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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Composting toilets
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saggys
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 11:04
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We have a off grid cabin with wood heat, outhouse and solar power. We are currently using a porta potty for night time use. We are looking into Composting toilets for in our cabin that is used on weekends and vacations. After reading some of the comments on here am I better off with our outhouse? We are in a cold winter climate and would only heat on weekends and with solar power I would not want to try to heat the composting toilet. Toilets we are considering are the Natures head, Sunmar NE, Bio-Let NE.

VTweekender
Member
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 17:56 - Edited by: VTweekender
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I will have the same setup when I build next year....off grid with solar, composting toilet and wood stove.......here is what I am going to do in the cold months as I wont be there much during cold months. I am going with the sunmar NE, and about 300 watts in solar panels, I am going to put a light bulb inside the toilet to keep some sort of heat in there (going to try and find a way to seal up the seat with some sort of homemade gasket), and the same thing with my battery bank, going to box them in with small vent holes and put a bulb in there as well to keep from freezing, I think my 300 watt panels will keep 2 bulbs going just fine. Going to use 25 watt regular bulbs as the CFL dont put off much heat I don't think.

Sustainusfarm
Member
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 18:40
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Here is my thought....the cost of those composting toilets is to high...an outhouse, if properly built, will never smell and is so easy to maintain that it makes the thought of paying $1500 for a composter just seem rediculous....Use the portolet for winter and emtpy it into the outhouse pit when its full or at the end of each weekend before you leave...
Spend the money on something else... like having water at the kitchen sink or a hot shower..IMHO.

saggys
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 19:22
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Our outhouse has a plastic vault but it is not vented properly and needs some TLC. I may put my efforts into this depending on how this post goes.

Sustainusfarm
Member
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 19:28
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Mine has a plastic vault as well...I have it pumped ever 2-5 yrs...I have been doing it this way since the outhouse was built in 1995...works great! I used plans for an outhouse in a book called Cottage Water Systems...I think the venting plan I followed in the book has worked out great...
The outy and the shower
The outy and the shower
Cabin_Construction_0.jpg
Cabin_Construction_0.jpg


luther
Member
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 19:29
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I have a Envriolet composting toilet (similar to the Sunmar) I do have electricity but what I have done is to insulate all the walls (exterior and interior), floor and ceilling of the small bathroom. I find it incredible how little heat is needed to keep the temp at a reasonable level that will enable compost to work properly (I think a light bulb in the toilet would work). Sometimes it may get to cold to work but then it heats back up and continues on. I use my place most weekends in the fall and winter and very seldom in the spring and summer so I like having a "inside" toilet. If my schedule was reversed I would think hard about what Sustainusfarm wrote. His points are very valid.

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 19:31
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saggys- properly vent that thing and buy a jug of Campa clean and you will be amazed by your odorless outhouse too!!!!

Sustainusfarm
Member
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 19:34
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Quoting: trollbridge
a jug of Campa clean

What this???

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 19:49
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It is a product we buy at WalMart in Superior-it is used for RV holding tanks. Gotta get the stuff with formaldehyde not the "natural" stuff.

It works really, really, really well...all our guest think the outhouse is gonna stink...then they smartly come to the conclusion that 'our s*** don't stink' and they look at us in amazement and bow down before us! LOL!

Martian
Member
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 22:00
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Quoting: trollbridge
they smartly come to the conclusion that 'our s*** don't stink' and they look at us in amazement and bow down before us! LOL!


You can "fool some of the people all of the time", but...........

Tom

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 6 Jul 2012 22:09 - Edited by: trollbridge
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Quoting: Martian
You can "fool some of the people all of the time", but..........

OH hush you!

kittysmitty
Member
# Posted: 7 Jul 2012 14:28
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My cabin is off grid with solar, and soon to add some wind. I have a Sun Mar composting toilet. When I bought it, used, it was an excel model. The good folks at Sun Mar sent me instructions on how to convert it to a NE ( non electric ) version. Remove the heater, install a 3/4 inch drain for liquids, and a 4 inch vent pipe.
First, let me say that this toilet is great. During hunting season, we have 5 men using it every weekend and a least one week straight, in November. No one can believe how well it works, and NO ODOR! The cabin is used a least one weekend per month, and in February, we have a couples weekend, with six people.
Once the cold weather hits, it is used more as a holding tank, as once it freezes, no composting takes place. In the fall, before the freeze, I empty it out so it has room during the winter months. We arrive Friday night and light the wood stove. By the time we are ready to leave on Sunday, the toilet can be rotated to stir the mixture. No need for any extra heating, etc.
I would buy another is a flash. I didn't pay full price for mine, look on your local buy and sell.

