outhouse questions

[knuckledragger]

I am wanting to build an outhouse on some property we bought so that it will be easier for my kids to "use the facilities" when we go over and camp on it this fall. I will also probably use it while I am building my cabin in a few years. But I have a couple of questions:

1) There is a well on the property. How far from the well should I place the outhouse to avoid contaminating the water supply? Is this even a concern given the fact that it will be used infrequently (one weekend a month, family of five) and the fact that deer, bear, and all manner of wildlife use that land for a bathroom on a regular basis without any effect on the wate supply?

2) How deep do I make the pit? I have seen anything from 3-5 feet on the internet. Does infrequent use have any impact on this?

3) For anyone else who has done this before, do you have any helpful advice? special features I should include? etc.

[bookwormom]

husband built an outhouse for us when we were building our house. I don't remember how deep he dug, don't think he measured the depth. we are using the building now to store barbwire and the like. In the meantime we discovered sawdust toilet and wish we had known about it back then. Much much easier. Of course you need sawdust and five gallon buckets. My squeamisch city grandson used it without any fuss, instead of flushing tossed in a scoop of sawdust.
Just my 2 cents worth.

[knuckledragger]

When using a sawdust toilet, do you put both solid and liquid waste in the bucket, or just solid waste?

[CarolAnn]

Your question about how far to place the outhouse from the well is a good one. It depends somewhat on how shallow the well is and how porous the ground is. Rule of thumb - keep them as far apart as practical & possible.

Here's a link about the various kinds of biffys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outhouse or -

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/settings/hvchap4.pdf

Whichever kind you build, you may want to have a bucket of sand, sawdust, lime or dirt to scoop in over deposits to discourage flies & odors.

If you have a site on a hillside, you might do as my Arkansas neighbor did. He created a two-holer with two seperate cement boxes, accessible from the down-hill side. (You enter on the uphill side, and his has incredible windows that look back out over a ravine!) Only one side is used at a time, and the second hole is sealed. After a year, they move to the second hole, sealing the first. Six months later, he removes the composted material from the first side and takes it to the orchard. This is safe to use on tree-type crops or flower beds, but not gardens for food.

[bookwormom]

if you use it only for solid waste the mix will be too dry for good composting. .

[12vman]

Quote..

"When using a sawdust toilet, do you put both solid and liquid waste in the bucket, or just solid waste?

I separate the two. It keeps the odor down considerably and it isn't so nasty to empty the buckets..

Quote..

"if you use it only for solid waste the mix will be too dry for good composting. . "

I have found that by using an open, unprotected compost pile, It will collect enough natural moisture on it's own. I separate the paper from the mix by putting it into a small trash can after each use and just burn it. The paper doesn't compost completely sometimes and will dry the material out too much as stated above..
~Don

[bee_pipes]

Take a look at the bible on the subject:
http://weblife.org/humanure/default.html

Skip to chapter 8 if you want to get right down to it.

Regards,
Pat

[Tuckahoe]

We use a chemical toilet when we go camping. We picked up one of those shower tents for privacy and it works very well. We have a large family too and the chemical toilet has to be cleaned out about everyother day.

[flatwater]

I just put an outhouse it at my cabin But will be used a little more then you mentioned. I had a back hoe come out and dig a hole big enough to bury two 3 foot high by 4 feet diameter cement rings with a cement top. I planned this out so if it ever fills I can have it pumped out , plus I plan on using it for an RV dump. I believe 50 feet would be a good distance from your well. If you are a building code follower then check with your county I'm sure they have a permit and code for it , they do for everything else.
Flatwater