Our Throne

One goal for this winter is almost complete!  Meet our new composting toilet.

I am so friggin' excited.

Kevin did a lot of research for various models.  This bad boy is a little high up-- Kevin shut off the water to this toilet & had to build on top of the flange.  When we renovate this bathroom we're thinking we'll cut the pipe lower in the crawl space under the bathroom & build the compost toilet into the floor.  This will make the toilet height standard.

The builder's elbow & guitar.  Kevin chose an hexagonal model to fit the internal bucket while not taking up too much space.  Most toilets are boxes-- kind of internal out houses.  This model easily sits above the flange, supports the bucket, & occupies less bathroom space.

Kevin stained on top of an old shower curtain.  Tons & tons of polyurethane to keep this easy to clean.  The bucket fits right in the hole.  Toilet seat goes on top.

Installed in the downstairs bathroom!  Still space around the sides of the toilet for a trashcan & incidentals.

This thing is endlessly fun.  We need to find a good source of cedar or pine sawdust, either of which are ideal for a pleasant odor.  I tried a cedar shop in Medford but unfortunately they already send their sawdust to a local horse ranch.  Kevin called a John Deere shop but they weren't responsive.  Until we figure out a better alternative we started with Laz's compostable pine kitty litter.  This is literally our litter box.  I love it.  Laz & our waste will be composted together.

As we figure out a good source, Kevin did research on alternatives.  Peat moss works well.  Landscapers tend to have that in surplus!  That's the plan for now.  It smells great!

Usually a water basin in a traditional toilet, here is the peat to throw over our... droppings.

One more piece of our household off the water grid.  So fantastic!  A part from the environmental impact, we're so pleased because Pennsauken plumbing is notoriously awful.  This town was constructed with terra cotta pipes.  Tree roots have riddled pipes throughout town.  There are constant issues of flooding and pipes backing up.  We'll have to continue to maintain our plumbing system but this alleviates the problem greatly.

Mike sent a great resource our way: The Humanure Handbook.

FYI, if you're now frightened to visit us know you can always use the flush toilet upstairs.

But this one is more fun.