Had an interesting situation this weekend, "interesting" being a euphemism for annoying but educational.

The sewer line from the house to the public sewer appears to have partially collapsed. Attempts to snake it out have failed. It is draining, but slowly. Repair/replacement is about a week out. This has required us to decide to either move in with family or into a hotel, or attempt to cope with very limited wastewater disposal capacity. Because of a terminal illness in the family, resources and tempers are strained and that appears to be an option of last resort. The hotel possibility is there, but money, as they say, is definitely an object. So, we are attempting to tough it out for a while at least.

I thought we were pretty well prepared as a family for most emergencies. But this one has me rethinking the age-old problem of how to dispose of waste on a fairly long-term basis without creating a health hazard or a public nuisance. Some parts of it are easy, some are a challenge. I'd very much like to know what other people have done in the way of planning and preparation for this part of an emergency.

If I'm going back over old ground from a previous thread, forgive me and direct me and think no more about it.

Frank2135

Reminds me of the the whole bomb-shelter idea-I don't care how much food and water you have,flashlights,batteries etc. Eventually You,your wife,2.5 children,dog and cat will need to go to the bathroom and a small bunker will eventually be ripe with smells,disease and bad tempers.Watch out when the dog starts eyeing the youngest as a food source too.
On the other side-if you have a yard and can get outside I saw in Cabela's -and probably sold elsewhere this container you place in the ground and add some enzyme to the waste and it decomposes it naturally-called a doggie dooley waste disposal system.I would imagine that it would be effective for human waste issues as well and more discreet than having a portable bathroom in the yard or using bags and no real means of getting rid of the waste.

Hi Frank,

Sounds like you are going through some difficult times, it is frustrating when things are beyond your control.

Do you live in a city or in the country?

I had an older rural property about 10 years ago that had frequent water supply and septic system problems. The solution was simple for us, use the existing outhouse that was onsite until the problem was fixed. I grew-up around bush camps so it did not bother me much but my wife hated it, that house had so many problems it is a wonder we did not get divorced over it.

When we sold the house the buyer did not want the old outhouse (it must be 50 years old but very solid) so I took it to my hunt camp where we still use it.

I do not know if your Municipality would let you install an outhouse, but a rental Pot-a-potty may be a viable option for the short term.

Your homeowners insurance may pay for the rental fee and repair if the sewer backed-up into your house, check your policy?

Hope things turn around for you,

Mike

Yeah, I faced this once while renovating my only bathroom. I accidently broke the back of the toilet and found myself without facilities for a while - until I could repair rotted flooring and get a plumber in to install a new flange.

The good news is that you've still (hopefully) got clean running water.

I got to know the local McDonalds restroom all too well. The only in-home alternatives I can think of is to use kitchen garbage bags (lots of them) and sit on a 5 gallon bucket. Some places sell seats that fit on top of them - I've thought about getting one for "emergencies". Do you have any close friends who would lone you an RV with an on-board toilet?

For body cleaning, my advice is to get used to sponge baths - they can get you pretty clean - better than nothing. The worst of that for me was hair washing. We ended up using warm water to wash hair and then rinsed using the COLD water from the garden hose outside. Hint: If I were building a hose - or at least replumbing it - I'd put valves in that would allow me to run a mix of warm & cold water out through the hose. That way I could fashion an outdoor shower of some kind - plus it would provide warm water for washing dogs.

For dishwashing, go camping in your home: Use the three bucket method that Scouts use - 1. Wash in warm soapy water, 2. Rinse in warm water, 3. Sanitize in luke warm bleach water (using min. 1.5 teaspoons bleach/gallon water), 4. Air dry. When done with the water, dump it somewhere that is least impacting to plants/animals. Another alternative is to use you kitchen sink as normal but remove the trap and put a 5 gallon bucket under the sink. Don't forget to empty it promply!

The idea about removing the traps and putting 5-gallon buckets under the sinks is well worth considering - thanks very much!

The showers under the garden hose have begun, and yes, the water is COLD.

Frank2135

Mike,

We are located in a small city and outhouses are definitely not an option. A Porta-Potti might be, but at that point we would re-examine the cost of a motel room.

Frank2135

Buckets, bags and holes in the ground.

The hi tech approach!
Just kidding - I get the point. If we lose our access to modern technology, we're back where our ancestors were. You either sit in it or carry it off and bury it somewhere.

Frank2135

I'm about 100 yards from the shoreline of Lake Erie, and believe it or not, the Department of Natural Resources, EPA and Department of Health types would be downright peeved if they found out I buried any kind of waste in the ground here.

The prohibition actually extends to animal waste, but it's not enforced. The power of dog lovers or something, I guess.

I shouldn't complain: this part of the Lake is cleaner now than it has been in around 50 years. But when I see the waste oil wash onshore from ships swilling their bilges out in the international shipping lanes in the middle of the Lake, I wonder if some sense of perspective wouldn't be a good thing.

On a site I wish I could recall so I could give them due credit, they described how to make life a little easier. Shut off the water supply to the toilet, drain all the water out of the toilet, raise the seat and line with appropriate bags then lower the seat and "use" like normal. This would feel better than a bucket balancing act.

I would suggest baking soda, cheat kitty litter, sawdust, or even sand to absorb liquids and odor. If the bags you use are thick and bulky you might only use one at a time but if you can layer in several at once, then remove when full (more than 1 use possible?) and place in a bucket kept next to the toilet.