# Toilet plumbing question



## RUN1251 (Mar 15, 2012)

Thisis the first time I have posted but have been reading the threads for some time. I just started prepping about four months ago. We plan to go to our ranch (about an hour away) if SHTF. I have been focusing mainly on immediate needs of food, water, heating, and lighting but now have time to look at other requirements. The ranch has a septic system but an electric water well. Without electricity, we will have to depend on rain barrel (650 gal) water for drinking and cooking. I have two gravedine filters and chlorine for the drinking water. We have a five acre pond one hundred yards from the house. If we keep a two gallon bucket of pond water by each toilet, will filling the toilet basin with pond water allow us to flush to the septic tank? I really don't want to build an outhouse.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

The pond water will work fine for flushing. Welcome to the forum.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Yeah, the pond water will work fine, but, an I understand yall don't wanna outhouse, personally, (I've had em before so I understand), I wouldn't waste a drop a water fer a toilet. I'd put in the out house. Lay in a good supply a lime an toss some in there, will help decompose it an keep the smell down.

Otherwise, ifin yall planin on doin dish's an such, save the water from that fer the toilet. Least ways yer gettin 2 uses outa the water.


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

RUN1251 said:


> Thisis the first time I have posted but have been reading the threads for some time. I just started prepping about four months ago. We plan to go to our ranch (about an hour away) if SHTF. I have been focusing mainly on immediate needs of food, water, heating, and lighting but now have time to look at other requirements. The ranch has a septic system but an electric water well. Without electricity, we will have to depend on rain barrel (650 gal) water for drinking and cooking. I have two gravedine filters and chlorine for the drinking water. We have a five acre pond one hundred yards from the house. If we keep a two gallon bucket of pond water by each toilet, will filling the toilet basin with pond water allow us to flush to the septic tank? I really don't want to build an outhouse.


Does the wind blow out that way?you can rig a water pump from a car to a windmill pretty easy.
Have it fill a sump tank and shut it off when its full.you might even be able to rig something like a toilet floater in the tank so it shuts itself off.


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## jontwork (Apr 6, 2010)

*Pump your water with a solar pump.*

If your ranch is located where they have sunshine, I would consider making arrangements to pump your water with solar power.

www.sunpumps.com

It would simplify everything.

Also, find out how deep the water is and see if a hand pump would be good enough to pump it out. They are available now for up to 350 feet.


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## RUN1251 (Mar 15, 2012)

I've looked into solar. Enough to run the well, refrigerator, and minimal lights (no stove, heat, etc) was $13,000 after tax credits. That's too much for us right now. I can keep adding rain barrels inexpensively. The 650 gal we have now are only on the house. Our barn could add another 900 gal. Unfortunately, it is down a hill and 150 yds away. Our well is 365 ft deep. Probably too deep for a hand pump. I'll ask our well driller if he knows of a hand pump but he's not the brightest bulb on the porch. Maybe we could rig up a hand or wind pump from the barn to the house. The wind always blows at the ranch. Too bad we don't have a windmill. I looked into that also and it was too expensive to change out.


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Yeah, the pond water will work fine, but, an I understand yall don't wanna outhouse, personally, (I've had em before so I understand), I wouldn't waste a drop a water fer a toilet. I'd put in the out house. Lay in a good supply a lime an toss some in there, will help decompose it an keep the smell down.


I am with OldCoot on this one. Water will be too precious to flush away (in my opinion). Here is an older thread that has some other options. Post #6 from UncleJoe has a great link for the Humanure Handbook (composting toilets).

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f35/outhouse-verbotten-1967/


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## RUN1251 (Mar 15, 2012)

Thanks for the input. We can do an outhouse if we have to. I'm not too concerned about water. We have 1, 3 and 5 acre lakes and a clean clear running stream (never dryed up in 150 yrs) on our property. We are blessed with water. The water is one of the reasons we purchased the property. I also have four different gravity filters and 5 lbs calcium chloride.


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## dag53 (Jan 28, 2012)

We are on a well and had a leak between the well and the house. It took me a week to locate the leak and fix the pipe. During that week we used pond water to flush the toilet. IT GETS OLD FAST!!!!!! I am currently trying to figure out how I can get water from the well (350' deep) without electricity and without a huge expense.


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## RUN1251 (Mar 15, 2012)

Let me know if you figure it out


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

dag53 said:


> We are on a well and had a leak between the well and the house. It took me a week to locate the leak and fix the pipe. During that week we used pond water to flush the toilet. IT GETS OLD FAST!!!!!! I am currently trying to figure out how I can get water from the well (350' deep) without electricity and without a huge expense.


