your HUMANURE experience

[LeatherneckPA]

Does anybody have direct experience with a humanure or a sawdust toilet system?

DW is already starting to dig in her heels at the idea of no flush toilet. I'd like other people's sstatement that they have used it and it didn't "make the house smell like a human litter box". (Cute image she came up with, huh?)

[wy0mn]

A "summer" neighbor of mine uses a sawdust composting toilet. His wife & teenage daughters don't complain, so it must be OK.
I'll be doing something along those lines myself, but mainly because our soil is SO rocky that setting a septic tank & leach lines would be extragavantly expensive.
One of the cowboys for a local ranch said they had to "buy" a rented DitchWitch after its premature demise.

[12vman]

I've been using this system for years. Works well as long as you have a vent to the outside from the "Facility"..

I've found that it's much less "smelly" if the liquid is seperated from the solids and then process them..

http://ecovita.net/privy.html

This is a great starter kit to build a facility for inside of your home. Build a vented box, route the liquid to a container and use it for plant food..

http://ecovita.net/urinal.html

Consider one of these for the "Pointers".. ;)
~Don

[bookwormom]

Let me think, we have had ours for five years now. Neither hubby nor daughter were exited about the idea, especially daughter was aghast about doing 'it' in a bucket. I built one while they were still overseas , and since I was expecting my at the time two year old grandson from the city, I painted it pretty. to make a long story short, nobody is complaining anymore and I just love what the compost did to my flower beds.
Daughter and her boyfriend got one . I am thankful every time I add sawdust and do not have to waste good water, and I am glad I do not have to use harsh chemicals to clean a toilet. and it is just as convenient to use as a flush toilet. Okay, it has to be emptied, but big deal.

anybody read the book "Liquid Gold"?

[LeatherneckPA]

Haven't read it. Just googled it. Seems a bother to separate it from the solids, but I can see the logic of the idea too.

[suijurisfreeman]

Let me think, we have had ours for five years now. * *Neither hubby nor daughter were exited about the idea, especially daughter was aghast about doing 'it' in a bucket. * I built one while they were still overseas , *and since I was expecting my at the time two year old grandson from the city, I painted it pretty. *to make a long story short, nobody is complaining anymore and I just love what the compost did to my flower beds. *
Daughter and her boyfriend got one . *I am thankful every time I add sawdust and do not have to waste good water, and I am glad I do not have to use harsh chemicals to clean a toilet. and it is just as convenient to use as a flush toilet. Okay, it has to be emptied, but big deal.

anybody read the book "Liquid Gold"?

We've got something in common! *Back in 1999 when I moved to my 20 acres in south-central Kentucky I was going to buy one of those commerical made composting toliets (they wanted something like $1,000 for it!) -- until a saw an advertisement for The Humanure Book. *After buying/reading this book I used several of the free 5 gallon buckets that I got from a Martin's Supermarket, I built a cabinet around my bucket, even used one of those fancy oak wooden seat/lids. *
I use well composted sawdust -- a couple of scoops per
use; keep the liquids to a minimum and everything works just fine. *I usually switch out the buckets when they're 3/4 full, dumping the contents of the bucket on a separate composting pile and cover with dry leaves. *After 6-12 months it's usable compost -- I don't use it on my vegetable garden but do use it on my berries and fruit trees. *I'm still amazed to this day how simple and easy it really is! *No muss, no fuss, no smell.

Oh, I almost forget about 'cleaning' -- it's really not a problem I just dump the contents, use one of those toliet bowl brushes to loosen any 'crap' still in the bucket, spray out the bucket with one of those hand-pump garden sprayers with a small amount of Ivory dish soap added, put about an inch of sawdust in the bottom of the bucket and it's good to go again.

[bookwormom]

who would have thunk it sjf ;)

actually, I find it empties neater if I put a sheet of newspaper in the bottom,( when someone leaves a paper in the bathroom).

[suijurisfreeman]

I just have to post this: *When I was still manufacturing and delivering my cat furniture after I moved to Kentucky my neighbor and I made a trip to Chicago to make a delivery. *On the way home just north of Louisville we stopped at a McDonalds, since we still had another 2 1/2 hours to get home I couldn't wait to 'take care of business' so I used their restroom. *As we were leaving I told my neighbor that I should get a 'to go bag' -- he asked what for? *Like I told him, "Since I compost at home, I don't want to waste any! * :o

Being up here at my daughter's place I really kinda miss my bucket!