# What's so bad about the short urinal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229 "2004-08-24T05:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/41 "2004-08-25T11:24:36Z")
> [@Flander](#): > > So **spingears** , are you telling me that if you were in an empty bathroom and the next guy who entered came in and occupied the urinal right next to you, you wouldn’t be a little bit uncomfortable? (ssuming you’re a guy anyway. If not, what are you doing in the guy’s bathroom?) Flanders: It is you that has the problem, not me. I couldn’t care less. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/42 "2004-08-25T11:33:10Z")
Washroom-designer, eh, **Dag Otto**? So why do people no longer install the tall urinals that go all the way down to the floor? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/43 "2004-08-25T12:25:47Z")
> [@Dag Otto](#): > > However, if you walk into any rest room that I have designed, you will notice that I always specify the most wonderful thing know to man, the urinal partition (ok, so I exaggerate a bit). 18 inches of steel or laminate positioned between pissoirs. Bless you. The only thing worse than the sticky-outy urinals are sticky-outies without a partition. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/44 "2004-08-25T12:52:56Z")
> [@Maus Magill](#): > > The real question is why do bathrooms have the vile sticky-outy uninals? I hate those. Give me a tall, up against the wall urinal, please? I’d imagine that they’re a simple surface-mount unit that doesn’t require grouting in or anything and are thus easier to fit in the first place and replace if damaged. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/45 "2004-08-25T13:37:16Z")
Our building has the shortest freaking urinals anywhere. The taller ones are the same height as short ones elsewhere, and the short ones are shorter than in an elementary school. I have no idea why the fools designed them that way. They’re a pain because you have to aim down, not always easy. More that once my initial stream left a yellow puddle on top of the urinal. Good urinal features: Floor length Privacy screen (guards against peepers and the dreaded neighbor spray) Something to aim at (dead flies, cigarette butts) A newspaper mounted above the urinal to give you something to do. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/46 "2004-08-25T14:42:56Z")
Who said anything about a problem? I was just curious. Yeeesh. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/47 "2004-08-25T16:31:39Z")
Partitions are becoming essentially. I don’t know if I just never used to notice but pecker checkers seem to becoming _rampant_; especially in airports where they almost never have partitions. Just last weekend I had a guy craning his body almost 90 degrees towards me from two urinals away just to look at my penis. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/48 "2004-08-25T16:36:04Z")
> [@PaulFitzroy](#): > > X X X > 0 0 \<-----------0 If a guy has a wang that long, he can pretty much pee in any urinal he feels like. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/49 "2004-08-25T17:00:12Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Washroom-designer, eh, **Dag Otto**? So why do people no longer install the tall urinals that go all the way down to the floor? Plumbing codes. The traps used by these fixtures are now prohibited. Reason is either an invisible trap seal, or an unvented space that isn’t cleaned with every flush. (trough type urinals are also prohibited, I’m not sure of the reason) Don’t bitch too much. The same codes prohibit the installation of drinking fountains in public rest rooms, which is a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/50 "2004-08-25T17:14:01Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Our building has the shortest freaking urinals anywhere. The taller ones are the same height as short ones elsewhere, and the short ones are shorter than in an elementary school. I have no idea why the fools designed them that way. They’re a pain because you have to aim down, not always easy. More that once my initial stream left a yellow puddle on top of the urinal. At least you can hit those. I worked in a renovated military building once where they had removed some sinks and installed urinals (with replumbed drains, of course) using the existing water supply. Instead of taking the time to route the piping lower, they just mounted the urinals extraordinarily high. The shorter fellas practically had to chin themselves to take a leak. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/51 "2004-08-25T17:30:43Z")
> [@Dag Otto](#): > > Plumbing codes. The traps used by these fixtures are now prohibited. Reason is either an _invisible trap seal_, or an unvented space that isn’t cleaned with every flush. Huh? Could you please explain this for the plumbing-confused? (I mean, building plumbing, not my own. You know.) ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/52 "2004-08-25T22:01:58Z")
> [@OxyMoron](#): > > Huh? Could you please explain this for the plumbing-confused? (I mean, building plumbing, not my own. You know.) I’m not exactly sure (Code books always tell you what to do or not to do, but never why). I think it was because the trap on the floor length urinals were concealed. I haven’t seen one in years and can’t recall how the trap was configured on one. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/53 "2004-08-26T14:17:36Z")
> [@Dag Otto](#): > > I’m not exactly sure (Code books always tell you what to do or not to do, but never why). I think it was because the trap on the floor length urinals were concealed. I haven’t seen one in years and can’t recall how the trap was configured on one. Sorry. And now, I’m afraid, I’m going to have to call, “Cite?” 🙂 Last night I asked my boyfriend about this - he’s an architect who’s worked on quite a number of projects here in the New York City region. His response to the suggestion that floor-length urinals violated building code was a flat “Absolutely not.” Instead, he explained that the reason we don’t see them much is simply a matter of cost - it’s a lot of porcelain when you can get away with a little. Now, it’s certainly possible that specific floor-length designs would violate code - but from what the bf was saying, it sounds like the fact that it’s floor-length is not an inherent problem. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/54 "2004-08-26T15:52:39Z")
> [@OxyMoron](#): > > And now, I’m afraid, I’m going to have to call, “Cite?” 🙂 Last night I asked my boyfriend about this - he’s an architect who’s worked on quite a number of projects here in the New York City region. His response to the suggestion that floor-length urinals violated building code was a flat “Absolutely not.” Instead, he explained that the reason we don’t see them much is simply a matter of cost - it’s a lot of porcelain when you can get away with a little. Now, it’s certainly possible that specific floor-length designs would violate code - but from what the bf was saying, it sounds like the fact that it’s floor-length is not an inherent problem. My source was National Standard Plumbing Code - Illustrated, National Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors. It’s not the Unirform Plumbing Code, but it’s handy because it’s illustrated. So I went looking for a floor length urinal, and I found one. [Here is the .pdf of the spec sheet](http://www.americanstandard-us.com/pdfs/as/specsheet/SpecSheet_188.pdf). I notice that unlike a wall hung urinal, this one does not have an integral trap, and I guess you’d have to install a trap beneath it. That’s more work and involves breaking out the floor, and that means more money. And, yes, they do cost more, but that is offset a little bit since they don’t need a carrier. Looks like your boyfriend is right. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/55 "2004-08-27T18:40:46Z")
I always figured they didn’t use the floor-length ones anymore because it’s too easy for random bits of crap lying around on the floor to get kicked into them and clog the drain. ---
**Author:** ![PaulFitzroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@PaulFitzroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulFitzroy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229/56 "2004-08-27T21:42:17Z")
> [@](#): > > A newspaper mounted above the urinal to give you something to do. The urinals at the Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse near Keystone Crossing in Indianapolis have televisions above the urinals, one with the news and one with sports. Probably the finest men’s room I’ve ever been in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-the-short-urinal/261229.md?page=2)