Why We Built Our Composting Toilet and You Should Too!
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- čas přidán 11. 03. 2019
- In this episode, I show you how we built our composting toilet and why we decided to instead of buying one.
If you would like to see more of our journey you can follow us on Instagram at / soulfulbuslife
UPDATE -
* Many of you have commented about peat moss. We wanted to let everyone know that we actually switched to coconut coir in our first year of bus life after we learned how unsustainable peat moss is.
* Please realize that when you live on the road full time there are only so many options for your waste. Everyone who lives on the road with a compost toilet is throwing away their mostly composted waste. Otherwise you need to get a black tank. I don't understand why so many commenters want to critique the terminology while sitting in a stick and brick home where you are using water to flush you toilet every time you sit down on it. No lifestyle is perfect - we can all just do our best and enjoy each day.
You can shop all the products from our bus build along with some of our favorite bus life items on our Amazon Storefront - www.amazon.com/shop/soulfulbu...
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Kildwick Klassik Urine Diverter - www.kildwick.com/Kildwick-Kla...
Drop about 2 to 3 tables of aspirin into the urine jug will help to kill the smell tremendously. Just get cheap aspirins and it takes up way less space too.
Wow. I wonder what the reason may be that compound results in such a way 😳
You addressed why I never thought I would ever want a composting toilet by having a bag in the bucket and not having to lift the toilet to clean out the compost. Very easy to follow. Thank you.
Excellent! Best detailed DIY composting toilet video I've seen!
Thank you! Glad you found it useful.
i agree! very good design and video
I made one just like this but I use a large liquid laundry soap bottle. But it has to be one with a center pour hole. Works great and no big deal if you get seen carrying it.
That’s an excellent idea, and those detergent jugs are fairly heavy plastic too. Thanks for the idea, going to build my own
Very smart! Super Stealth. Care to share the laundry brand name?
It looks doable. But you can still cover the poop with sawdust if you want right?
You start out putting a good amount in the bag when it is new, then sprinkle sawdust or peat moss each time you poo, to cover it over.
Or you can do solids into a bag and tie up and throw away.
Another helpful little thing to try is to use cedar to line the box. . . if to pricey grab a bag of cedar pet bedding and hang mesh bags of it inside the main box! Smells great, good odor control AND keeps away any insects looking to seek refuge in there!🥰
I refuse to use peat moss in my toilet anymore due to the presence of bug eggs. They start to hatch and swarm when put in the warm decomposting section so coco coir is my go-to now.
Yes we switched to coconut coir a long time ago. We actually stopped using peat moss when we learned about the environmental impact of it. I edited the caption for the video to show that too.
My son goes with sawdust. Prefers it.
Try pine pellets! Add some used coffee grounds for even more odor absorbency!
One more little thing to do is to use cedar to line the box if to pricey grab a bag of cedar pet bedding and hang mesh bags of it inside the main box! Smells great, good odor control AND keeps away any insects looking to seek refuge in there!
omg bugs where you’re hovering your tender bits. 😱
I have been banging my head against the wall for months about how to go about building my own composting toilet for my Skoolie! I finally sat down today to do more research, and your video has been the best I have came across!
I'm seriously trying to figure out why people are spending over $1k (nothing wrong with doing so), when part of the Skoolie life is really doing it your damn self!
I found a Trobolo diverter that I will order when the time comes, as it's just as much more appealing to me, and I will eventually be mounting a grey water tank underneath for the diverter to drain to.
Thanks so much for putting this video out there!
The best most comprehensive detail view of the toilet I have seen yet. Great job! First time I was able to really say to myself.......oh.....well this is no big deal...I can do this one! I liked your attitude about it. Instead just ignoring it like some people do, like they don't really need it because they are special, or can just jump off and use the woods, you make people realize that its probably one of the most important things a person needs to consider when living on a bus or van or whatever. No different than eating or sleeping....its an absolute necessity so let's talk about it seriously! So great job on toilets and the beautiful bus.
I’m glad you found the video helpful and informative. Using a composting toilet is most certainly no big deal. In fact now after 8 months of using it we find it very strange to use a regular flush toilet. It just feels so wasteful now.
Great video!
Nobody seems to mention another benefit of a no flush toilet, that you avoid "toilet plume" and the germs that settle all over your bathrooms at home. So if you use the composting one your mobile bathroom is cleaner than the one at home (if not as convenient).
@@ThatWasPrettyFunny been doing that my whole life
@@ThatWasPrettyFunny how else can i watch it go down
you can avoid that by closing the seat before flushing.
