I'm an author whose job it is to answer mysteries of everyday life sent
in to me by readers.

The mystery at hand is: Why do bar/restaurant owners often put ice in
urinals. I've actually done quite a bit of research on this, and I'm
not asking you to put yourself in the mind of bar owners, but rather
was interested in your field of expertise.

One reason I keep hearing is that the ice helps leech sulfur deposits
in the pipes. If this is true, I'm not clear on why this would be more
effective than flushes, which obviously involve a greater volume of
water and more pressure.

Is it used primarily to quell smelliness? Why would ice be more
effective than a deodorizing cake?

Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

I started to post a similar question on this last week. I removed some urinals from a large commercial establishment recently and in the drain arm of one urinal was a creamy white substance. These urinals are filled daily with ice. ( I believe it is a water save issue in bar rooms and a rich man feel good thing in fancy hotels) I also would like to know of any drawbacks of using ice in urinals. This particular installation has constant condesation from the urinals which in some cases may stain/damage the floor. Good question and good luck on your responses.

I addressed this question last year on this same forum. The answer is a sign of the times. Considering all of the virus and infections in a public washroom, most men prefer/choose not to touch the handle of a flush valve after using a urinal. Hence the urine puddles in the trap. Urine contains salt which begins to seperate from the urine and hardens in the throat of the trap of the urinal. This can and usually causes the throat to reduce in size. When a flushvalve is then flushed, excess water overflows on to the floor or the person using the urinal.
The ice is a short term solution to the problem. As warm urine is past over the ice, it melts the ice. The combo is enough to pass the trap and into the drain.
A properly installed automatic (battery) flushvalve would resolve the problem, but it usually cost more than most business would want to spend.
And now you know the "Rest of the Story".
Best Wishes

Target practice to prevent missing the urinal.

I always assumed that the colder temperatures of the ice would tend to reduce
the odor-levels because of too many pig-like clients who 'use' but 'refuse' to flush.
Ya-know that expensive hotels have a lot of these types - and, they seem to have
an aversion to washing their hands, as well!

I must say that this approach is an improvement over the outrageous smell from
the urinal-tablets which are more typically in use. It does seem that this manpower
intensive and energy wasting approach to the 'problem' would be more efficiently solved
by the use of the automatic-flusher which one frequently finds in the lowly gasoline station
nowadays.

Para-blocks are not effecient and as they break down have been known to get stuck in the throat of the urinal.
Agreed, everyone is using some form of battery operation when fesible these days.
It becomes a win-win-win situation for everyone.

Most bathrooms now days are going to the auto flush. I still see in fancy hotels with auto flush valves, urinals filled with ice. I believe it is a rich man feel good thing. It does give you something to aim for. HE! HE! HA! HA!

LOL. Some habits are just hard to break, eh?