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jjmay77
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# Posted: 28 Apr 2023 15:35
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Does anyone have any experience with either the dry flush or cassette toilets? I am trying to get my wife to come to the cabin more. Her biggest thing is wanting a bathroom. I was thinking a cassette toilet for #1 and a Laveo dry flush for #2. The dry flush is just to costly for #1 from 4 ppl. Any thoughts appreciated.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 28 Apr 2023 16:41
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We've been using a Sawdust Toilet system for several years now... this has Urine Diversion which goes to the Grey Water system, so there is never any "black water". This does have some drawbacks for women and they have to be careful to position themselves properly... guess what they hate it... (a GF & daughters so I know...)
After last years misadventures with my health and the positive outcome (I am going to live a few more years) we decided sme upgrades are in order. We purchased a "Separett Tiny 1271" Waterless Toilet with Urine Diversion. The 1270 Model has a Urine holding Tank. These are far more "Female" friendly and again No Smeels or anything, even comes with a Vent Fan (low power 12V with 120V transformer for North America)
REF LINK to the Tiny 1271
https://canadianecoproducts.com/shop/toilets/composting-toilets/coming-spring-2021-se parett-tiny-toilet-1271/
NOTE that Separett Main Site has a few "Blems" on sale for about 1/2 Price but they are Urine Container models, there is a conversion kit for diversion to plumbing. They did not have many left so they may already be gone.
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frankpaige
Member
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# Posted: 28 Apr 2023 16:43
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I have the dry flush. The ladies love it. Thus I do. Have had no issues. Seems to wrap around 18 flushes. I used kitty litter at first for the more liquid uses. Now the powder from dry flush. I like the powder better. It changes out easily. I bag it and use a full time neighbor’s trash to dispose of. It could be transported to town , I guess? No smell is the one thing I like about it. Cartridges change out easily. It does not have to be “flushed†every time when it is only used for # 1. I remember the cost at the time (2017) was a consideration. Not sure the price now in relationship to the cassette? Honestly. Not sure I even studied the other one. Hope I have answered your questions? If I missed something, give a shout out.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 28 Apr 2023 23:36
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Fwiw
My wife has NO issues with our diy compost (sawdust) humaure system after a year of cabin use. She and her older sister were tom-boys so maybe Im lucky? It is generally just the two of us so easy to manage. It started with looking at commercial units, then finding the online info on the humanure process and thinking,"why not give it a go" (pun intended).
No bugs, no stink, no problem if you 'dump the bucket' to the further remote compost bin in a timely fashion. I dont mind being the bucket boy but I did grow up on a farm. Poo is a fact of life. After trying this for a year I know I will Never dig another pit-privy again!
You can make it as simple or fancy as you want, indoors as a no plumbing unit or an 'out'house.
For the squeamish making it look more like a regular 'bathroom' makes it more easily acceptable.
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bugs
Member
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# Posted: 9 May 2023 19:19
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Wow these choices are expensive... We have used a humanare wood shavings composting toilet for over a decade at our shack. Extremely low tech but very effective. Ours is essentially a closed system. The results of the process can even be used for composting the flower garden...
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Aklogcabin
Member
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# Posted: 10 May 2023 09:43
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We have an Incinolet, incinerator toilet that runs a electric power. Burns everything to ash. Works very well and no handling poo. No odors, easy to install
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 11 May 2023 09:45
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A properly done diy 'humanure compost T' has no handling of poo, or smell; the handling is of the bucket, mostly filled with wood chips/pine needles/grass clippings as a topper (so Not a heavy, stinky bucket of slop) over each 'go'. It is just like handling any bucket used around the homestead or garden. No rubber gloves even required but hand washing at the end is recommended (just as it is after a 'go').
For the two of us the bucket is emptied into the long-term bin at the end of a long weekend (say a 3 day'er) or maybe every couple weeks if it has been mostly day trips. Our old conventional Pit T was horrible compared to this. And no more holes to dig/outhouse to relocate.
At the bin pop the top, dump the bucket, throw a layer of brown/green topping on, replace top, done. This aint a big deal nor rocket science.
Btw, the new 'out' plan is to be a simple structure with a partitioned combo T, changing area and a gravity shower so the urine diversion will flow into the gray water shower drain to the simple French drain field.
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frankpaige
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# Posted: 11 May 2023 12:01
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Has the area’s temperatures had anyone’s decision on composting toilets? From what I have read. True or untrue? It takes temps above 55 degrees F to cause any break down.
For us in South Park area of Colorado. Even in the summertime. The temps are not much higher than that (inside temp) when I come to the cabin even in the summer time?
That was part of my decision to go with the Dry Flush at our place. At the time. I had no solar to run a fan. Just had more experience with Forest Service pit style latrines and wanted no part of that.
