Composting toilet

[Crizzy]

Where can I buy a composting toilet?

[JWFITZ]

Good lord,

I very nearly posted to this, this morning, as I thought to myself, "Self," this is the next place some kid out of college is going to try to save the world.

I have a composting toilet. I did so for environmental reasons mostly, but as well I'm used to dealing with boat living and poop in general as a nuisance factor of life.

On-line you will find a number of "plans" for composting toilets. They are "well engineered" stamped and approvable. Having been through that racket a few times I was distrusting, and didn't want to end up with a non-functional unit full on 9 months worth of turds, a shovel, and a problem.

Thank god.

Here's the inside scoop. No pun. Composting toilets work.

The problem is, there's another factor.

That would be, on this island, bugs.

Bugs like composting toilets.

You will have a day in which YOU will discover the BUGS have discovered your composting toilet. They've been in there, and every wiggle active white maggot known to man is trying to crawl out the toilet seat.

How many bugs will there be, you may ask? Have you ever been to the beach? There is sand there. Perhaps, not as much sand as bugs, or properly wiggly, white maggoty things trying to craw out of the toilet seat.

How many bugs will there be, you may ask? Have seen the night sky in Hawaii? There are stars there. Perhaps, not many stars as bugs, or properly wiggly, white maggoty things trying to craw out of the toilet seat.

It is grim indeed. Vile, to be precise, and I can imagine the female companion running screaming in the night into the false staghorn with semi crushed wigglers stuck to her butt.

Seriously, you want to think twice. I've got it worked out now, but the basic idea needs some modification.

[Guest]

With the rising cost of Water also...

Will Hawaii eventually see Toilet to Tap systems?

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It is the way, the way it is

[hooligal]

JW, could you share how you fixed this? I've done composting toilet on the mainland & planned on it here. I'll be quite the raving banshee with maggots stuck to my rump.

Have you read the Humanure Handbook? I leant my copy out so I can't look up maggots (yet).

[Carey]

HPM has had the ....Biolet (I think... brain wanders...) with the little drawer underneath
There are a number of other models, even some that have much safer (as far as composting pathogens) models that isolate & compost the waste.. Some use dry flush toilets, others use ultra low flush (like an RV or Boat head) toilets.... dig around the internet... some are shipped to the islands... others you may have to arrange for container space... but if the design is the one you want... would be worth it...

[gtill]

We recently experienced one at Manuka park kona side of Oceanview! It was lik sitting on a vacuum, very clean and no odors. Super, and probably at least 50K for the two!
The good ones are over 2K, and need 110v power. Taken proper care of, not bad.
But like JW expressed, any screw up and think wigglies at least. I'll stik with my septic.
The biggest cause of disease in the world is feces. Mabe after the apocalypse I'll be that hard up, but for now! Plus, I wouldn't eat any vegetables grown in same, they do that in Asia, and tourists get sick when they eat em!

[JWFITZ]

The answer is no, actually, for sharing it. This is where we are. Sorry, but I've already given away half a million bucks worth of knowledge and mostly have gotten grief for it. I'm in the same spot with wood gas too. You could try and use mine if you want. But it is cheap to build and I have a friend who can permit it. How cheap? Under 500 bucks. I don't know what Jim would cost to stamp it, but it's minimal.

Real solutions for real people. Amen! At this point I'm too afraid of some kid taking it and selling yurts or some crap under a trust fund and my name, for way more money than I would. No thanks, period.

[Hotzcatz]

Solving tomorrow's problems with yesterday's technology!

Has your stamping buddy managed to get a composting toilet set of plans through the local Board of Health? They have had a very dim view of these sorts of things for quite awhile now but perhaps they've changed their mind in the past decade or so.

We used to dump lime in the outhouse to keep down bugs and smell, do you think that might also work with a composting toilet? The lime is a soil amendment so it will lower the acidity of the soil, don't know if it would help or hinder the composting action.

[StillHope]

quote:

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Originally posted by gtill

We recently experienced one at Manuka park kona side of Oceanview! It was lik sitting on a vacuum, very clean and no odors. Super, and probably at least 50K for the two!
The good ones are over 2K, and need 110v power. Taken proper care of, not bad.
But like JW expressed, any screw up and think wigglies at least. I'll stik with my septic.
The biggest cause of disease in the world is feces. Mabe after the apocalypse I'll be that hard up, but for now! Plus, I wouldn't eat any vegetables grown in same, they do that in Asia, and tourists get sick when they eat em!

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50 K????? Gold plated,diamonds decorated?

[JWFITZ]

No, won't work, 'fraid. There is nothing in common between an outhouse and a composter. A outhouse works because it is cool, a composter works because it is hot, hence biologic activity, hence wigglies. wigglies are the problem, stink isn't. But you can have wigglies in spades, mind you, and oh so vigorous they are.