How to Use a Composting Toilet

What is a composting toilet?

A composite toilet converted solid waste into compost. It does the job by creating an oxygen-rich environment inside the toilet where aerobic bacteria break down the waste mass. There are a few great things about installing a composite toilet. First, they save a huge amount of water every year and thus highly eco-friendly. The other great benefit is after a few weeks or months of use the users get a rich top-soil like humus product that you can use in a variety of different ways.

Composite toilets come in two designs. These two are

Self-contained

This type of toilet contains the compositing system within the toilet. It holds the compost chamber beneath the bowl.  Self-contained toilets are frequently found in tiny homes, RVs, and boats. They are also used in cabins, cottages, and seasonal dwellings.  Many full-time residential homes also use self-contained units.

Central remote

In this design, the toilet directs solid waste to a central remote composter which is located elsewhere. This central composter may stay in the basement or may even outside of the house. A  Large central composter requires if multiple toilets need to connect to serve a large home.

How does this toilet work?

The toilet has two separate chambers for collecting solid and liquid waste separately. When you need to urinate, no hassle. Sit down on the toilet and do your business. There are two holes in the toilet bowl that direct urine to the liquid waste chamber.

When you need to discharge solid waste from your body, you need what! You need to open a trap door via a lever that is located on the side of the toilet. The opening of the trap door opens a separate chamber that collects your solid waste deposit. The toilet paper also goes into the solid chamber. For composting toilet, using one-ply toilet paper is a good idea because this toilet paper breaks down easily.

After making a solid waste deposit, close the solid waste deposit chamber and stir the waste with a hand crank which you will also find on the side of the toilet.

Why the toilet is odor-free

At this point, you may wonder how a composting toilet remains odor free? The magic of this type of toilet lies in its structure. Since the innovator of this toilet made such a design that allows the toilet to collects liquid and solid waste separately. By keeping the solid waste separate from the liquid waste, the solid remains dry and emits a less bad odor. The solid chamber also uses a 12-volt fan that constantly oxygenates the solid waste chamber and further dries out the contents of this chamber.

When you stir the solid waste of the solid waste chamber, it mixes well with dehydrated peat moss. You may not be familiar with the peat moss. It is a gardening material. The users of composite toilets need to place this material into the toilet before using the toilet. This material keeps the toilet sterile and clean. It does not contain any bacteria or harmful chemicals. Moreover, peat moss can absorb and retain water very well.  

However, the liquid waste that is urine is a highly smelly thing. To get rid reek of urine, you need to dilute the waste of liquid chamber with water and need to empty the chamber frequently.

Composite toilets utilize the natural process of evaporation and decomposition to recycle human waste. The toilet uses a vent system. Human stool and urine which enter into the toilet contain 90% of water which evaporates and carried back to the environment through the vent system of the toilet. The solid waste that is stool converted to useful fertilizing soil as a natural decomposition process.

Types of composting toilets

There are different types of composting toilets out there

Dry composting toilet

A dry composite toilet requires no water. So, this toilet is also called a waterless composting toilet. Most models of composting toilets are dry. However, some models use a traditional flush system. But the water requires for this toilet is quite low which is 1 pint or less per flush  

Electric composting toilet

Many models of composting toilets are equipped with electrical fans. These electrical fans enhance the composting process. A few models include heating elements that kill pathogens.

Solar composting toilet

These composting toilets use a fan that recharges by a solar panel. This saves you hassle of using electricity to power the fan. Many manufactures offer accessories to the owners of the compositing toilets to convert their toilets to solar-powered composting toilets.

Portable composting toilet

A toilet in an RV, boat or tiny house is the example of a portable composting toilet. Since these toilets use in the moving environment.

Conclusion

Composting toilets are highly useful in areas where water is not so much available. Installing one such toilet is easy and this dry toilet is also simple to use.