Plumes are released when you “go”; if you can smell it, that’s a minute amount of the solid floating in the air 🤮sounds gross. However, we all do it……don’t we? I just don’t like the thought of anyones else’s floaters😂
one of the best tutorials on this subject. Thank you
An excellent build, and an excellent video presentation. You could not improve on anything, well done!! I'm really glad that people are giving Nature's Head a run for their money. To pay $1000 for a plastic toilet from Nature's Head is ridiculous. This is a superb solution. Very interesting to see how it functions and maintenance. Many thanks!!
Thank you so much. You’re right, it is very ridiculous to spend $1,000 on a toilet and get so many people in the Tiny House/Skoolie community do. Hoping this video can show people that you can have a great looking and functioning toilet for a whole lot less. Plus, if you’re already building the rest of your Tiny home when not build the toilet too.
@@SoulfulBusLife you are right 🤔
pay 1k for toilet then stare at your crap clean it rinse it.Its a counter intuitive design.I am just surprised why so many people bought it. Clear plastic jug so everyone can see you are carrying a urine!...Talk about not paying attention to details worse part 800-1k price.Seriously how does few plastic pieces cost so much.Its credulous
@@rubo1964 Just sell your $1000 toilet and build this version. The urine diverter from Kildwick costs 129 Euro or US$148 and is a very solidly build fancy funnel. However, Separette brand and other 'urine diverters' cost $50 on ebay. The rest is easy. The reason that Nature's Head made the jug transparent is to see how full it is. But dumping it tells everyone you are carrying a pee jug. The solution is to spray paint the jug or build your own using a laundry detergent empty jug with the neck to one side, not in the middle.
I saw a beautiful toilet on CZcams with tile all around and it was a nice seat in the shower stall.
Interesting, and the price is right, but nowhere near as good as Nature's Head. With this toilet there is no trap door to conceal the waste. That means that when you open the lid, you are looking at poop. The NH has a trap door that conceals the waste. This is actually a pretty big step up. Without a trap door you are, well, just pooping in a bucket. The trap door of the NH will , when closed, also direct any pee that falls into the main bowl forward, and into the urine bottle where it belongs. With the DIY toilet, the pee can fall into the solids bucket, especially with women. Pee and poop mixed together is what you are trying to avoid, because it produces that awful stench. The NH is actually breaking down the waste - composting it. using coconut fiber or peat moss, and aeration That is what the handle and rotating mechanism are for. So if no one has pooped in it for a few days, and you empty it, there is zero odor when emptying. The DIY toilet uses a milk jug, which is thin, cheap, and could easily crack, leak or break The NH uses a very heavy duty, rotationally molded plastic bottle that will never break. There is nothing wrong with a DIY toilet, but you are not getting anything like a NH. And clearly you are not involved in manufacturing, because it is not cheap to build something in high quality plastic. That is why plastic kayaks are $1500. That is why small plastic fittings on a boat can be incredibly expensive. (Plastics manufacturing is my business).
Best compost toilet build yet!
That system seems very doable and so reasonably priced! Thank you!!
This is THE BEST diy composting toilet instruction I have a seen yet. The entire design makes so much sense and is something I can actually build alone. I love the side cabinets. I can do this!!!! Thank you so much and I’ll let you know how it goes. 👍😊
I’m so glad that you found the video helpful Abby! Good luck on your build!!!
What happened Abby?
How did the build go Abby?
@@CosmicSeeker69 Hi!! I am so sorry I missed your message asking how it went (and this is for Christie's Corner too). It went great! I actually built the box myself but needed my husband to use the SKIL-saw to cut the circle out of the wood. I worked on it for a day, just using a good ol' hammer and nails and had the wood cut from Home Depot. We live near a saw mill so we get heaps of free sawdust to put in it. I didn't include a urine diverter--everything goes in the bucket and gets covered with the sawdust. I wanted to try it that way to see if we could tolerate it, and we can. With an exhaust fan running in the bathroom and a little air freshener or a candle, I'd say it's been a good experience!
Every time I think I know, a better diy video proves me wrong. Sold on this. Excellent!
Really appreciate the simplicity of the design and the thoroughness of your description. You have a beautiful bus!
Thank you so much. Simplicity, IMHO, is always the best way to go. No need for things to be complicated.
SWEET...DIY TOILET!! I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING ALL THE COMPOSTING TOILETS...& THEY ALL SEEM WAY TOO COMPLICATED, & EXPENSIVE....I HAD IN MY MIND SOME IDEAS...BUT THIS IRONS OUT SOME OF THE PROBLEMS I WAS RUNNING INTO....NICE JOB!! PROBABLY THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO HANDLE WASTE!! THANK YOU FOR SHOWING US WHAT YOU HAVE CAME UP WITH !! ♡☆♡
Thank you for watching!
ive been watching a Lot of videos.
this seems to be the Best home made one so far
Fantastic video! I appreciate your brief yet very informative details! Sometimes people drag on with their life history before a video, thanks for concise featured content.
