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moregon
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# Posted: 25 Dec 2014 10:14am
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When I FINALLY get to move to my property I will most likely use the composting toilet method. Has anyone had experience with this? Problems with wildlife getting into the "mix"?
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ChuckDynasty
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# Posted: 25 Dec 2014 12:36pm
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Look into a sawdust toilet and compost the contents. Start using one now to see how you like it. If you're interested I'll post what I have done.
If it turns out that you like the sawdust system but the officials require a real compost toilet you can buy one to satisfy them, don't use it and sell it afterwards.
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creeky
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2014 02:04pm
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Wildlife will not be interested in the mix ...
If officialdom is a concern: I've been using an envirolet for three years. I didn't think much of it at first (got it third hand, installation was a bit tricky) but I gotta say. It's been working fine for three years and I have yet to empty it... plus it is CSA/gov't approved. So no worries there.
It's basically a Clivus Multrum style toilet. If I was to do it again I would build one (bigger) as it would be easier to remove composted waste from. And in fact may do so the summer after next.
I'm in no hurry tho. Composting toilets are, in my experience, pretty good. My only bother is when stuff freezes the pile can climb ...
In dead of winter I do use a saw dust toilet, which works great. But they are more work, er, unloading.
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ChuckDynasty
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2014 08:21pm
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I had to dump into compost once every two weeks when the bucket was half full...this was for one person, me. A bigger problem may be finding and storing the sawdust. I found this to be a really simple, easy, clean and dirt cheap process. But I did also have a separate system for liquids.
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Tyler Danann
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2014 04:19am
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I'm fortunate in that I live not far from a sawmill. Plenty of the dust there available for free.
What I normally do with my portapotty is use the chemical breakdown solutions. That get's the waste ground friendlier for composting with sawdust some ways away from the main buildings.
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TranquilMan
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2015 07:05pm
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I installed a Sun Mar non-electric compost toilet at our place. I was happy with the out house but my wife and her girl friends who visit don't like the hike out back in the dark. It is a seasonal cabin so only there off and on from May to October. I installed it last July and it worked well so far. The only problem is that in August, black flies started breeding in the mix. If anyone has ideas on how to manage that my wife would be a happy camper. I talked to Sun Mar and they suggested that the compost mix might be too dry. Thoughts anyone?
- TranquilMan
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AK Seabee
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2015 10:21pm
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Do you have bug screen on your vents?
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thetick
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# Posted: 19 Feb 2015 01:18am
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My wife and I have been using a sawdust compost toilet for 8 months now. I went simple with a 5 gallon bucket and built a housing with standard lid to cover it. I did not want to drop huge $ for a commercial one if she did not like it. Been so used to it we are now just too cheap to buy anything as this works just fine. They suggest that when using this method that you have 2 "active" compost piles each with equal summer and winter months (Jan to June, and start another in June to Jan, etc).
They fly problem is common with most composting toilets. Even the commercial high $ units are subject. We tried everything from fruit fly traps, to a half full glass of wine (they are supposed to drown in it). Nothing worked. What did work is just changing out the bucket every daily. That took care of 90% of the hoovering little bastards. Not realistic for those using Sun-mars or similar units I know, so I will leave it to others to comment.
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paulz
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# Posted: 22 Feb 2015 06:54pm - Edited by: paulz
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I'm also getting to the point where I need to decide on a crapper. Scabbed a 6x8 room on the back of my cabin. As you can see, steep drop off below, and I'm thinking I can run a pipe at a fairly steep right from the toilet down the hill, and my road goes right by at the bottom (about 100 ft. down). So if I use compost I can put the tank away from the cabin but need help getting the stuff down the pipe right? Other options? Thanks.
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Jim in NB
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# Posted: 23 Feb 2015 06:43am
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I am using the sawdust compost toilet. I built two last year - one inside and one for the outside throne. They work great. Built a small shed for storing sawdust and other materials right beside a double bin compost bin. Also built two garden plots that will eventually use the compost. I will also be constructing a water collection system off the small shed roof for cleaning out the 5 gal buckets and watering the garden. I was very impressed with the simplicity of the system. Made a point of asking all visitors last year to see if they could notice odour - NONE did. This is a good system, cost effective and environmentally friendly. Takes a little effort but well worth it!
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creeky
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# Posted: 23 Feb 2015 09:42am
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picked up a good tip online. the fellow lines his buckets with straw making a nest for the, er, eggs.
makes cleaning the bucket real easy.
and the birds come by and laugh when they see you tearing frozen bales of straw apart. seriously. two or three chickadees flew in to rest on branches right over my head. and chirped up a storm.
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TranquilMan
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2015 11:14pm
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I figured out the fly problem both in the composting toilet and the outhouse. Determined to figure it out one fine morning, I went up on the roof with a cup of coffee and lots of time. The vent is not fan assisted so I was curious how well the stack was working. The upward flow seemed good. As I sat there thinking, along came a fly, he circled then down he went. Then another one and another one. I counted 4 flies going down in 5 minutes. That works out to 48 flies an hour and if they fly 24/7 that's 1152 flies on a good day. A screen solved the problem.
Tranquil Man
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beachman
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2015 06:23am
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We have a Sunmar low-water flush composting toilet and have to say it works great. You need a little space under the unit for stuff to flow properly but only about 3 ft. I have a plastic garbage can to hold the mix and keep it next to the unit outside. We only use the place 3 seasons and maybe a couple weekends in the winter. No smell and easy to maintain.
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groingo
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2015 11:02am
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I went through the sawdust, composting, worms, newspaper etc and ultimately put in a 250 gallon underground poly holding tank and have it pumped out every few years as necessary.
Now if you are way out in the sticks and not a family of five, then I just use the coleman porta potty, empty it into a pit area well away and downstream of any water supplies, dig a hole and dump and cover but also have several dumpsites so you don't get any Hot spots or high concentrations.....it actually breaks down very fast.
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bugs
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2015 06:10pm
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We have used a composting system since we started our little adventure. We could not get a source of sawdust so we went with aspen shavings (pet stores/farm stores have them for bedding for various critters. They have some lye in them naturally!). After each weekend we dump the pail into a holding bin. Our rotation (4 bins) is up to about 18 months or so. A winter is important. The result is wonderful compost that we use to inoculate the next pail dumps. Ash from the firepit also goes into this process.
I have posted it on my small cabin thread if you want to track it down.
This saved us a "hole" heap of digging to make a typical pit toilet.
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