Thanks to the toad: how to make a composting dry toilet with your own hands

For people living in suburban villages, the problem of recycling waste products is very acute. But, since there is no centralized sewer system, each resident must fight the problem on their own.

You can simply dig an ordinary outdoor toilet, with all its smells, a lot of insects, and an “amazing” design - many people do just that. But there is a much better option - a country peat dry closet. This is not only an effective solution to the problem, but also the most environmentally friendly, financially profitable and will save a lot of nerves and money in the future. Let's consider what are the advantages of this particular technology over its competitors.

What is this?

A peat closet is a chemical toilet for a summer residence without smell and pumping. Today you can find ready-made models with the necessary equipment or make one yourself. But before you buy or make it, it’s worth understanding what it is.

Already from the name it is clear that this bio-installation uses peat, a natural substrate. By adding it to fecal matter, many sanitary problems can be eliminated. In the design, separation into liquid and solid particles and subsequent splitting occurs. Ventilation is mandatory in a compost toilet with peat for a summer residence.

Note! In place of the water tank there will be a container with peat. It must be topped up after each use. This is a kind of washing away the results of going to the toilet.

Bottom line

Everyone wants to live in comfort and therefore many are trying to replace the long-outdated wooden toilet with more modern options. Of course, if it is a good brick toilet that is equipped with a cesspool, then you can leave it. But it is still better to replace a wooden toilet with a composting toilet.

This toilet is convenient, environmentally friendly, and produces high-quality fertilizers. The composting toilet has positive reviews, so it’s worth making it yourself or buying it ready-made. For this reason, many summer residents decided to equip such a composting toilet. You can make a composting toilet yourself or purchase it ready-made.

Principle of operation

Now it’s time to find out how a peat dry toilet for a summer cottage works. Dry peat, which is placed in a tank instead of water, is responsible for waste disposal and removal of the characteristic odor. The tank is equipped with a spreading device, which is operated by a handle. Such dry toilets for summer cottages are often called: powder-closet, composting or dry.

Its capabilities are based on the ability of dry peat to absorb odors and absorb liquids. Liquid residues that are not absorbed by peat are dumped into a tank located under the seat, and from there they are removed using a hose into a hole on the street.

Solid particles of fecal matter are processed by peat bacteria, which perfectly decompose organic matter. After their operation, peat dry toilets do not smell, because a certain substance that has no odor moves into the storage tank. It is allowed to be placed in the compost heap. The use of such waste for the purpose of fertilizer is possible 1-2 years after composting.

Odor extraction is a must. Since the process of bacteria working in peat is not instantaneous, you need to get rid of the amber at this time. For this purpose, a peat bio-toilet for a dacha is equipped with a pipe no less than 2 meters high, without elbows. But sometimes natural draft is not enough, in which case it is worth installing a fan. In this case, such a high pipe is not needed.

The principle of operation of a peat dry toilet for a summer residence

Advantages and disadvantages

Having understood what a peat toilet is, you should find out what the pros and cons of using it are.

Among the advantages:

• Slow filling of the tank. If the toilet is used by 2-3 people daily, then the tank needs to be emptied approximately every 2-3 months.
• Peat is inexpensive and has little consumption. It is odorless, but on the contrary, removes unpleasant odors, without the need to use special deodorizing agents.
• Easy to empty. After processing by peat bacteria, such a dry toilet is emptied directly into the compost heap.
• If the ventilation is functioning normally, there is no smell.
• Peat toilets for a summer residence can be installed outside in a wooden booth or directly in the house, leading the ventilation pipe outside the house.
• If the plastic used in the design is frost-resistant, then the dry closet will survive the winter without any problems.
• This installation is energy-independent; moreover, its operation does not require water, a sewage system or waste disposal.
• Affordable purchase price, ease of operation, mobility.
• Environmentally friendly.

There are still some disadvantages to this solution for a country toilet, including:

• The need for constant monitoring of the peat stock in the tank and the reserve for refilling.
• The peat scattering system distributes the material unevenly, sometimes you have to add it on top. In order for fecal matter to be disposed of successfully, it is necessary to thoroughly sprinkle it with a dry mixture.
• A peat toilet for use in the country has a high-mounted drain hole where a hose is attached. Liquid waste also has an odor, so sometimes you have to drain it manually - by tilting the dry closet.
• Solid waste accumulates under the hole. They have no smell, but do not look very nice, so you have to push them to drain.
• The storage tank has large dimensions - its capacity is from 60 liters. This makes it impossible to transport it alone.
• A composting toilet must be equipped with natural (2 meter pipe) or forced ventilation.
• You can move them, but often it is undesirable to do this, because you need to install an exhaust pipe.

Compost toilet for a summer house

Russian made

Compact-eco

Made of impact-resistant polystyrene, storage container volume 60 l, weight 12 kg, dimensions 76x51x67 cm, height to seat 45 cm. The package includes a drainage hose 1 m long, a separator with fastening to the lower tank, a ventilation pipe made of a flexible corrugated hose 2 m long A model is available with an additional fan.

The average price is 7500 rubles.