rayyy
Member
# Posted: 7 Jul 2012 19:03 - Edited by: rayyy
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I still like my home made bucket toilet.I just dump it out into a compost bin every few days,throw some old hay over it.Just rinse and add some fresh pine shavings and it's ready for the next time you got to go.I don't see any point in trying to compost human waste indoors.Outside in the elements,it breaks down fast and naturally.If it's below freezing,it will break down as soon as it warms up.

Saggys
# Posted: 7 Jul 2012 21:21
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At cabin now. Good to hear positive Sunmar report and that they can be converted.

HopefulHomemaker
Member
# Posted: 29 Aug 2012 17:16
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rayyy, I'm really happy to hear some positive feedback on the bucket and compost pile method. This is what Husband and I are planning to use at our cabin. Due to covenants and permit restrictions, we can't have an outhouse or a composter with an tank, so the bucket method is about all that's left to us.

bugs
Member
# Posted: 29 Aug 2012 17:52
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We have been using a simple pail under a toilet seat on a frame like others suggest and it works a treat.

We line the pail with biodegradable bag to keep the "solids" contained and use aspen shavings to cover each deposit. (Our cabin is in the aspen parkland so we figure the soil organisms will be able to deal with aspen shavings better than pine shavings) When the pail is full we dump it into a large garbage bin that has a drain hole about two inches above the bottom to let out "liquids" and an opening in the lid that has a coarse screen to let the flies and bugs IN but keeps the mice out. We cover each pail full with forest leaf litter to provide the microorganisms, worms, bugs and fungi to speed up the decomposition process.

About one year seems to be enough to break down everything and turn it into compost. We then empty the bin into a regular garden composter and can use the material to cover the new pail dumps instead of leaf litter. So it is almost a closed system.

We essentially use the cabin every weekend from Apr to Nov and so far we only have 4 garbage bins in the rotation.

The whole setup likely cost us about $80 not including the outhouse. As others suggest this cheap method frees up monies for other more important cabin items such as beverages of choice.

Just a ps to this we have seen scented aspen shavings being sold at some pet shops so that your pail and err its contents can smell like lavender or some other fragrance if you wish.

rayyy
Member
# Posted: 3 Sep 2012 17:11
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It's true,those composting toilets are insanely expensive for what they are.They probably work well if you live in a(above freezing)all year round climent.I just know,taking it outside to a compost heap every few days works just fine for me.A little clorox/water rinse and fresh shavings takes only,but a minute.Good to go!,,,(again that iszzz.)lol.

FishPCreek
Member
# Posted: 3 Sep 2012 21:11
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This has been an interesting discussion. We have an Excel on order, due this week. As we cannot get a permit for septic or holding tank, and are very close to a productive trout stream we figured the composer would be best for the long haul. We insulated the 5 x 5 loo room, including the ceiling so it is totally independently insulated. We also installed a very small in wall (between studs) heater that we will have to leave on when we are not there to keep the temp around 50 F. We hope this works and are willing to pay this electric cost to have it work correctly.

RnR
Member
# Posted: 18 Sep 2012 14:08
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We recently started using our Excel Non-Electric and it has been awesome. I was really sceptical as well about the no odour claim, so paying full price seemed like a big risk to me. I searched until I found a previously-owned one that I got for about half the price. Today, I would have no regrets had I paid full price. It would have helped me in my decision if I had known someone who had one and been able to see it first hand. Most of us are going into this kinda blind hoping it will live up to the brochure.

We have an outhouse and still use it as well, it definately works, and I do think that the other "humanure" pail with sawdust/wood chip type methods are great as well. I think it comes down to how much is it worth to you to have something as close as possible to a standard indoor bathroom, and how much of a chore do you consider it to empty pails with the sawdust methods.

We had one issue with flies trying to come down the vent stack. We covered it with mosquito netting and problem solved. the manufacturer discourages altering the vent in any way but everything else seems fine.

I have been informed that you can let it freeze in the winter and still use it occationally without issue. As soon as spring comes it will start composting again. If you were living there full time in the winter, it would follow that your home would be continually heated anyway so it would continue to work all winter.

Hope this helps.

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