# Composting toilets.



## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Is anybody using them ,I have been reading about them on some web sites of people living off the grit just like outhouses ,we have city laws around here and I was wondering of those living out of town in open range ,just wondering if laws are the same.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

I tried composting my toilet. It's been sitting in the garden now for 16 years. Porcelain must take a long time to compost.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

You'd have to check local regulations. Some places ok them ... some don't. We've used a sawdust (composting) toilet for our grandson during the winter. No smell and much better than a porta-pot but will still need to be dumped regularly. You need a place to dump them so that they can finish the decomposition process. 

We have a "professional" model too but have never used it yet. IMO, they are useful in places you don't want to put in a regular toilet along with the permit process and expenses but wouldn't rely on the small models for heavy use. Pay close attention to the manufacturer's recommendation regarding how many people it will service.

We also plan to build an "outdoor" version this summer.


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

ZoomZoom said:


> I tried composting my toilet. It's been sitting in the garden now for 16 years. Porcelain must take a long time to compost.


You forgot to plant marigolds in the bowl.


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

oldasrocks said:


> You forgot to plant marigolds in the bowl.


NAAA should plant sunflower seeds with all that (aaahummm) fiber in there.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Great info mosquitomountainman, I was just looking around because my sister ask about putting one in their 5 acre lot ,they have a shed and running a pipe to the septic will cost a bundle plus city codes and permits ,I know they use coconut coir or peat moss ,Home Depot sells it too .I will pass info to her and to look in YouTube for info , thanks.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

there is a book out called Humanure, by Jenkins link : http://www.humanurehandbook.com/ yeah it is a blind link, get antivirus or use a search engine


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

We have some places we use "sawdust" (actually many different finely ground materials work just as well) toilets. When properly used we find them MUCH more pleasant than chemical potable toilets. If used in a manner similar to the "Humanure" mentioned above there isn't actually any/much composting that happens in the toilet, that happens in a outside area (that should be inaccessible to critters), but there are no odour issues. Adding a tiny fan to the toilet with a remote vent or even just a vent that utilizes the "stack effect" will make it less smelly than a traditional water toilet during "use".


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

cowboyhermit said:


> We have some places we use "sawdust" (actually many different finely ground materials work just as well) toilets. When properly used we find them MUCH more pleasant than chemical potable toilets. If used in a manner similar to the "Humanure" mentioned above there isn't actually any/much composting that happens in the toilet, that happens in a outside area (that should be inaccessible to critters), but there are no odour issues. Adding a tiny fan to the toilet with a remote vent or even just a vent that utilizes the "stack effect" will make it less smelly than a traditional water toilet during "use".


For some reason dogs sometimes roll in the stuff you dump. We have a fenced area where we dump ours. Our commercial composting toilet has a 12 volt fan to keep odor down.


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## Pessimistic2 (Jan 26, 2017)

Caribou said:


> The worse it smells the better they like it. Every summer our dog would go out and find a half rotten spawned out salmon to roll in. She would come home so proud of herself. Yell at her all you wanted, once you cleaned her up she'd be at it again the next day.


Couldn't resist!! (And I had no clue, either, but I would never admit that!!):
http://www.vetstreet.com/dr-marty-becker/why-does-my-dog-roll-around-in-stinky-stuff
Excerpt: "Forget trying to prevent your dog from rolling around in the stinkiest things imaginable. For you, it's foul; for dogs, it's divine. With thousands of years of practice backing their interest, dogs will continue to go boldly where no man, or woman, would ever choose to go. The only surefire way to stop the stinky sniff-and-roll is to keep your dog on the leash or teach a foolproof "come-hither" when called."

Wonderful.....ain't neither Bo, nor Lilly, got that "come hither" part down yet!!


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> ... When properly used we find them MUCH more pleasant than chemical potable toilets. ...


"Chemical potable toilets" sound even worse than portable ones.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Caribou said:


> The worse it smells the better they like it. Every summer our dog would go out and find a half rotten spawned out salmon to roll in. She would come home so proud of herself. Yell at her all you wanted, once you cleaned her up she'd be at it again the next day.


One of ours once rolled in the latrine from a group who had been tent camping. We walked her directly to the lake to go swimming. That only got the larger stuff off. I'll never forget how proud she was for what she'd done.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

Caribou said:


> The worse it smells the better they like it. Every summer our dog would go out and find a half rotten spawned out salmon to roll in. She would come home so proud of herself. Yell at her all you wanted, once you cleaned her up she'd be at it again the next day.


Can't smell like a dog when you go fishing. Fish are easier to catch if you smell like one.


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