Survival Toilet?

peripatew

peripatew

Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
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Well, my parents are without power, and probably will be for another two weeks. They are able to get out to relatives to shower, but they want to stay at their home. They have wood burning fireplaces so they can stay warm. But, they have well water, and no generator. My dad is wanting to get a portable toilet that they can use now, and in the future. I've been looking at the PETT system:
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___11119

Their Wag bags also look nice, but they are pretty expensive.

Does anyone have any experience with these or others? They bought a small toilet at Walmart, but it was to small to sit on, and it had to be emptied into the toilet.

Are there other alternative "chemical" toilets in a similar price range?
 
I have used one of these in the past. Just use a new trash bag every time.

5 gallon Bucket Toilet

pp33.jpg
 
They're better off getting a small generator IMO. If they're going to live there they'll need water to drink, which they can then use to flush the toilet too. Plus they'll have lights and power to cook with (small single electric burners can be found for about $10). Running a small generator for a few hours a day won't use much gas either, if that's what they're worried about.
 
peripatew said:
I've been looking at the PETT system:
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___11119

Their Wag bags also look nice, but they are pretty expensive.
Click to expand...

I've used this system. We go out to the cabin ( no running water) in the winter and this makes a nice alternative to the outhouse in -45 weather. It definitely takes a little more care and prep to use, but we have had zero problems with spills, odor etc. and the bags can be thrown away in the regular trash. The bags themselves are expensive if used in a long term situation, but only because they are well designed and contain a chemical that "gels" everything on contact. I would not use it for a #1 situation as you would run through bags like crazy (just use a chamber pot) but for a #2 situation it's great.:thumbup:
 
i understand that almost all toilets can be flushed as long as you fill the tank with water... ours work that way.

we have about 20 gallons in milk jugs in the basement for in case the power goes out, since we run on well water. that would probably be enough to get us through a couple of days. we can also use it to cook and drink if we need to.

but if it looked like the power was going to be out for longer periods of time, i think we would probably do like we do with the kitty litter, get a trash bag in a small trash can and tie it up and toss it out after each use...
 
I'd go for a home-made sawdust toilet. You may find references to this on the web.

Basically you fit a toilet seat to a big plastic bucket. The seat should come off fairly easily because you will want to empty and wash the bucket. Anyway, you take a dump.... cover it with sawdust or peat (or maybe earth, or leaf mould, or spaghnum moss or wood ash or whatever).... then somebody takes another dump etc etc.

No chemicals to alter the environment this way. You can also use the 'by product' to fertilize your garden.

Given the right neighborhood (and sympathetic family members), I wouldn't mind using a device like this for most of the time. It seems far more sensible than pumping the stuff in bulk to some place miles away.

I have another toilet I use at a camp. It consists of a toilet seat fitted to the bottom of a plastic tote box which has had a hole cut in it. This sits over a hole dug in the ground which is simply covered with earth when the waste reaches a certain level. Done properly, this is a practical, clean way to cope with the issue.

Toilet.jpg


These things may not be considered legal in some places, but if you use common sense I doubt that the poop police will arrest you.

Happy crappin'....... Coote in NZ
 
So this isn't really a solution, but just a tip.

KEEP IT OUT OF THE BREEZE.


one of the bio crappers off of one of the shelters on the AT is wonderful to use, except for the freezing wind coming from the ridge causing high pinch factor


515d72e6.jpg



I've heard of a toilet seat that goes into a truck trailer hitch too. awesome!
 
if you go to a pet supply store and buy the big bags of pure silica crystals, add about 2 " in a bucket toilet. do yer business and cover with 2 more inches of crystals. The silica crystals absorb all the moisture and turn the poop into shrunken dry chunks. You can also toss in a cup of baking soda evry few uses to keep any residual odor down. When the bucket is full, remove the bag, double bag it and toss it into a dumpster. Ideal for hi rise cube dwellers, as water in hi rises can often vanish if the power goes out. (no pumps to pump the water to the top of the buildings etc)
 
My dad has several composting toilets in various strategic locations around the farm...At the barn and at the cabins. They use wood chips and a cocktail of bacteria (not chemicals) to deteriorate the waste. Less odor than a porta-potty (none, actually), and they can go a fairly long time without being emptied, depending on use. I don't have the brand name or anything, if I find out I'll post again, but just search for "composting toilets" and it should come up. Good luck!
 
coote said:
No chemicals to alter the environment this way. You can also use the 'by product' to fertilize your garden.
Click to expand...