A slightly modified automotive water pump and a wind mill run to a 100 gallon gravity tank with a float/ball-cock off switch.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Absolutly*



RUN1251 said:


> Thisis the first time I have posted but have been reading the threads for some time. I just started prepping about four months ago. We plan to go to our ranch (about an hour away) if SHTF. I have been focusing mainly on immediate needs of food, water, heating, and lighting but now have time to look at other requirements. The ranch has a septic system but an electric water well. Without electricity, we will have to depend on rain barrel (650 gal) water for drinking and cooking. I have two gravedine filters and chlorine for the drinking water. We have a five acre pond one hundred yards from the house. If we keep a two gallon bucket of pond water by each toilet, will filling the toilet basin with pond water allow us to flush to the septic tank? I really don't want to build an outhouse.


Just pore it in and gravity will do the rest!
Unless you want to haul a lot of water from the pond use the old Hippy rule. 
If its yellow let it mellow.
If it's brown flush it down !


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## TopTop (Nov 11, 2011)

I remember hearing about an older lady looking around her grand daughter's kitchen at all of the modern conveniences and asked her if she could only have one, which would it be. The younger girl thought about it & said I guess the fridge. With the wisdom of age the older woman said "I'll take running water every time."

For you guys with a pond or creek, could you rig something up so you can sink a 55 gallon drum or three & bring them back home with a car, tractor, horse, ten kids, whatever? I am thinking maybe a trailer with barrels laying flat & strapped down, then back it down a ramp into the water. Either add weight to the trailer to make it sink or just let it float until the barrels fill & sink it. Or use a block & tackle rigged to a tree or pole to lower them in one at a time, bring them up full & transfer them to your trailer, truck, hand cart, whatever. If you can park them on high ground near your house you can run a garden hose from the bung on the barrel to your bathroom & have running water to flush, or whatever the water is suitable for.


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## DKRinAK (Nov 21, 2011)

RUN1251 said:


> Thanks for the input. We can do an outhouse if we have to. I'm not too concerned about water. We have 1, 3 and 5 acre lakes and a clean clear running stream (never dryed up in 150 yrs) on our property. We are blessed with water. The water is one of the reasons we purchased the property. I also have four different gravity filters and 5 lbs calcium chloride.


If you have a running stream, put in a hydraulic ram. Let the water pump the water.

Basics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_ram

Build your own from common parts
http://www.wot.utwente.nl/publications/breurram/breurram.html


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## Matthew9811 (Aug 5, 2012)

I just installed a new fill valve in my toilet and when I turned the water on for the first time it me a loung thumping noise so I turned the water back off cuz I don't want it to explode yell me what to do please


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## SierraM37 (Nov 2, 2008)

Sounds like water hammer which I think means you have air in the pipes somewhere. Open all water spigots until no air is left. Higher spigots will have the most air to bleed


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

TopTop said:


> a block & tackle rigged to a tree or pole to lower them in one at a time, bring them up full & transfer them to your trailer, truck, hand cart, whatever.


That is too much labor.... I would rig up a windmill or a small solar pump to fill the barrels, then swap empty for full. Even better is using the same pump to move water through pipes and fill the barrels closer to where you live, and eliminate the trailer.


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## TopTop (Nov 11, 2011)

LincTex said:


> That is too much labor.... I would rig up a windmill or a small solar pump to fill the barrels, then swap empty for full. Even better is using the same pump to move water through pipes and fill the barrels closer to where you live, and eliminate the trailer.


No doubt a wind or solar pump system is great if the water source is very close. I was thinking more along the lines of the water being a half mile or more from the house or not on your own property, making a pipeline impractical. In my case creek access is about a mile in one direction, a different creek about three miles the other way. A simple boat trailer or landscaping trailer carrying 55 gallon drums laying flat with the small bung up-large bung down could be backed down a ramp, wait for the drums to fill, screw in the plugs and pull it back home. No work at all & it would sure beat dipping it out in five gallon buckets & carrying it home. It would cost nearly nothing after you obtain a trailer and you don't need a backhoe to dig a ditch, build a windmill, etc. Maybe a little shovel work to create a ramp if one doesn't already exist. You could also put your wind or solar pump at the pond & use it to fill your tank trailer if that is more practical than a pipeline, although it would be a lot slower than just dunking the drums & you're limited to sunny or windy days.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

TopTop said:


> A simple boat trailer or landscaping trailer carrying 55 gallon drums laying flat with the small bung up-large bung down could be backed down a ramp, wait for the drums to fill, screw in the plugs and pull it back home.


It would get old fast.... and you would need replacement wheel bearings after a time. This is a better solution


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