Composting toilets

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Fnaar

Fnaar

Smutmaster General
Location
Thumberland
raleighnut said:
I'm pretty sure one is for liquids and the other for solids (they need different bacteria to break each down) not for use as communal crappers. :rolleyes:
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No, they were communal crappers. He is of Finnish origin, spent most of his childhood summers at the place we stayed, and both emptied into the very same pit.
 
nickyboy

nickyboy

Norven Mankey
Location
You want hills? We got hills
Drop toilets are common in Chinese factories I visit. In the summer it can be 40 degrees C and the "drop" distance is nothing like the 14 feet recommended above

Enough to make your eyes water, and not from the straining
 
Over The Hill

Over The Hill

Guru
Location
Ridden off into the sunset
raleighnut said:
I'm pretty sure one is for liquids and the other for solids (they need different bacteria to break each down) not for use as communal crappers. :rolleyes:
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I was thinking that the two were for rotating them. I saw a program on sanitation in Africa and a scheme to adopt these - apparently lots of places have nothing and you just go anywhere outside. They had it that you use the first one. After some time you leave that and move to the second. When you are ready to change again the first one has been left and decomposed to a point where it more like peat than sh** and so fine to shovel out and use as fertiliser. Basically this is what Monty Don does with compost heaps.

I don't even go in front of my wife!
 
slowmotion

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
Tim Hall said:
Friends don't recommend saniflo to friends.
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Friends don't recommend composting toilets to friends either.
I don't have a Saniflo macerator but I know people who do. You have to be mighty careful what non-human waste you ask them to gobble. There's a short clip on Youtube about servicing a blocked one. Probably best viewed after mealtime rather than before.
 
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RichardB

RichardB

Slightly retro
Location
West Wales
Dayvo said:
IIRC, Jack Hargreaves said in one of his books, the depth needs to be 14' so as to prevent any smell rising to nose level. :smile:
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Fourteen foot? That's a hazard all by itself! Several people have died from falling into those 'onion' septic tanks which have been buried and then left unattended. I'd be looking at some serious fall protection - steel barriers minimum, possibly harnesses and fall arrestors, and a rescue team on speed dial.
 
RichardB

RichardB

Slightly retro
Location
West Wales
[QUOTE 4036513, member: 76"]That is very important. If you fell urine a lot of trouble.......[/QUOTE]
Agreed; a lot of people poo-poo it, but it happens.
 
OP
OP
simon.r

simon.r

Person
Location
Nottingham
I should have realised it's impossible for us Brits to have a conversation even vaguely related to bodily functions without it descending into poo jokes^_^
 
slowmotion

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
RichardB said:
Fourteen foot? That's a hazard all by itself! Several people have died from falling into those 'onion' septic tanks which have been buried and then left unattended. I'd be looking at some serious fall protection - steel barriers minimum, possibly harnesses and fall arrestors, and a rescue team on speed dial.
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Ye Gods! Do I have to do a full scale HSE Risk Assessment every time I want to take a slash?:sad:
 
OP
OP
simon.r

simon.r

Person
Location
Nottingham
I've been meaning to update this thread for ages. The "Eco-Loo" has been in use for about 18 months:

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For the purpose we want it for it's absolutely fine. It gets used about 4 or 5 times a week by MrsR's clients. She's had no negative feedback (although to be fair I don't suppose anyone would be critical to her face) and quite a few positive comments. One client even wanted details of where it came from as she wanted to install one herself.

It's not at all sophisticated, basically it's a large bucket! The urine is diverted to a soakaway, the solids remain in the bucket and are covered in sawdust. When it's full the bucket is replaced with another one and the waste in the first bucket is left to rot for a year or so, then buried in the garden.

I wouldn't recommend it as the sole toilet facility for a family of four, but for occasional use it's just the job:okay:
 
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