Monday, 27 May 2013
Let's talk Toilets...
We are seriously considering a compost toilet. Does anyone, apart from Billy (!), have any experience of them? If they are good, it would save buying a macerator and a holding tank and all the work of installing them. Pete has been to Bill's and sniffed his loo and declared it a obnoxious smell free zone! I think we need two. To put it politely, as a vegetarian my poo is fine for the compost pile, but Pete's isn't as he is a confirmed carnivore, hence the need for his and hers loos! This is one that we have seen, it's a Separett Villa 9000, looks good but does it work? Over to you .....
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You should have titled this post 'Potty Mouth'. Yes, yes, I'm a nerd :)
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine has a composting toilet and they use the resulting material to fertilise their orchard. It's supposedly amazing stuff.
I wish I'd thought of that title! Great to hear positive feedback, thank you x
ReplyDeleteTwo of my friends have a Villa Separet like the one in your photo, Fran, and they really are very good. You have no feeling that they are not proper toilets. The only thing you don't do is flush :-)
ReplyDeleteI have been studying them and raving about the idea for years. I think they're an excellent idea, although they do seem to be expensive.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the resulting compost should be used for vegetables, but could be used for flowers, and, as Tanya said, for orchards. Although it might take a large family to fertilize an entire orchard.
K
Val - thank you for that. I wondered how much like a real toilet they were xxx
ReplyDeleteKay - by the time we have fussed around with macerator and holding tank the compost toilets actually work out cheaper. I have just planted fruit trees, might end up with mega sized apples! X
Hi Fran, our daughter has been playing with the idea of getting one of these. Her idea is to one day have her home totally self contained without the task of paying monthly utility bills. They are vegetarians, too and I think that may make a huge difference . . . but then I really don't know anything about them. If you get one, I would be interested in your opinion :)
ReplyDeleteIt does sound great for use on a boat . . . it would take care of a lot of your plumbing and ecology problems of living on the water.
Have a happy week,
Your blogging sister, Connie :)
Connie - does your daughter blog? She sounds like my type of girl. The toilet seems to be great for boats, especially as it saves your precious water. We have ordered it now, so will let you know how we go x
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a good idea, but I don't have any experience of them.
ReplyDeleteI've not really heard much about them before and I must say I don't like the thought! That's not say it isn't a very good idea though, I just don't know enough about them. I would be fascinated to see how you get on with yours Fran. It definitely sounds like a simpler way of getting 'plumbed' in.
ReplyDeleteJo and Urban Lake - will let you know how we get on. Apparently they are used all over in Sweden. I am becoming a real eco chick!! Xx
ReplyDeleteOur Sunmar has been in operation for over two years now. The composting process slows and then stops in the winter if the cabin temperature drops below 20 C for an extended period. When we aren't there it gets below zero for weeks at a time. The good thing is that there is no odour even if the composting stops. The other problem we've had is gnats in the spring. Wayne is in charge of caring for the system and is meticulous about it. I am sure that is why our toilet works so well. We have only emptied it once (last summer) and will probably do so again this summer. We haven't been at the cabin full time, so with full time use you will probably need more emptying. We do have an alternative system for just pee so that our compost doesn't get too wet. Not sure our bucket system would work for you though. Your barge is more citified than our off-the-grid cabin. We are both meat eaters. I'm not sure if that makes any difference. So far we've purchased the expensive compost packaged by Sunmar. The next time we have to buy some we are going to try a cheaper brand. I'll let you know how that works out. - Margy
ReplyDeleteOne of the barges in our marina in London had a composting toilet on board and had the most fabulous tubs and pots of flowers and shrubs on board - all curtesy of the 'waste'.
ReplyDeleteI have also experienced one at a holiday crib in Finland. Although that was on a grand scale and needed digging out once a year (built on the side of a hill with a 'cellar' door at the back to clear underneath!)
regards TM
Marty - we have now bought a posh compost toilet. It separates the solid matter from the urine and has an electric fan and tumbler to take away the smell and speed up decomposition. I have read that meat eaters poo carries certain unhealthy pathogens so it shouldn't be used directly on veggie patch, could be used on fruit trees etc xxxx
ReplyDeleteTM - lovely to meet you and than you for your experiences of compost loos. I have flowers on the barge, but hadn't thought of using the compost on there. Great idea thank you xxx
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