composting toilets...anybody?

M

Mike The Money Maker

Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
48
We have some property and will be spending much time there. Our goals are to build a green house, work a food garden with a deer fence, build an outdoor kitchen and have a wood fired bath. We already have the well water taken care of and some working solar and wind energy, However we are kind of perplexed as to what the best methods would be for a toilet.

I know nothing about composting toilets but I hear that many folks off the Grid use them. We once looked into a septic system and field but our property does not quite meet the required perc tests for one...we would be forced to have a holding tank only" 'this would require a pumping service to the middle of nowhere with only horse trails leading to our property from the main road.

Can anybody here tell me about how to set up and maintain a composting toilet system?

Thanks
Handy
 
One of the outpost camps I frequent has one. It works quite great and the owners were really impressed with it functional wise. The toilet was placed inside the cabin and had no smell at all. You have to turn it once a week and keep chemicals clear of it. After finishing your buisness you sprinkle a cupful of peat and close the top.

It had many advantages over an outhouse especially being situated in the cabin itself. My wife doesn't complain about camping in the outpost anymore!
 
I know someone who lives off grid that composts his waste for his fruit trees. Uses 5 gallon buckets simplyling springling sawdust that he gets for free from a local sawmill over his waste. Dumps the bucket out about once a week. He states the trick is to buy the orange buckets from Home Depot for that purpose alone so there are no mistakes if you need a bucket for something else!
 
Hey Guys..

Handy....

Actually with the new septic beds that are required here,, everything is above groud..It's a pain in the ass and an eyesore, as they are raised off the ground,, but they can be put in, even if you have bad soil...

As for the composters..

My neibour is getting an one for his cottage...

You basically $hit into a coffee filter type thing, push the button and it falls and is burned up by a heating coil..
you simply empty out the ash tray when it is full...

As for the ones using peat,, I've heard of them but have never actually had a $hit in one.. :)

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Normark said:
You basically $hit into a coffee filter type thing, push the button and it falls and is burned up by a heating coil..
you simply empty out the ash tray when it is full...
Click to expand...

Man, that thing must have a robust air handling system, since I would imagine the smell from burning poo would be quite unpleasant.
 
Is that one of those incinolet things? They seem so small and self contained, but I've wondered about smell. I suppose if it uses an electric heater element, it limits some off the grid choices. I think I'd be annoyed to fire up a generator just to take a dump.
 
Hey Shecky..

That's Exactly what it is an Incinolet...
Yaa the frigging thing is Really small, like the size of one of those small beer fridges,,if not smaller...

It's all Stainless too...
Very nice little unit...

Rings in at about $2G's though...

Well worth it if you ask me...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Okay, thanks guy's, Looks like these types of systems are worth looking into because a holding tank complete with install runs over $10,000 for a 2000 gallon tank and then to empty it costs another $75.00 every time it needs service...plus a truck with a tank that sucks the $hit out of the tank can't get anywhere near the place.
 
Hey Guys..

Mike...

I thin kthats your Best bet....

Only thing you need to figure out now is what to do with the Grey water...

You can make a simple tile bed yourself for that..Not legal by code,, but what the hell...

Rent a trencher, fill the trench half with gravel, run some Perf Big O in it, cover it with gravel, then weed barrier then bury whats left...Add a simple septic pump to your drains and bingo your in business....

Make the tile bed as big as your can afford, even run your sump into it,,if big enough......

Problem solved For Now!

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
A friend of mine lives off the grid in Northern Idaho and she bought a compost toilet and got rid of it in less then a month. She said if you do not use it for two weeks everything breaks down pretty good. But if you use it sunday night and clean it out mon AM it is not very pleasant. She paid the bucks and had a septic tank and conventional toilet put in.

Before the compost toilet she had an outhouse. Apparently the ladies have a bit of a challenge going when it's -10 deg. in the winter.:rolleyes:
 
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