Advances lately might have changed that mindset done 9 years ago.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 11 May 2023 14:42
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A dark bin 3x3x3, or 4x4x4 placed in the sun will reach higher bio-microbe temp inside than ambient air temp. But, yes, at some point the activity will slow, then stop.
Our place is pretty much 3 season with occassional forays in the winter when temps moderate to about 30dF and we have at least enough driveway access to park in just off the road (and do the 300+ ft walk/trudge in.
Even if we had a more conventional septic system I think we would use the diy-compost T to save the spetic/make it live longer.
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bugs
Member
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# Posted: 11 May 2023 18:45
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The temps where we are in SK range from -40c to +40c... We have 4 plastic garbage bins which we rotate thru in about 2 years. This provides the initial breakdown. The contents of the bin, after 2 +/- years, is then dumped into a basic garden composter for another year or so. The results are quite spectacular... The contents from the composter is used to "seed" the garbage bins...
bins- primary composting
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inside a bin
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secondary composter
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final result
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FishHog
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# Posted: 12 May 2023 07:21
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Just had more experience with Forest Service pit style latrines and wanted no part of that.
A public use pit toilet has absolutely no comparison to a personal outhouse that you clean and maintain
Neither my wife or I have any issues with our outhouse. I had bought a composting toilet and before I installed it my wife said don’t bother there is nothing wrong with the outhouse
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 12 May 2023 09:59
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My wife is the other way, having experienced both at the cabin (since 1983) she prefers the compost T we used all last year.
We just moved the location of the 'out' a few days ago, too easy. Moving the enclosure is the same but no pit to re-fill and no new pit to dig.
Using the new pallet fork attachment for the JD 1025R sub-compact tractor made it All a snap.
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jjmay77
Member
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# Posted: 30 May 2023 13:26
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What is the system you describe made up of? A bucket with a urine diverter? If so does the bucket have a layer of shavings then use then layer of shavings or do you dump after each use in the large garbage can and layer with shavings?
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 30 May 2023 19:44 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Assume you are asking me?
This is our outdoor system.
We started with a 5 gal bucket with some bottom 'duff' lining and I would avoid peeing into it if possible (guys have options, lol) that reduced the amount of urine. Typically we toss in '1/2 can' of softwood coarse sawdust after a use (which we keep in a left over kitty litter container). I built an open bottom box with a cheap t-seat on top for the bucket to sit in.
Still stinky, no surprise, it was holding all that pee. Btw, bucket had no lid; ime a lidded bucket is rank. You want to know when it needs to be dumped not lose your cookies when you need to dump.
For an indoor system you have no choice but to use a bucket and likely a urine diverter.
With our outdoor we switched to a mid-sized plastic planter we had from some large plant my wife bought (no lid), maybe a 4 gal? size, that has some good sized drain holes in the bottom. We line it the same, a 'pocket' of some coarse organics, but the urine now can drain out and into the sand&gravel 'base' we have it all sitting on, the solids get the sawdust covering.
In the summer we use it for days, until about 2/3s full, then I dump it into the garbage bin 'composter'. At that time I pour a short wash basin of water on the base; kind of a 'flush' of the drain.
Depending upon the number and types of use the bin dump may only be once a week. That gets covered with some 'greens' (grass clippings, weeds, etc.) and topped with some sawdust and the lid. It is said to be important to do about 2:1 or 3:1 greens (nitrogen) to browns (carbon) and some worms are a good sign.
Again, the bin has no stink. It is all quite remarkable for how simple it all is.
When that bin is about 2/3s full (so it isnt too heavy for me to deal with) I will dump it into the recently acquired commercial compost bin for 'finishing off/aging'. After some experience with it I may dispense with the garbage can bin.
You may want to start with a 'waterless outdoor urinal', it can be used directly and/or the 'night jug' can be poured in next day.
Reference resources:
The Humanure Book
Liquid Gold
Writing all this up was more complicated than using it.
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jjmay77
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jun 2023 14:06
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Thanks gcrank. That was very helpful. I think you convinced me to try a system like that before spending 1k on a dry flush or trying to dump sewage from a cassette. Seems like the buckets are not nearly as repulsive as the cassette when the urine is diverted or passes through and the cost is low relatively low so it cant hurt to try. We only stay a night or two tops so we aren't talking about a lot of use. I can then dump the bucket to a location in the fields or woods after each outing.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jun 2023 19:37 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Make a semi-perm place to 'dump the bucket',use the simple standard open but contained compost pit method. If you use the green/brown organics after use and after dumping the bucket it will be no worse than, and actually is, a compost pit.
I use the 'bin' method because I had one. You can do it on the cheap with a Walmart plastic garbage can with holes drilled in bottom and sides with a Unibit.
Way inexpensive and after you do it a while you will wonder why you thought it complicated.
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