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Barrel Composting Toilet (A Variation on Our Current Composting Toilet System) (Updated 12/18/08)
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| For additional information, see our other web pages on composting toilets: |
| As mentioned on the webpage describing
our current
composting toilet system, that system could be designed
to function without the bucket aspect by fitting a toilet seat and vent
directly on top of the barrel composting chambers. By eliminating the
bucket aspect, the design probably comes a
step closer to possibly being permitted in some jurisdictions. I
recently designed and built an experimental version of this toilet at a
remote site in
Arizona. The performance of the toilet will be monitored and updates
reported on this page. Below is a brief description of the
toilet. Except for eliminating the need to empty buckets, this design should be similar in terms of use and maintenance to our current composting toilet system. The barrel with the lid and toilet seat is used until full, then the lid/seat unit is transferred to the second barrel. This particular installation is designed for occasional use by 2-3 people. For daily use by more people, additional barrels would be needed. Except for eliminating the bucket aspect, this design is very similar to our current composting toilet system. It utilizes 55 gallon plastic (HDPE) barrels as composting chambers. The barrels have no drain holes, so there's no contact between compost or leachate and native soil. It also features very effective vector control against insects and rodents. The toilet is constructed by cutting the top out of each barrel. The barrels are then buried about 2' in the ground with about 1' extending above ground. There are no drain holes in the barrels. The above ground portion of each barrel is painted black to prevent UV damage to the plastic. A circular wood disc (available at some building supply centers) 1" thick by 24" in diameter serves as the top. Holes are cut out of it for a toilet seat, vents and a fly trap. Self adhesive weather stripping is applied to the underside of the disc to form a vector proof seal between disc and barrel.
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Finished toilet system: from left to right, reserve toilet barrel, active toilet barrel, 5 gallon bucket for dry storage of toilet paper, half barrel with sheet metal lid for storage of cover material, bamboo privacy screen in background (not shown is the Compost Crank)
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Close up of toilet barrel, showing c-clamps for securing wood top to barrel, toilet seat made from Gamma Seal lid on cut off 5 gallon bucket, 2 screened vents, fly trap
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Barrels placed in hole (note above ground portion painted black to protect barrels from UV damage)
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Hole backfilled with soil (soil screened through 1" hardware cloth to eliminate rocks)
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Note--no drain hole in barrel
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Underside of top, showing cut-off 5 gallon bucket fitted with Gamma Seal lid for use as toilet seat. Also note weather stripping around perimeter and hose clamps securing fly trap and vent pipes
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Close up of fly trap and screened vents
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Close up of Gamma Seal toilet seat secured to cut off 5 gallon bucket
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Close up of fly trap, also showing screened vents
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Components of fly trap, showing 1 quart canning jar, top of 16 oz. clear plastic water bottle, canning jar ring
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