Why Bars Put Ice in the Urinals
July 31, 2013 at 2:00 am Chad Upton 47 comments
Ladies probably don’t know this, but the urinals in men’s bathrooms, usually at bars or clubs, sometimes have ice in them.
Even though many men have seen this, they don’t usually know why it’s there.
Well, auto flush exists because some people don’t flush. Urinal cakes exist because some people don’t flush. So of course, ice exists in urinals because some people don’t flush.
But, why would they use ice instead of urinal cakes or auto flush systems?
Because ice is cheap and readily available. When patrons urinate on the cold ice, the ice melts and flushes away the urine. Some bar owners say it works even better than urinal cakes because it actually flushes the urine instead of just trying to deodorize it.
It doesn’t hurt that it provides entertainment and encourages accuracy too.
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Entry filed under: Demystified, Food and Drink. Tags: bar, club, ice, restaurant, urinal.
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Broken Secrets 
1.
bernie | July 31, 2013 at 9:07 am
peeing on ice is awesome too. It makes a great sound.
2.
Thay Guy | July 31, 2013 at 9:16 am
We always did it because the ice machine would make too much, and it was the easiest place to dump it
3.
Robert Roberts | July 31, 2013 at 9:22 am
The continuous melting of ice also keeps the trap full not allowing the stink from sewer gas to permeate the bathroom.
4.
Your Neighborhood Plumber | July 31, 2013 at 10:04 am
If your trap is emptying like that, then you have plumbing problems. Trying to mask the problem by continuously refilling it with water means you will get to enjoy your $15,000 repair bill when the leaking pipes destroy your bathroom walls and flooring.
5.
wayne | July 31, 2013 at 10:21 am
please don’t eat the yellow ice !!!
6.
Nate | July 31, 2013 at 10:51 am
So they fill it with the same scoop they use to make your frozen margarita, right?
7.
Lew | July 31, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Not a big deal…unless they EMPTY it with the same scoop.
8. Why Bars Put Ice In The Urinals | Techno Alchemy | July 31, 2013 at 10:55 am
[…] Why Bars Put Ice In The Urinals […]
9.
TheFlushed | July 31, 2013 at 11:19 am
My mind is blown!
10. Ice in urinals?? - The Vette Barn Forum - A Community for Corvette Lovers | July 31, 2013 at 11:54 am
[…] Ice in urinals?? I've been to a lot of bars, but have never seen this Why Bars Put Ice in the Urinals | Broken Secrets […]
11.
h | August 10, 2014 at 4:28 am
dives aren’t really bars…
12.
eddie | June 10, 2015 at 12:29 pm
you must not get out much, so sorry dude
13.
Biggus Trikkus | July 31, 2013 at 12:20 pm
less splatter too
14.
yes | July 31, 2013 at 12:43 pm
If in warm weather, gives a sense of freshness and less stench in the bathroom. The odor does not fly up in the air it stays stuck in the ice. Lower temperature urine= lower odor urine. Gives idea of cleanliness because ice shines and melts away…. it is as if the urinal is brand new and just been cleaned. Fresh+Shiny+ Clean+ Odorless === The best idea for public pipi
15.
dlittlefield12 | July 31, 2013 at 1:27 pm
Five reasons to put ice in urinals. First, it keeps the urinal cold and close to freezing which discourages the formation of bacteria and the associated bad smells. You don’t have to hold your breath as you relieve yourself or swat at those pesky flies that like to congregate and breed in the urinal. Second, as the ice melts, it automatically flushes that nasty urine down the drain, after all, who wants to touch that germy slimy flush lever. Third, using ice reduces the amount of water required to flush and that helps the environment. Fourth, it promotes better aim and less spray. Fifth and most importantly, It is fun to drill a hole through the ice pile all the way to the bottom before your bladder runs out.
16.
Mateo Shearer | August 1, 2013 at 1:06 am
This tidbit seems to have been ‘pissed away’ in all this urinal fun- ice is put there before close, to keep a slow flow down the drain all night, helping avoid all the bad stuff while your staff is away.
17.
chriscp | September 24, 2013 at 9:02 am
If you wash your hands after touching that lever, before leaving the room, it shouldn’t be an issue. Of course, if you’re the type to never wash your hands, it’s everyone around you that should beware…
18.
Rizwan Chaudhary | October 9, 2022 at 2:03 am
Haha. I like your comment. The last point is very funny.
19. Why Bars Put Ice in the Urinal « Waste Your Time With Us! | July 31, 2013 at 1:51 pm
[…] Original Post. […]
20.
Walt Hanson (@WaltHanson) | July 31, 2013 at 2:49 pm
Did Snowden leak this info?
21.
wmcbryde21 | July 31, 2013 at 8:33 pm
This gave me a giggle! Learn something new everyday!
22.
Rozzillio | August 1, 2013 at 1:13 am
It focus your mind when you’re drunk..
23.
Warren Edwardes | August 1, 2013 at 10:50 am
“Ladies probably don’t know this, but the urinals in men’s bathrooms … ”
But do “women” know this?
24.
nan | August 2, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Also worth noting that water ice doesn’t do the harm of the chemical blocks some places still use. You shouldn’t even breathe in that stuff (mothball smell, napthalene et al), let alone flush it into the sea and soil.
