#191754 - 12/25/09 06:17 AM
Re: Dealing with human waste... starting RIGHT NOW
[Re: Susan]
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Member
Registered: 10/05/09
Posts: 165
Loc: Rens. County, NY
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My septic system runs on gravity, completely independent of the utilities. If gravity fails, I have big problems, because my car could then fly right through the roof of my attached garage.
If the water system fails, it would be easier for me to tote water from a nearby stream or other location for flushing than deal with digging holes in my lawn.
To me the big risk of a sewage system is if you have a public system, and it fails and backs up into your house.
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#191769 - 12/25/09 03:43 PM
Re: Dealing with human waste... starting RIGHT NOW
[Re: UpstateTom]
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Enthusiast
Registered: 08/09/09
Posts: 392
Loc: San Diego, CA
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Checking on how much volume a person produces, I was reminded of an important fact:
Leave the water in the toilet alone. It seals the trap and prevents sewer gases from getting into the house. (It's also a good idea to pour some water into any unused drains once a month or so for the same reason.) Guess I'm gonna need a bucket.
The average seems to be about a pound a day, with a volume of about a liter, but it can vary widely depending on diet and health.
_________________________
Okey-dokey. What's plan B?
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#191774 - 12/25/09 04:53 PM
Re: Dealing with human waste... starting RIGHT NOW
[Re: Susan]
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Crazy Canuck
Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 3219
Loc: Alberta, Canada
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I must admit, that I am a bit surprised that no one is planning on composting it safely, which is my plan.
My outhouse is more-or-less a defacto composter. It's dug into the middle of a stand of mature willow and spruce, and it sits on a shallow trench so I can pull the composted material toward the back with a discarded garden rake. I add a few leaves or sawdust after each visit, or a bit of fresh wood ash and charcoal, to reduce flies and smell. I plan to add an old eavestrough in the front to direct the "liquid propulsion" to the shallow roots of the adjacent trees. This is primo fertilizer, and it represents most of the infamous outhouse smell that people recoil from. And, I plan to add a "solar wall" in the back, with a tall vent pipe, so that gases/odour are directed back and out, instead of up through the hole when you open the lid. Aside: I should mention that I've been making and experimenting with charcoal. There is no more effective substance for eliminating odour in toilet facilities. I used a five gallon pail filled with firepit charcoal for a week as a urinal (in the interests of science). No smell whatsoever. None.
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#191779 - 12/25/09 05:25 PM
Re: Dealing with human waste... starting RIGHT NOW
[Re: dougwalkabout]
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Addict
Registered: 05/23/08
Posts: 477
Loc: Somerset UK
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As others post, virtualy all septic tank systems use gravity to move the waste from the toilet to the septic tank.
Electric power is often but not allways used to move the liquid from the tank to a soakaway or leach field.
This should not matter for a few days but would be a problem in the longer term.
The solids build up in the tank until removed by a tanker truck with a suction pump, again no problem in the short term, but it would be well to consider other options for any long term disaster.
Human waste is a good fertiliser, and if treated properly wont spread disease.
In an emergency, proper treatment is unlikely to be available,therefore I would minimise the risks by only useing human waste to fertilise crops of which we eat only the above ground parts.
Fruit trees, certainly.
Potatoes, no way.
I would fit a large bucket with a toilet seat, and add earth or ashes after each use.
The contents can then be buried near trees etc, or buried deeper and crops planted above.
Neat urine is liable to kill plants, but if well diluted it may be put on the lawn without harm.
In freezing weather, simply store outside until milder weather.
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#191780 - 12/25/09 05:26 PM
Re: Dealing with human waste... starting RIGHT NOW ?
[Re: Susan]
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Member
Registered: 11/14/08
Posts: 115
Loc: middle Tennessee
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What would you do if suddenly you couldn't use your toilets? I mean starting RIGHT NOW. I would grab a shovel and start digging a trench/pit at an appropriate spot out back. I have a few acres, so that shouldn't be an issue. Then, I would start building a proper Outhouse to cover the hole ... and would likely erect some sort of privacy screen/wall in the interim, depending on how long it took to get the Outhouse put up. Also, depending on the weather, and the distance of the Out House from the main house... I would let the family use a "toilet bucket". The bucket could likely be used a few times before a trip to the Outhouse to empty it. I have all of the items on hand to take any of the above steps, if needed. All the above assumes that I can no longer use the toilets for some reason. In actuality, that would probably not happen here, because our house has a "passive" (no electricity required) septic system. So, as long as I can come up with some water [rain water, pond water, whatever], we can still use and flush the toilets.