Very thorough explanation Sir. Well done. One idea for you....hot glue a small shim to bottom of your urine bottle to angle it in the direction you need for a perfect alignment to the tube coming down.
Thanks for this post! I’m getting ready to do a build out and doing a ton of research (mostly vids like this). Always nice to save where you can with things that work!!!
Thanks! You just saved me a bunch of cash. I’ve used a bucket before that combined #1 and #2. It had no ventilation, was used indoors in an attic, and didn’t smell at all. However, it needed to be dumped often and the contents would be heavy. The dumping pile wasn’t particularly smelly but their was a slight urine smell at times. I like the diverter and will certainly make one like this in my tiny home. Like your channel name too! I’m happy to be joining your fans :)
You, my friends, are geniuses. Once motor/bus/van homes become more frequent (and they definitely will) bottle this system up and sell it!! You'll make a fortune haha!! New subscriber, thanks for the awesome, easy-to-follow content!
Thank you for demystifying this process!! Awesome video👍🏻
I'm rebuilding my Rv and this information is GOLDEN. Thank you
We are so happy to hear that you found this helpful. Thank you for watching!
Bravo! What a clear, concise and useful video! I will make one! Thank you!
Amazing. I'm just planning everything out for my schoolie build, and this is definitely going to be a must to include in my build! Thank you so much!
GREAT JOB .. I Really like how you gave the links to all the things you used on the build .
Very nice idea, thanks for sharing and thanks for the time you put into the video
When I say that God with His grace can heal through nature and act through infinite number of things, even believers in God often knock on the head and telk me that I am mentally ill or something. And I've just been in bad condition but it keeps getting all the way better. Certainly there are many graces of God in action for matters which are missing in the world and about which people think that they are not working but work wonderfully. I hope that it will gradually change and people will be able to take advantage of the good that is contained in this matter and also be able to discover many other wonders so far hidden for humanity or old and forgotten or considered not working but works great.
Cordial greetings and blessing for You everyone ❤
Genius Build!! My Grandfather had an out house when I was a child bout 33 yrs ago lol i had preferred to used that then the regular toilet. For he kept the smell down and it was always quiet it was nice.
I love this build! So simple and so effective. I think your design will be the one we use in our build. Thank you for sharing.
This is super cool! Who knew it could be so easy.
The Kildwik (or Throne Compost in the US) is really key to the success of this. In most diverters, any issues with aim result in urine dribbling down the outside and onto the floor. This diverter is one continuous piece - no matter how badly someone aims, the urine will end up in a container. Throne is designed for an elongated seat - the advantage is that the #2 opening is bigger.
We aren't familiar with the diverter you mentioned but thankfully the one we have installed has worked flawlessly for about 4 years. It was the only one we could find at the time but it is good to know there might be some other options out there. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent video. Thanks for changing my mind about the nature's head. This is definitely the way to go...
This is an amazing video, it seems so achievable and perfect for van life
This is awesome! Thank you so much for doing this video. So helpful !!
Best explanation ever! Great system, has me thinking about it now.
Great info, details, and resource links. Thanks so much!
Great job!
The video is the most informative I've seen and heard in a long time..I like the height of it (big help to me after an athletic injury) and using the gray water odor controller the lemon...
Very nice build... The side cabinets are great idea if the space is there to have them. The Kildwick is also a very good choice. I used a similar pvc plumbing fitting for the urine diverter connection which I had to heat up over the stove to make it fit nice and snug. I used a piece of neoprene rubber from an old wetsuit to create a seal over the rim of the urine jug. My pvc fitting has a rim around it so the mouth of the jug seals nicely against it using the neoprene seal. The seal prevents spills during driving...very handy.
I use a powdered odour control which is meant for porta potty type systems which in my application is very little needed and very economical. The powder is also environmentally safe... The bags I use for the bucket are biodegradable.
Great ideas and demonstration. Thanks for the video!
Best build I've seen!
You saved us around $700 because we were going to get the nature's head toilet. Can't thank you enough!!
So glad you found the tutorial helpful and that we could save you so much money. Much better places it can be invested. Good luck with your build.
Just convinced us to make our own composting loo over buying the nature's own 👍🏼
Soooo very cool. Thank you for sharing!
👍🏻😁 saving for instructional when I get to that point in my build. Thanks !
Great demonstration. Thank you.
Excellent instructions and a very nice build. I like the split seat/bowl also. Looking at several others I find that the hole for the solids isn't very large, which can be difficult for adults of different builds and children to both be able to use well. I'm researching ideas for a home built bus or possibly remodeling a motorhome and really don't want to have to deal with carrying more water than I have to. Knowing that I'll be staying in both camp grounds and remote boondocking means that I may need to conserve water for drinking, dishes and showers.
