Sanitation?

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I'm going to add an Out House Department in my large shed next to house. I plan to put in a trap door in the wood floor, add a shelf over the top with a large knot hole in the middle. I'm moving dirt around in the garden and know one will notice MORE dirt. How deep?

-- digger (dig@pi.t), May 10, 1999

Answers

There's a better way. I live in a rural area and have been using this for several years now.

You make your seat with the hole in it, just like an outhouse, but instead of just having a hole there, put a bucket under the seat. Every time you use the bucket, put in a scoop or 2 of high-carbon material such as partially composted dead leaves, sawdust, dried grass clippings--I've never tried shredded newspaper, but I'll bet that would work fine. The idea is to get aerobic decomposition going on.

I developed this method after watching cats using a litter box. I found that sand didn't work well to prevent odors, but high carbon material did.

About a year after I'd started using this method, I came upon a book called *Humanure*. It's based on the research the author did for his Master's Thesis, and the book explains why the method I stumbled upon works. It's actually the most environmentally sound method of treating human waste. There is no more odor than with a flush toilet. Every time you empty the bucket onto your compost pile, you cover it with a layer of high-carbon material, so there are no flies. The temperature in the pile gets high enough to kill any pathogens or parasites that might be present. It's a far better method of waste diposal than "dumping our shit into the drinking water," to quote the author of *Humanure*.

Someone recently told me that the author of the book has a web site. Presumably, humanure.com (I doubt that anyone else would've taken that name first!

Pit latrines, like your usual outhouse, stink to high heaven and leach into the water table, spread disease, etc. Give the compost method a try.

--GG

-- Gal Gardner (altamira@ecpi.com), May 10, 1999.


I spent a great deal of time on my grand parents farm and they used an out house all of those years. The hole in the ground, as I recall, was about 4-5 feet deep. Buy a bag of quick lime for the odor problem.

-- smfdoc (smfdoc@aol.com), May 10, 1999.

How soon we forget.

The url: http://www.kauai.net/humanure/humanure.html

The link: click here

-- Puddintame (achillesg@hotmail.com), May 10, 1999.


That sounds good, but I live in north east Maine. Next Jan/Feb -30/40 f. Every thing freezes solid, that's why I,m digging now. Your plan will help in spring if I need it, thanks.

-- digger (dig@pi.t), May 10, 1999.

Consider a composting toilet. See Composting Toilet World". Lots of info, links to lots more, even plans for building your own.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), May 11, 1999.


On a Prep Elist we where batting around the idea of putting pipes in the compost to heat water for a greenhouse or something. Might be a good idea Eh?

-- Brian (imager@home.com), May 11, 1999.

Brian, The Victorians used to do this very successfully to heat their greenhouses to grow bananas & pineapples here in the UK

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), May 11, 1999.

Digger - "Humanure" is year-round composting, but you need to be ready to start before temperatures drop before freezing. In particular, you need an enclosed compost bin and the carbon material additive ahead of time. It won't start to compost until it warms up, but if you follow instructions, it won't smell or be unsafe either. The Humanure Handbook by ?JC Jenkins? is available from Amazon.com. Highly recommended (especially if you or your neighbors are on well water or have wetlands or streams nearby). It also make a good case for using a carbon source instead of lime.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), May 11, 1999.

digger,

Here a thought if you have a septic system. Consider building that outhouse on 'skids'. If needed, pop the cover to the septic and drag that skid mounted outhouse over the open septic access - plop plop fizz fizz - lots less digging there is. If build it right it can be tool storage or even an ice fishing shack when not pulled into emergency service (the portable ice fishing shack may even help avoid code problems in areas that regulate outbuildings).

If you'd like plans for an outhouse, there used to be a company out here called Sun Design who published a book I think was called The Classic Privy - it was a book showing different styles and you could order the plans. Truth in advertising disclaimer: I'm in no way connected with Sun Designs, (and don't even know if they are still around) but I do own a couple of their books... Let me know if you are intersested and I can try to track them down for you.

Good Luck jh

-- john hebert (jt_hebert@hotmail.com), May 11, 1999.


The previous poster has a point about the portable privy and locating it over the septic tank opening. But in such a case you definitely want to be sure to seal around the base of the structure to keep your septic tank from freezing. As far as how deep to dig you pit, you answered it in a way, in cold country it's got to be deeper than the freeze line.

At the cabin we rented in Canada, the outhouse pit must have been fifteen feet deep. And that was in southern Ontario at that. I think in Maine, especially northern Maine, a depth equal to that would be a good wag.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), May 11, 1999.



Thanks! 15 foot! Going down! like the pipe idea,as I'm building a cold frame on that side of shed. Wood ash, deeper, pipe..dig-dig-dig

-- digger (dig@pi.t), May 11, 1999.

digger,

If you're that ambitious, might want to consider a hot frame - kind of a cold frame built on a manure pit. Fill the pit with fresh goodies in the fall and heat for the composting process heats your cold frame.

If you ask real nice, Old Git just might come up with instruction on how to build from a back issue of organic gardening.

good luck

jh

-- john hebert (jt_hebert@hotmail.com), May 12, 1999.


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