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#191781 - 12/25/09 05:35 PM
Re: Dealing with human waste... starting RIGHT NOW ?
[Re: Susan]
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Member
Registered: 11/14/08
Posts: 115
Loc: middle Tennessee
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I don't know if I've got this right, but a neighbor was saying that many modern septic (and sewer?) systems have some kind of electrical pump that moves the waste to the septic tank.
I remember reading an article a while back, where some folks had remodeled a basement and added a bathroom. The basement was BELOW the main sewer (or septic) connection that already existed for the house. So, the design had to include a pump (which used electricity) to lift the waste water from the basement bathroom.
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#191818 - 12/26/09 01:12 AM
Re: Dealing with human waste... starting RIGHT NOW ?
[Re: Susan]
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 01/21/03
Posts: 2203
Loc: Bucks County PA
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I don't know if I've got this right, but a neighbor was saying that many modern septic (and sewer?) systems have some kind of electrical pump that moves the waste to the septic tank. So, does that mean that if you don't have power, the toilets back up? Does anyone know about this?
....
What would you do if suddenly you couldn't use your toilets? I mean starting RIGHT NOW.
Happens here...we have a pump up system...and a well - detached single family house. Power goes out, water pump goes out, and septic stops functioning. Generator takes over running those systems + furnace + lights. We can drop the furnace - we have wood heat as needed. If it's more than a week, we pee outside and poop in Spackle buckets lined with trash bags. if the power stays off longer we dig a latrine.
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#191851 - 12/26/09 02:39 PM
Re: Dealing with human waste... starting RIGHT NOW ?
[Re: MartinFocazio]
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Addict
Registered: 06/04/03
Posts: 450
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This is an easy one. Defecate in a small portion of the junk mail I get everyday, wrap it up with the appropriate company's address on it, then deposit the little package in the mailbox just down the street from my house. ;-)
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#191852 - 12/26/09 04:10 PM
Re: Dealing with human waste... starting RIGHT NOW ?
[Re: Susan]
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Product Tester
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 11/14/04
Posts: 1928
Loc: Mountains of CA
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I know that a lot of the scenarios we talk about are just 'what ifs', and many scenarios have varied possibilities. But one we really can't avoid is dealing with human waste. I don't know if I've got this right, but a neighbor was saying that many modern septic (and sewer?) systems have some kind of electrical pump that moves the waste to the septic tank. So, does that mean that if you don't have power, the toilets back up? Does anyone know about this? But there are other reasons that our toilets wouldn't work: no power = frozen plumbing, not enough drinking water to use for flushing, etc. What would you do if suddenly you couldn't use your toilets? I mean starting RIGHT NOW. All the stores are closed, and will stay closed for the next two or three weeks. All the hotels/motels are loaded to capacity with stranded travelers. All your local friends are in the same situation. Travel out of the area is impossible. What's your plan? And tell us also what kind of living quarters you have: apartment, condo, house/lot, living in your motorhome or travel trailer, etc. And no cheating!  All you have to work with is what you have as of this very minute. Sue We don't need power to get waste to go to the septic. Some people depending no their location do however. They have a gravity feed to a TINY tank, and from there it pumps to the septic. We have over 100g of water stored + 40g available for draw down so flushing 1.2 or 1.6 gallons is not that bad... We haven't had to manually dump water in the tank during our recent power outages, we use the water in the pressure tank for the toilet and bottled for drinking. If the toilet broke, septic filled, etc.. we would dig a hole and use that and then fill, and move on to the next hole. This would be done far far from our well and house. Not really an issue for us, we did this when we were living here temporarily while working on our house. (#2 only, #1 can be done anyplace outside and is, even with a working toilet!!) I actually forgot about the motor home, we could use that tank if we really wanted to too. Just gravity, and a wee-bit of water.
Edited by Todd W (12/26/09 04:12 PM)
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