Some now use “bio-blocks” with bacteria that actively break down urine to prevent odour. Might be better than intentionally wasting all that drinking water and ice (really, if the icemaker makes too much ice, recalibrate the icemaker).
25.
David Michael Barber | August 2, 2013 at 5:35 pm
we will regret this one day!
26.
Alan Munro | August 15, 2013 at 7:31 pm
I wish more bars would do this. It’s obvious, by the smell of the urinals, that a lot of guys really should see a doctor. If your piss has viscosity like 10W-40, you’ve got a major problem!
27.
Joe | September 14, 2013 at 1:51 am
Alcohol causes the smell.
28.
Mike | August 16, 2013 at 7:06 pm
Here’s the answer! Are you ready?
Men (and women) sometimes pour out the ice that is either left in the glass when they are finished with the drink, or just poured the drink out because they didn’t want it.
NO bars pour ice in their urinals on purpose because that is stupid and a waste if ice.
Geeeeez!
29.
Tony White | August 17, 2013 at 6:37 am
Well, all I can say is that it doesn’t taste like ice. It is slightly salty.
30.
Daddy | June 5, 2023 at 6:55 pm
best answer
31.
timtim | October 19, 2013 at 9:15 pm
when the bar back fills a glass with ice directly instead of using the scoop, sometimes the glass breaks. all the ice must now be thrown out.
32.
greggdeselms | December 17, 2013 at 8:03 pm
“Encourages accuracy”…
…most people, at least in these comments, seem to have missed that one. Think about it (as in, hitting a flat side of a cube aimed, by its angle, right at your pants).
Happened to me, once. The bar owner, to this day, doesn’t know just how close he came to being forced to drink a Sambucca with Jagermeister and Jeppson’s Malört — make it a double — on the rocks…
…with where the rocks would have come from being what should be painfully obvious. Seriously… he’ll never know how close he came.
Accuracy, schmackuracy. For me, now, ice in the urinal automatically means that I pee in one of the regular toilets in a stall… standing, of course. I figure that’s a lot easier than hunting-down the bar owner like a dog, then dragging him by the shirt collar into the men’s room, and force feeding him a double Sambucca with Jagermeister and Jeppson’s Malört because one of his well-angled urinal ice cubes ricocheted pee onto my pants.
It also helps keep me outta’ jail.
__________________________________
Gregg L. DesElms
Napa, California USA
gregg at greggdeselms dot com
Veritas nihil veretur nisi abscondi.
Veritas nimium altercando amittitur.
33.
chris dawes | March 3, 2015 at 12:39 pm
Sounds like some anger management is needed here.
34. Ice in the urinal - The RadioReference.com Forums | March 24, 2014 at 5:00 am
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35.
Catherine Dream | August 19, 2014 at 9:33 am
Pee on ice.
Stirred not shaken.
36.
Alex Zorach (teacology) | January 23, 2015 at 7:11 am
Now we have waterless urinals, which oddly seem to usually smell fresher than most flush urinals (how and why, I don’t know, but they do). I use them regularly at rest stops on the PA Turnpike–if they work there, for such a high-volume restroom, I think they could work for anyone.
They also save money at installation, because you don’t need to connect water to them, only a drain away…saves half on pipes, which can be huge when putting in a new bathroom.
37.
David Karmol (@baghdaddave) | March 1, 2016 at 11:04 am
Alex- You should know that in many areas, unions (and the standards they use from IAPMO) require that waterless urinals still require the plumbing for water supply, even if the urinal does not use water. So the savings in plumbing are often non-existent.
38.
Velouria | March 5, 2015 at 11:15 am
How about flushing the urinal?
39.
Froozeball | March 3, 2016 at 1:05 pm
Would the ice also lower temperature enough that it helps inhibit any lingering bacterial growth (and smell)?
40. Bars That Fill Their Urinals With Ice Are Doing It for Our Own Good - MEL Magazine | October 26, 2018 at 9:05 am
[…] speaking, per the folks at brokensecrets.com, it doesn’t hurt that a urinal packed with ice “provides entertainment and encourages accuracy, […]
41. Bars That Fill Their Urinals With Ice Do It for Our Own Good - Dollar Shave Club Original Content | January 4, 2019 at 8:08 am
[…] speaking, per the folks at brokensecrets.com, it doesn’t hurt that a urinal packed with ice “provides entertainment and encourages accuracy, […]
42.
Ice melt | March 10, 2019 at 9:27 pm
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43. Bars That Fill Their Urinals With Ice Do It for Our Own Good - Dollar Shave Club Original Content | March 18, 2019 at 12:52 pm
[…] Non-scientifically speaking, per the folks at brokensecrets.com, it doesn’t hurt that a urinal packed with ice “provides entertainment and encourages accuracy, […]
44.
Mikey Vaz | October 29, 2019 at 9:03 pm
I do enjoy a little piss on the rocks from time to time.
45.
Frank | January 26, 2021 at 5:34 pm
Also a good way for splash back of pee on your legs pants
46.
Stephen | January 20, 2022 at 2:05 am
I myself as an horny middle age male usually leave a plastic cup sitting in the urinal and wait til other males fill it and I retrieve the piss filled cup and drink it cause I love the taste
Sorry but it’s true
It’s a man thing
47.
T | September 4, 2022 at 8:39 pm
How bout men just learn to flush?!?! Is it really that hard to do? Asking for a friend