Can you convert a regular toilet to a composting toilet by just shutting off the water?
May 7, 2009 by Composting
Filed under Composting Q&A's
Riegan asked:
I think I might save some money that way. a friend tried it and said it was messy, but worth it.
ray – i don’t want to do that, i live in cold canada.
I think I might save some money that way. a friend tried it and said it was messy, but worth it.
ray – i don’t want to do that, i live in cold canada.
§ on Fri, 8th May 2009 3:02 am
Ew. I don’t think so. My mother in law live on a commune with a composting toilet but it’s literally an outhouse. And you can’t pee in a composting toilet, you can only doodoo.
Joe F on Sun, 10th May 2009 11:25 am
You’ll need to separate it from the plumbing in the ouse, and you’ll something to fill in the hole as well. I recommend an old rag some plastic or something that can be pulled out. That way you can drain the compost without getting too messy.
Make sure to use an outhouse, or at least keep the window open and the bathroom door shut to the rest of the house.
Happy composting!
ray on Mon, 11th May 2009 3:19 am
why dont you just dig a hole in the back yard and build an outhouse
jezyka on Mon, 11th May 2009 8:29 pm
That’s disgusting.
Your house would smell horrible too.
If you want to do that, then build an outhouse.
sherl pagan vt on Thu, 14th May 2009 9:28 pm
hmm…i think the money you save on water you’ll end up spending on air fresheners!
Deke, Too on Sun, 17th May 2009 7:56 pm
What kind of a sick freak would do this?
Observer in MD on Sun, 17th May 2009 8:10 pm
All the ews and ughs aside, the simple answer is – NO!
A composting toilet – like the Clivus Multrum – is designed to be odorless, sanitary, and efficient. It has a vent that exhausts through a stack or pipe, so that there is positive ventilation. Air flows *into* the toilet through the seat and odors don’t come out. There is a large chamber designed to allow air to get into the waste material so that it decomposes aerobically – not so smelly. There is also an access port at the bottom end of the chamber where finished compost can be removed for beneficial use (although probably not in a vegetable garden, use it for the rose bushes instead).
Simply disconnecting a conventional toilet and hoping that composting will occur is (sorry to say) naive (or perhaps your friend was playing a joke on you). It ain’t gonna happen, and lacking the design features mentioned above, it will be be smelly, unsanitary, and ineffective.
nixitee on Wed, 20th May 2009 3:48 am
I just save money by making my movements outside when I take my dog out.
It saves money.. both in water, and toilet paper!
rp on Fri, 22nd May 2009 7:06 am
well
all i can say is i learned something new today!
Pick of the Litter on Sun, 24th May 2009 3:28 am
If you do, then everybody will want one.
Brian A on Tue, 26th May 2009 7:28 am
Short answer: no. Long Answer: Nooooooooooo.
If you turn off the water, you won’t be able to flush and the waste will just sit in the bowl. I suppose it might compost, but it will stink to high heaven and unless you are on an all liquid diet I don’t see how things wouldn’t back up.
Better move would be to get low flow toilets. Hitting the can 8 times a day at 1.6 gallons per flush would be less than 400 gallons a month, or about $2 worth of water in my town.
joe the man on Tue, 26th May 2009 8:09 pm
not really. the regular toilet is meant to drain after each flush otherwise it just gets blocked and the stuff has nowhere to go. the composting toilets have wider exits that lead to a whole system that composts and moves the dung into a container that avoids stinkin up the place.
i dont know how those work in sub zero conditions… but i’m sure there are such contraptions adapted to canada.
outhoused are not so cheap because they require lime and cleaning and stuff like that.
you might consider using the more economic toilets like we use here in more arid areas, it uses les water and has a gizmo for half a flush for non solids
groingo on Wed, 27th May 2009 1:52 pm
Keep the garden hose and plunger handy, you need the water to move the solids through the drain line plus no water and you will start smelling it (water seals the P trap).
Your friend might want to seek therapy, but for your sake, if your friend invites you over, be sure nobody lights a match!