Home Composting Units

Three Different Water Saving Toilets

Conventional toilets vary in the amount of water used to flush waste. Older models use up to ten gallons a flush- a complete waste. Newer, low-flow toilets use as little as two gallons per flush.

Consumers noticed that with the newer toilets, sometimes multiple flushes were required to complete the task of, well, you know. More than four or five flushes and the newer models were using as much or more than the old ones.

Here are three different toilets that reduce water use. Two use no water at all.

Dual-Flush Toilets

These toilets have two buttons on top, or one on each side. For liquid waste, push one button, and pressurized water (about a pint) flushes it down. For solids, push the other one and a little more (about one to two quarts) of pressurized water flushes the waste down the sewer drain.

Visit any DIY or plumbing store, and you'll see dozens of different designs, prices and manufacturers. Speak to any sales associate, and they will be happy to walk you through the process of measuring your bathroom so you can buy the right toilet for your house and dcor.

If you can't afford the whole thing just yet, many different websites and manufacturers offer kits that turn your old "one flush" into a dual flush system. I can't personally vouch for these kits- I've never used one, and none of my friends have, either. Many didn't know the kits existed.

The retail price of the kits currently runs under $50.

Incinerating Toilets

These ingenious toilets use no water, but do use electricity. They are not cheap. Units begin at over $1, 000 and depending on the model, increase from there. That being said, they are more than efficient at what they do.

The person places a paper liner inside the bowl, does their business, then puts the lid down, and presses a foot pedal. The bag drops down into the incinerating chamber and the chamber lid locks closed. An inside timer comes on and the heating element incinerates the waste. Need to go while the incinerating chamber is working? Go ahead- there's no harm. Press the foot pedal and the timer starts again. Several people can use the unit in succession, and then start the incinerating process.

Incinolet is one manufacturer of incinerating toilets. There are different models to choose from, and installation should take less than a couple of hours. A vent pipe to the outside, a standard outlet, attach the unit to the vent pipe, floor and wall and you're done.

The unit uses less than 1.5kw of electricity per incineration cycle. It only draws power when in use. This low use also makes it attractive for solar power systems.

Composting Toilets

This toilet uses no water at all, making it perfect for remote areas and those without electricity. The applications for worldwide use are endless, such as disaster relief domestically and internationally. They are available online by different manufacturers, and are available on Amazon.

Prices range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the model, manufacturer, and system chosen.

It's important to note that a composting toilet and an outhouse are entirely two different things.

Envirolet is one such supplier of these devices. Their website includes a detailed explanation of the different types of composting toilets on the market today.

How a composting toilet works is simple. Waste goes into chambers where it is broken down by bacteria. In a two-chamber system, liquid goes into one chamber and solids go into another chamber filled with coir (coconut fibers) or peat. A hand-crank is turned to cover the solid waste. The system is not hooked up to a sewer system.

A small 12-volt fan provides airflow within the chamber and carries air to the outside, taking odors with it. A solar panel with a battery is a common application in remote locations. Fans using AC electricity are also available.

When the chamber is full, the liquid is disposed of according to the directions. The solid chamber is emptied into a double black plastic bag, where it is left to compost further. After a couple of months, the solid mass is used to fertilize hedges, trees and other non-food plants.

Of course, over 30 years of technology and innovations, far more sophisticated and less labor-intensive systems abound.

Many different designs are available, ranging from a box-looking device to resembling traditional toilets. Users claim there is no waste smell, maybe just an "earthy" one.

After reading about these incredible devices, I found myself wondering, "Could I build one myself?" The answer is yes. Haven't done it yet, though.

As for city or county building ordinances, check first before having one installed and disconnecting your house from the city sewer. I'm sure the manufacturers have information and such for ordinance boards to read.

A waterless model could be set up in a spare bathroom for full time use without bothering the code inspector at all.

It should be noted that the incinerating and composting toilets have been in use for over forty years in businesses, boats, off-grid and remote cabins, etc., all over the world. I've never heard of any problems associated with their use.

There are units available for RV's, trailers or motor homes. It eliminates the need for dealing with black water at the dumpsite, deodorizers and other unpleasant chores. The composting toilets would certainly work well for tent campers as well as RV'ers.

Source: Staff Article, "Compost Toilets Explained, " Envirolet Website, no date given

Source: Staff Article, "How it Works, " Incinolet Website, no date given

Source: The author of this article has over 40 years of experience in diverse forms of DIY, home improvement and repair, crafting, designing, and building furniture, outdoor projects and more.