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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Outhouse distance??
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southern La Brown
Member
# Posted: 19 Nov 2012 06:40
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All you folks that have outhouses, how far away from the cabin did you build yours? I just don't want to build it to far away or too close.

OwenChristensen
Member
# Posted: 19 Nov 2012 08:02
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Mine is close, but for some reason mine don't stink. Not trying to be funny, but I must have good venting or whatever. My outhouse is only about 12' from the cabin and works fine.

Owen

PA_Bound
Member
# Posted: 19 Nov 2012 08:08
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In Pennsyvlania, a "vault privy" (basically an outhouse with a tank under it, that gets pumped out every so often) "must not be located within 50-foot perimeter of any occupied building or structure". My hunting cabin is right at 50' and that seems to be a reasonable distance- not too close, not too far. They also recommend that when placing the privy, "consideration should be given to the direction of prevailing winds to reduce odor nuisances."

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 19 Nov 2012 12:04
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Quoting: PA_Bound
In Pennsyvlania, a "vault privy" (basically an outhouse with a tank under it, that gets pumped out every so often) "must not be located within 50-foot perimeter of any occupied building or structure"

Same with us in Wisconsin...so we are at 5O feet! Never wished it was any farther...especially in the winter. Brrrr!

Better check what your county regulations are first

cabingal3
Member
# Posted: 19 Nov 2012 15:40
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i think ours is about 20 ft.
when we live out there...i know i wil have to keep the path free of snow.that will be my job.getup and shovel the path to the hopper.

groingo
Member
# Posted: 19 Nov 2012 16:21
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Mine is portable and used in the house and emptied 100 feet into a processor.
Be sure you are at the very least 100 feet downstream of any drinkable water source.

Cooks Dock
Member
# Posted: 20 Nov 2012 08:36
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With the way I'm feeling this week, 5 feet would be too far

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 20 Nov 2012 09:41
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Quoting: Cooks Dock
With the way I'm feeling this week, 5 feet would be too far

Yikes! Hope you're feeling better soon.

TheWildMan
Member
# Posted: 20 Nov 2012 10:46
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3 feet, just outside the old cabin door is the door to the outhouse, last winter i had put up a plywood roof between the two so i could avoid getting snowed on walking out.

i use a sawdust compost toilet, a 5 gallon bucket in a wooden box with a seat on top, a barrel full of sawdust next to it. the outhouse was made quick n cheap with plywood and salvaged 2x4s, so it measures 4'x4'. when the bucket is 2/3 full i empty it into a big composter made out of a black trash can, located 50 feet away. the sawdust helps eliminate odor.

after the compost bin is full i let is sit for 2 years to break down then use it as fertilizer in the garden. the waste provides nitrogen and potasium and the sawdust provides carbon and other plant nutrients. after 2 years its broken down to a rich soil humus and any bad bacteria is long worked out of it.

adakseabee
Member
# Posted: 21 Nov 2012 20:26
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From door to door, 135 feet. Add another 38 feet from bed in loft to ladder, ladder to main floor, main floor to door, and main door to corner nearest the outhouse! All told, it's much too far for the Mrs and pretty spooky walking in the woods at night.

Cooks Dock
Member
# Posted: 21 Nov 2012 20:39
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Self induced...too many "hot chicken wings" .....tailgating in Buffalo!
Oh, did I mention someone forced a bunch of beer down my throat!!

Malamute
Member
# Posted: 21 Nov 2012 20:51
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Mine is about 20 feet. Not too bad tho, I have a boardwalk. The bathroom in the bathouse is pretty much like a normal bathroom in a house. It's heated and has running water, claw foot tub, water heater, and is also my pantry and temporary reloading room.

Yeah, weird, but thats just the way it worked out. It was raining like crazy for weeks on end when I was going to add a bathroom on to the cabin, and I didn't want to cut into the roof to add on then, so just built the bathouse. It's 8x12, and has worked out well for my uses.

johng
Member
# Posted: 21 Nov 2012 21:01
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I'm still trying to figure out if the OP's name and question are a ruse.

tcmatt
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2012 07:46
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mine is about 60 feet away and NNE from the cabin and not downwind from the prevailing winds (which are westerly). I just built mine this spring and used a 4" diameter pvc vent pipe. No stick at all, even from the inside of the outhouse.

southern La Brown
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2012 09:55
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Thanks for the replays y'all. I was just trying to get a good estimate of how far. I was thinking around 80' and just wanted to make sure that was far enough.

southern La Brown
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2012 09:57
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And no I'm from south Louisiana and my last name is brown

bugs
Member
# Posted: 22 Nov 2012 11:14
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Ours is a composting toilet, 5 gal with shavings. It is about 50 feet from the cabin.

One thing that is very important for the whole outhouse experience to be enjoyable, at least IMHO is you should be able to leave the door open and relax and enjoy a pleasant view and watch nature stroll by....crawl by....slither by or fly by. We even put a bird box up by the door so we can watch the tree swallows and wrens feeding their young.

countrygirl
Member
# Posted: 28 Nov 2012 14:42
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Was -15f last weekend and the out house is 80 feet away. A cool walk in the morning, but not bad. Got the Luggable Loo Toilet Seat and Toilet Bucket of the late night times. just empty each morning (great with kids)

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 29 Nov 2012 17:32
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Mine is close, requirement was it needed to be 100 feet or more from any well. My well is not near the cabin, about 100 feet away.

TomChum
Member
# Posted: 30 Nov 2012 00:01
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech
requirement was it needed to be 100 feet or more from any well.


But isn't yours self-contained with a tank?

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