The Forestry Forum

General Forestry => Alternative methods and solutions => Topic started by: boo 84 on November 08, 2015, 05:35:16 AM

Title: Composting Toilet
Post by: boo 84 on November 08, 2015, 05:35:16 AM
I'm sure this has been talked about beforehand,but do any of you folk have ,use or are still using a composting toilet ?
I'm seriously considering buying one from Joe Jenkins,or building one myself.
Could I please have some input, I'm really getting tired of wasting so much water.
Thanks :)
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: beenthere on November 08, 2015, 09:16:16 AM
Who is Joe Jenkins ??
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: Mooseherder on November 08, 2015, 09:45:01 AM
You know Joe, Ralph's Brother!
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: Jeff on November 08, 2015, 10:19:17 AM
Whats wrong with you beenthere?   He lives right over next to Dave Hoobedat on Willow Whistle road.

Here be mine.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/IMG_20140529_095959_550.jpg) 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/IMG_20140531_164555_303.jpg) 

 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/IMG_20140531_164935_595.jpg)
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: beenthere on November 08, 2015, 10:57:53 AM
Oooohhhhh !!!     8)  I think I got it.... :D :D

Nice throne there Jeff... 
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: r.man on November 12, 2015, 09:35:23 AM
Hi Boo, I have had a Jenkins system for 16 months now as our only toilet in our house. Everything so far has been exactly as Joe says in his book " The Humanure Handbook ". Replaced the flush toilet with a sawdust toilet, it is not technically a composting toilet but is one half of a composting system, and haven't regretted it a bit. I have been meaning to dig out our first compost, I switched sites a year ago so I do have some harvestable compost that is a year old. No odour unless you are using an inadequate cover material or not covering properly. We also switched the cat over to sawdust kitty litter which has gone over very well. The cat likes it, it is free, I can now compost the cat waste and the litter box is easier to clean. A positive move all round except most people are now sure I'm crazy instead of just wondering about it. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have either in the thread or in a PM if you prefer.
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: r.man on November 12, 2015, 09:38:36 AM
I forgot to add, there is no reason to have an out building for a compost toilet except crowding. If you have the space they are fine inside heated living spaces with the limitation that they have the same " in use " odours  that regular flush toilets do.
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: trapper on November 13, 2015, 10:22:07 AM
The sawdust you use for kitty litter what kind of mill is it from band, circle or chainsaw or does it matter?
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: Jeff on November 13, 2015, 10:58:26 AM
I use bandmill sawdust in our composting outhouse. I think the finer dust is more apt to contain odors and break down faster than a coarser sawdust.
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: r.man on November 13, 2015, 02:16:13 PM
I agree with Jeff about the fineness. I have used sawdust from a band, chainsaw and circular as well as from a mixed pile ejected from a dust collector system that serviced circular chopsaws and moulders. All seem to work for the cat but the partial shavings are too coarse for the sawdust toilet. If I had to choose I like chainsaw dust for both.
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: WV Sawmiller on November 15, 2015, 12:22:17 PM
   If anyone is contemplating building an "outhouse" inside be DanG sure to vent it properly. I worked in Cameroon for several years and my local employee mailman lived out in town, had no indoor plumbing but had an indoor toilet. He went in to take a sponge bath one morning and either there was an electrical short or he flipped a cigarette butt in the toilet and the whole place exploded. He crawled out with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. He had out our company radio and called for help and I sent a co-worker who knew his neighborhood  to pick him up and take him to the local hospital. He survived but had to have both Achilles tendons cut and reattached because of the tension caused from the burns. He eventually made a pretty nearly complete recovery but it took years and he walked with a cane for a long time.

   As near as I can figure he had a build up of methane gas that exploded from some type of spark.
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: Puffergas on November 15, 2015, 07:39:49 PM
I have one in my shop. Don't use it much but it's saved my butt from time to time....  ;D

I use forest duff in mine.
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: r.man on November 15, 2015, 10:41:07 PM
A sawdust toilet is not a composting toilet, it produces no methane and requires no venting. If you were to have a two chamber system that used sawdust as cover but actually had the composting take place in the chamber under the toilet then venting would be required.
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: Arkyrick on December 13, 2015, 04:45:47 PM
When my wife and I moved to our 7 acre homestead the coffin sized bathroom in our 29 foot camper became way too small so I built an 8x10 shed over the water hydrant to our lot I put in a electric hotwater tank a shower and washer and dryer and an Envirolet composting toilet we used this bathroom/ laundry for 2 1/2 years while we built our home. The composting toilet worked perfectly all that time it had a vent through the roof and a small heater and fan that promoted the composting process never did it ever smell badly and only need empting about every 2 months a 20 min process I just dumped the compost in a pile in the woods,even discovered beautiful tomatoes growing out of it in the spring( didn't eat them but fed them to the chickens) the only drawback was the toilet cost $1,200. Back in 05 it would easily work in a house with no problem and no smell if installed with the vent. It sits in our guest house even now.
Title: Re: Composting Toilet
Post by: r.man on January 10, 2016, 09:19:49 PM
One of the really strong positives of the Jenkins system is its minimal cost and initial set up speed. I bought a new wooden toilet seat and scrounged everything else. Mine required about 5 ft of 2 X 4s some plywood, a pair of hinges, some wood screws and a few pails. You can easily substitute lumber for plywood although in the seat area it would make extra work and weight. All of the materials except the seat are scrap size at a building site.