Piteko

Main characteristics:

Different models are made of different materials, have a drainage system with filters, and four ventilation pipes with connecting elements. Ventilation pipe made of hard PVC, the ability to connect additional accessories (an umbrella for the ventilation pipe, an additional fan, wheels for transporting a storage tank).

Rostok-comfort

The Rostok-comfort toilet has a spacious lower container with a capacity of 100 liters, and an upper container with a capacity of 30 liters. Dimensions 79x61.5x82 cm, height to seat 50.8 cm, length of drainage hose 3 m. The body is made of frost-resistant polyethylene, equipped with a warm toilet seat. Stainless steel peat spreading mechanism. Operating temperatures from -30 to +60 degrees.

The average price is 8900 rubles.

Stationary peat dry closet

The design of the peat toilet discussed above involves its portability, but there are stationary models. Such a country toilet is called a continuous compost toilet.

Note! This option cannot be called cheap, but the initial investment pays off. At the same time, you do not need to worry about organizing a sewer system or installing a septic tank.

The operating principle of a continuous peat dry closet is similar to the mobile model, but there are certain features. The bottom of the storage tank has a slope of 30⁰, inside it there are pipes that are cut lengthwise. This system ensures the constant presence of air and eliminates clogging of the air duct. Thanks to this, the lower chamber is always filled with oxygen - in this case, the bacteria work faster. From time to time you need to add peat to the tank; there is a loading hatch for this. You can rake out the processed compost through the bottom hatch.

Stationary peat dry closet

Reviews

According to many consumers, for seasonal use in a country holiday setting, it is advisable to purchase the simplest and most mobile models that have a minimum set of functions, which allows you to avoid spending money on water supply and sewerage, as well as connecting electricity.

When living year-round in a private household, it is advisable to give preference to more modern, stationary structures that are resistant to temperature changes, do not require frequent emptying of the tank, and are also equipped with a system for saving peat filler.

Buy or make it yourself?

There are many drawings for creating a powder closet based on this operating principle. But it’s really easier to buy a ready-made one, because the price of such mobile-type installations is low. When buying a peat toilet for your dacha, the question will definitely arise, which is better. Therefore, we offer a rating of the best models from trusted manufacturers:

Ecomatic

This Finnish dry dry toilet is designed for the use of peat with sawdust. Such a mixture will provide access to the oxygen necessary for the process, since it is present between the particles of the mixture.

Many Russian consumers consider this high-quality dry toilet too expensive, and in this case its aesthetic appeal does not matter. But there is a significant advantage: a more spacious tank - from 110 liters.

Finnish dry toilet Ecomatic

Piteko

The dry closet for a peat garden from this manufacturer is much more compact, due to a less capacious tank. The key feature is the separation of fecal matter into liquid and solid particles. The design of the Piteko peat dry closet includes convenient doors for unloading compost.

Dry toilet for a peat cottage Piteko

Biolan

This Finnish dry toilet is quite expensive, but extremely effective. It has 2 chambers into which liquid and solid masses are separately discharged. The basic configuration includes an exhaust pipe; the dry closet is equipped with an improved drainage system. The maximum tank volume is 300 liters.

Finnish toilet Biolan

How does it work

Peat dry closets work on a simple principle - waste is turned into compost. To activate these processes, peat or peat mixture is used.

Interesting! Peat is a mushy mass consisting of rotted remains of bog plants. This environment is an ideal haven for bacteria and microorganisms.

It is thanks to the natural component - peat, in which bacteria live, that fecal matter is processed. Additionally, they eliminate unpleasant odors.

Right choice

There are enough designs and manufacturers of such installations for the dacha, but how to choose the right peat toilet for the dacha? You need to pay attention to the necessary comfort of use; to do this, consider the following parameters of the toilet:

• Dimensions of the structure. The country dry toilet must correspond to the size of the room in which it will be installed.
• Required storage capacity. But everything is not so simple here, because certain models have a limited shelf life of compost. If it is exceeded, the quality will drop significantly and an unpleasant odor may appear. On the other hand, a tank that is too small will require regular cleaning, which is also not very convenient.

When choosing a dry closet for a peat garden, you need to pay attention to the features of its design:

• The presence of a signaling device on the tank will eliminate the need to periodically check its fullness.
• If you have a dispenser, you can scatter the peat more economically.
• The presence of a distributor increases the efficiency of use.

The composition for filling into a dry toilet in the country is also important. Options with ash, sawdust and other bulk components will not give the same composting effect as peat does. It is considered the most effective consumable in powder closets.

Note! If the mixture is peat-sawdust, this guarantees aeration of the composition.

Toilet maintenance

The costs of maintaining this sewer system in the country are lower than those of competitors. There is no need for a huge amount of special liquids and chemical reagents, or additional communications. All you need is to install the toilet itself and purchase a peat mixture. The only small difficulty that owners of a dry closet will have to face is cleaning it. But with a little skill, everything is done within a short period of time. If this is a mobile version, cleaning is carried out once every few weeks or more often, depending on convenience. And if a permanent structure for a summer residence is installed, then cleaning is carried out once or twice a year. To avoid wasting time and effort, you can call professional specialists or use a sewer pump at home.

Tip 3: For proper ventilation and complete odor elimination, it is better to keep the toilet lid closed.