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Old 24-08-2007, 11:32 PM posted to alt.home.repair,rec.gardens
Frank Frank is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2007
Posts: 217
Default Composting toilets

Pete C. wrote:
Eigenvector wrote:
Has anyone tried or used a composting toilet?

I was reading about it today, enjoying my day off, and after looking at a
video clip of the Sun Mar systems it sounds pretty good for a small house
with limited waste connections. My house has only 1 bathroom, kitchen sink,
and laundry room outlet going to my septic tank. If the toilet could be
converted to a composting model, that would mean the septic tank would be
for greywater only - dramatically increasing its lifespan and its doubtful
I'd ever have to pump the tank again.

I've never priced them out, so they could be 20 million dollars for all I
know, plus I would expect the county makes it tough if not impossible to
install them in a residential area. Heck, simply having a septic tank is
almost an impossibility now.


If you look at the recommendations for pumping a septic tank you'll find
for a single occupancy house with a typical 1,000 gal septic tank and no
kitchen garbage disposer you pretty much don't have to pump the tank
since there is virtually no chance of adding to the sludge at a rate
faster than the bacteria can do their thing.


I try to tell my wife that but she insists in having pumped out every
2-3 years. But even so, with cost of pumping, I think it would be
foolish to put in a composting toilet which probably costs thousands of
dollars. I'm only familiar with one composting toilet. It's in a park
with no water and is solar powered and always stinks.