How United Airlines Fixed Their Ongoing Urinal Clog Problem — and What Your Airport Can Learn From It
If you manage airport facilities, you already know the truth: clogged urinals in airport terminals are a nonstop issue. Doesn’t matter how often they’re cleaned they back up, stink, and eventually get bagged with the dreaded “Out of Order” sign.
One of the biggest problems?
Uric salt buildup. It forms deep inside the drain lines from constant use. Eventually it hardens into a crusty, cement-like blockage, what we call peeconcrete. And once it’s there, no amount of snaking or surface cleaning will fix it.
This issue is rampant in airport restrooms. You’ve got thousands of people using the same facilities daily. Add in short turnaround times, limited downtime, and tight maintenance schedules, and you’ve got the perfect storm for constant urinal backups.
United Airlines Had the Same Problem — And Found a Fix
This isn’t a theory, it’s exactly what happened at one of United Airlines’ major terminals.
They were dealing with recurring urinal clogs.
One row of urinals in a heavily trafficked area would back up, drain slow, or go completely out of order over and over again. Janitorial crews were doing their job, but the problem kept returning.
The maintenance team was frustrated. Plumber costs were adding up. And most importantly, it was hurting the passenger experience.
That’s when someone from their facilities team reached out to us.
The Test: Try Javelin in Just One Terminal
We didn’t need a full system overhaul.
We simply asked them to test Javelin Urinal Treatment on the problem row.
They poured it directly into the drains. No tools, no shutdowns, no extra labor.
Here’s what happened:
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Drain flow returned to normal
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Odor disappeared
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Urinals stayed functional
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Maintenance didn’t hear a peep for weeks
It was clear: the uric salt had been the issue all along and Javelin fixed it.
From Fix to Prevention: United’s Long-Term Strategy
After the test, United rolled out Javelin as part of their preventative urinal maintenance protocol.
Instead of reacting to backups, they now treat urinals regularly to prevent clogs before they start.
It’s fast, cost-effective, and it works.
No more surprise plumbing calls. No more complaints from staff or travelers.
Just working restrooms — like it should be.
If You Manage Airport Facilities, This Is for You
Whether you work for an airline, an airport authority, or a third-party janitorial contractor — if you’re seeing frequent urinal clogs in terminals, the cause is almost always uric salt.
You can spend thousands chasing clogs with band-aid fixes, or you can do what United did: test Javelin and solve it at the source.
If you’re having similar issues, reach out.
We’ll walk you through exactly how to use it, answer your questions, and help you get results.