| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| ksia |
Dry toiletFor those who read French this is a nice article.Still take a look if you don't as there are photos of a really nice looking dry toilet (not something you can say often!) and also a map showing how many there are in France. I can see a new project for ia... http://ecoloinfo.com/2009/09/17/toilettes-seches-et-si-on-se-lancait/ |
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| mousjoos |
Re: Dry toilet
Ooooooo he's a lucky fella!! 
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| Green Rosie |
We have a dry toilet - pity at the moment it's in the pig pen
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| Bulgarianlily |
Please my french is no longer in residence in my brain, what are they using for a cover material? We use wood shavings here or chopped straw. The only problem we have with our dry toilets is that as usual the urine makes a scaly deposit on the bucket that is hard to remove and can stink, so we change our plastic buckets regulary, but that looks like a stainless steel one? It is a very handsome loo! | ||||||
| RichardW |
How quick does the "scale" build up?
We have been using the same plastic barrel for about a year & it has not built up. We now use two & rotate them. After emptying we rinse them out & leave in the sun to dry / UV bleach. When we put a new barrel in we put some saw dust in the bottom to start us off. We find the urine only smells if one of us has a water infection. |
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| ksia |
Saw dust. And yes, it is stainless steel. It says somewhere in there about plastic not lasting. |
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| ksia |
Re: Dry toilet
It's make a bog or watch French telly (ia) |
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| Mutton |
I've seen composting toilets with paddles and vents. This looks a lot simpler - or am I missing something? | ||||||
| Green Rosie |
Re: Dry toilet
Sky - you need Sky 
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| ksia |
I think it's that these get emptied more often (once a week in this case) than the paddles'n'vents version. I think - I'm no expert. |
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| mousjoos |
Re: Dry toilet
'nuff said, bog it is, then! |
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| Bulgarianlily |
The deposit built up over the course of a year, and is hard to remove. I will suggest we go over to two buckets and put one in the sun to completely dry rather than putting it clean but wet back into the system. We empty ours every couple of days on the compost heap, clean and then put a couple of inches of wood shavings in the bottom. It might be the type of plastic now I think about it, we didn't have the same problem with a white plastic container in the UK, but we did have it when using a portipotti for a long time.
I want to go over to a system that has a urine seperator, any ideas how to incorporate that into this box design? |
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| ksia |
Two seats? One for ones, one for twos? |
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| RichardW |
We use brewers barrels.
I think the easiest way to seperate is the two hole system. Not perfect but should remove 80+%. |
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| Mutton |
So what is the purpose of separating the two? (from the one) 
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| RichardW |
Volume, not only its self but the cover material that absorbs it.
Speed of composting, the urine will slow it down if its to wet. However we are not separating what goes in the bucket but I do try to wee whilst outside if I can. That said we are using a very slow composting cover (cedar sawdust) so think it will take 2-3 years or more to compost anyway. |
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| Mutton |
Thanks Richard.
Has anyone tried used dried soil rather than sawdust? We were thinking about trying that. |
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| RichardW |
Dont see why it wont work.
Be a big hole to dig up a years worth mind. |
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| Mutton |
Fair enough.
In general - do the complicated paddle and vent composting toilets need less dry material tipping in? |
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| RichardW |
Best to RTFM but I think you dont use any / very much. | ||||||
| arvo |
Resistance Is Fertile uses some kind of proprietary drop in urine separator that he says works pretty well. Dunno exactly what it is though. |