Just be careful that you don't use the waste in a vegetable or other food garden without having it fully composted to kill any pathogens. Good way to get sick. :)
 
I was going to suggest going the more natural way and making/building an earth closet but I see a few others got there before me! :D I wonder if they still make these:
earth-closet-1881.jpg


If I was going to build an outside loo I'd make it a bit more windproof than the one posted above :S

It is recommended that human manure is composted for at least 2 years before you use it as fertiliser. If you do that it should be perfectly safe. An interesting link: http://www.jldr.com/henrymoule.htm

A tow-hitch toilet was featured in an episode of Top Gear.

[youtube]hycbY01PlvQ[/youtube]
 
Use kitty litter.

I don't think I would want to be without a generator, given the reliability/unreliability of the electrical grid. There are cheap ones as well as the good ones, why miss a good TV show without cold beer from the fridge?

Back to the main content here. Being on a well I have had a few situations being without water. The year the water line from the well froze, I had to make do without water for weeks. It's a minor inconvenience if one handles it well, or a horrible one if unprepared without a plan.

I solved the toilet problem just by watching my cats use the litter box. Cat litter is cheap and it covers and dries the solid waste well. I put some into a pail, and the pail was used for #2 only. After each use pour a scoop onto the waste to cover it and eliminate smell, which leaves it ready for the next use. For #1 the rule was and is; go outside and use the tree or whatever, as long as it was away from the house and walk path.

Periodically, dump out the pail and fill with fresh kitty litter, and while your at it, do the cat's box too. As for the yellow snow, mother nature covers it with each snowfall. Failing that, cover the outside urinal area with snow, dirt etc.
 
Interesting posts.

I s'pose, to be safe, the composting time should be long for human manure.... especially if people other than 'family' have used your composting toilet. Burying the waste below the surface is another thing that can be done to help keep things cleaner.

When done sensibly, composting human waste is a good thing. But I'm glad we have sewerage systems and laws for cities. Some folk would not do it properly if left to their own devices.

Mind you, these precautions can be taken....then the danged birds and animals come in and poop all over your lettuce.

That is a great old advertisement for a composting toilet. I'm glad people have taken the trouble to preserve these interesting old pictures.
 
Thanks for all the posts. My parent's decided to go with the PETT system, but luckily their power got turned back on after 10 days. They are looking into a small generator, but will have to have someone help them with the wiring for their well pump.

I wonder if those tankless waterheaters would run off of most generators?

They were refilling their toilets, but they were trying to save water, as they were having to melt a lot of water from snow to use. They were also trying to save the water in the water heater for a last reserve.

Funny thing is my dad had just got a book on long term survival, aiming at making it on your own for 1 year. So, he had plenty of time to read it!
 
The Pett bags can be a bit pricey but you can also get the Pooh Powder in cans and use other bags. They are good for emergency use if you don't have the property for a latrine. I keep a few in the camper van.
 
peripatew said:
...I wonder if those tankless waterheaters would run off of most generators?
...
Click to expand...

The details might be slightly different in your country but over here such heaters use about 7 kw. Add on a couple of kw to allow for lighting and the fridge and you are up close to 10 kw. That is the size of generator you would need. Most of the portable generators I have seen are a lot smaller than that.

Personally, I think I'd go for a smaller generator and find a way of heating water with wood.

Andy
 
Most of the tankless water heaters use gas, or propane. Look for the nameplate and see what amperage the unit draws. Most of these would run fine on smaller generators.

If the water heater is electric, it would take a very large commercial generator to run, as these units draw much more than a regular electric tank water heater.
 
A.W.U.K. said:
I was going to suggest going the more natural way and making/building an earth closet but I see a few others got there before me! :D I wonder if they still make these:
earth-closet-1881.jpg


If I was going to build an outside loo I'd make it a bit more windproof than the one posted above :S

It is recommended that human manure is composted for at least 2 years before you use it as fertiliser. If you do that it should be perfectly safe. An interesting link: http://www.jldr.com/henrymoule.htm

A tow-hitch toilet was featured in an episode of Top Gear.

[youtube]hycbY01PlvQ[/youtube]
Click to expand...

LMAO...that video made my day :D
 
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