross the bridge of connecting the commode and shower later if you decide to install them. Cost will be minimal if you never use them and upgrading will be simple if your needs change.

 

[pepi]

Urinal and I know of the perfect accessory for it.

 

[santagary]

I have a toliet in my poolroom/basement/storage room behind a screen and with the pump which pumps the poop uphill, it has worked nicely for years...instead of the guys going upstairs to HER toliets...If I had heat and water in my garage, I'd do the same thing there.

 

[JakeKohl]

I had this same thought when I remodeled my old shop bathroom when I had my garage addition added. After really spending some time in the shop, the thought of just having a urinal seems silly and I'm glad I didn't give it too much consideration. Go Toilet and don't look back. If you want to get cute, put a urinal on the wall in the garage or something.

Urinals work well in public restrooms because they are easier to clean but it doesn't save you any significant time as a user.

 

[blackdart66]

Definitely toilet !. Nothing worse than prairie dogging it to the house in the middle of a project. I went toilet with the grinder pump and never looked back. One of the best things about my shop.

 

[djjsr]

Urinal positives: simpler, can plumb into the rain drains and send out as "grey water", will likely be cheaper to put into service.

This just doesn't seem like a good idea at all, unless you find that "New York subway" aroma pleasant.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have a toilet in the garage and glad that I do. While I don't use it all the time, I have used it when I have been dirty and not wanted to trample all the dirt into the house.

One of the things that I considered when replacing the old garage restrooms (used to have two restrooms) it's always a back up bathroom. If something goes bad in the house, plumbing failure or remodel after a catastrophic accident or what ever, we access to another toilet.

 

[Tarnished]

Ladderwell, My vote is for the Toilet. If your going to put in a urinal, it WILL need water!!! Since you will need water anyway, you will also want a wash sink of some kind, and if your going to that much trouble, you may as well put in the toilet to begin with. As for a shower, kinda depends on how you work, and weather you have a "shop" or a "man cave"! You will never regret plumbing it correctly. (think resale) If you don't put them in now, you will always wish you had! You can always do what's needed in a toilet, but like they say, "don't take a dump or puke in the wizzer"!
JMHO

 

[Whirnot]

I am pondering the same, and think I will go for the urinal. The house is only 40 feet away. BTW if you ever try to sell the place and it is discovered that you were sending out untreated sewage, (which is what urine would be considered) you may have a serious problem.

 

[Bigplum]

either will be ok , but make sure you have some salad or laundry tongs handy for getting yer todger out when you have dirty hands, otherwise dirty hands = dirty willy
many a time I've been hopping about whilst washing my hands and bustin for a wee

 

[Warrenator]

Funnel and a piece of hose going outside, wash it down with a slug of water from a bottle. No real plumbing necessary.

 

[Thumper68]

I have a sink and shower in the shop, Now I really wish I had plumbed for a toilet as well, the space lost would have been worth it, either way I needed a transfer tank and pump so the cost would have been negligible.

I have been thinking of busting up some concrete and adding one for a couple of years, but the in-floor heat keeps me from grabbing the hammer.

There is nothing worse than having to clean up and then walk the 70 feet to the house in -20F just to do a job and turn around and come back.

Question for the experts. What is the best way to tear up concrete with pex in it? It would be next to an outside wall.

I really wish I could find the pics of my pex layout.

 

[C96]

Go with the urinal, especially in your situation. Simple install, much less expense, no wasted space, quick piss and back to work.

Sometimes us guys just hang in the garage, drink a few beers while working on a project. Having that urinal would be the best tool yet, your friends can use it and best of all it can’t be borrowed, or stolen…..Lol! (I’m talking myself into installing one while posting this!)

If it becomes a problem, simply remove it, done deal.

Common guys, just how many craps do you need to take while working

 

[dankicksass]

Full bathroom, full kitchen, separate meters, create an LLC and charge that rent so you can write it all off once you get going.

 

[nanofrog]

I have a toilet in the garage and glad that I do. While I don't use it all the time, I have used it when I have been dirty and not wanted to trample all the dirt into the house.

One of the things that I considered when replacing the old garage restrooms (used to have two restrooms) it's always a back up bathroom. If something goes bad in the house, plumbing failure or remodel after a catastrophic accident or what ever, we access to another toilet.

This is my thinking as well , so another vote for both.

I'd even add a shower if possible.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Hope this answers your questions... it's a garage.. plan ahead for the deuce. . You can grab a sandwich inside too.. Cmon your a guy.. who doesn't dream of a urinal.. I'd buy a house just because it had a urinal.. This is the corner of my garage.. urinal and shower.. though I have heated concrete.. and a shifter is only 30' through a wall into the living area.. Urinal vote here for sure..

You could have skipped the urinal and multi-purposed the shower....

 

[MScott]

Question for the experts. What is the best way to tear up concrete with pex in it? It would be next to an outside wall.

I really wish I could find the pics of my pex layout.

Not an expert, but you could get an infrared temperature gun and map out the tubing especially now when the pex is heating the floor.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Toilet, in a nice heated room so you can take your deuce in peace and also not freeze your balls off in the winter.

Also install a MOP SINK while you are at it...