I've seen many videos for purchased composting toilets that include a kitchen type spray hose to wash down solids if the user misses and have often wondered if doing that creates too wet an environment in the 5 gallon bucket? A little squirt after each pee to rinse the urine diverter and tube is fine because that will be dumped more often.
Depending upon the location of the bathroom, could the urine be diverted to a black water type tank instead of having to empty a bottle from the inside? It could be diverted to the tank that could be located where ever needed but I'm thinking about raising the toilet and placing a tank there. It might need an occasional flush with an enzyme odor reducer to rinse it if the vinegar rinse doesn't do the trick.
Another thought - if the RV is a total home build, the owner would have the option of locating the bathroom over a storage bay, allowing removal of the solids bucket and draining of the urine collection straight out the side instead of taking anything our of a possibly tight space from inside and carrying it out. Recommendation for venting would be to place the bathroom on the driver's side also, so the side where most people hang out isn't subject to vented odors.
Awesome idea!! Thank you so much for this video. It will really save me a few bucks...
Wow! This is really well planned & very innovative.
Thank you so much!
Very helpful. Thanks!
Excellent build!!!!
Thank you!
This was incredibly helpful, thank you!!!
Well done. Thanks.
You just saved me a lot of money! Nice job. Thanks for the idea
Me as well!
Love it! I don’t have a schoolie but I have a she shed that needs a bathroom. Thank you!
This is a fantastic DIY instructions.
Thank You.... Simple, easy to follow detailed instructions!! Absolutely fantastic work and video. ☺ Agreed build it and then put funds towards other projects.
That was the goal in making the video. Glad to hear you found it helpful.
Thank you for an amazing and clear explanation!
Love it. I want to build one now
Thanks for the reply, and the stainless sounds like a good improvement.
Great to see this is possible! I'm converting a Citroen Berlingo and the back area is only 120cm high, making a 60cm tall loo a bit too big. Nice to know I can try and make something that won't leave me with a crick in my neck.
You should look into what happens to organic material in the landfills and consider disposing of the compost in a sustainable way
I thought the same thing! Allthought exelent tutorial
What happens to it? It all turns into dirt eventually. The plastic bag not so much. Please explain..
Charles Christianson if I’m not mistaken it turns into methane, which is very polluting to the environment
You're right. If the landfill is anaerobic (meaning no oxygen flows through the waste), then the organic waste produces methane. Methane is 25 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas (the main causes of global warming) than carbon dioxide (co2, the exhaust coming out of your car). There are some dedicated landfills for organic waste that undergo aerobic process so no methane is produced (or not much). There are also landfills that purposefully catch the methan produced and reuse it as energy (for example the gas in your house for your kitchen or bbq may be methane).
Ultimately it's best not to throw your organic waste in the trash and start a composting pile instead. If you can't, find out if your city/council's landfills are organic waste friendly.
Some sources.
www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/organic-waste
www.learnz.org.nz/redvale181/bg-standard-f/organic-waste-and-landfill-gases
www.permaculturenews.org/2017/08/15/keeping-organic-waste-out-of-landfills/
SouthernFriedGerman Exactly, it seems very counterintuitive to many that burying organic waste is awful for the environment. Big respect for citing references, I appreciate it a lot!
This is such a great video! I think I’ve made up my mind for our Skoolie. We’re going to try building our own composting toilet. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Thank you for watching!
Thank you so much! That was super helpful. Cheers!
Thank you for sharing your video, it was very informative and I appreciate you sharing your build. I want to make one for my camper as I want as little or no water lines or plumbing to keep bacteria from getting in the lines and also the threat of leakage. Thanks again, great video!
You’re very welcome Jamie! Glad you found the video informative. Good luck with the build for your camper!
Great video! Thanks!
Great info! Thanks for making this video!
Thanks for watching! I’m glad you found it informative.
i got one of those armrest frames they place over the toilet for the disabled.. has a regular toilet seat at a height above the normal toilet for ease of wheelchair users..
if the grid crumples i only have to slide a bucket under it.. bucket lid could be kept in a pouch or book bag...sawdust in a pouch also..
good in a van.. folds like a walker..
I have to do my compliments to you because you explained everything so well and I understood all what you said. Thanks so much for the idea. Greetings from Italy.
Thank you!
Very enjoyable to see that you’ve created this innovative solution 🍻👍👍👍
Thank you for the comment! Glad you liked the video.
This was super helpful. Thanks
Great info, Thanks!
Best tutorial!
Great tutorial. Thank you.
Excellent!
This was super helpful as we look to build instead of buy a 1k toilet. Thanks for sharing! :)
Very well done
Great build and great video. However, I agree with one of the commenters below - this is not compost. When you put the waste in a plastic bag and then into the landfill, all the goodness of the waste is being wasted. So as a waterless, odorless, low-cost toilet build, it gets an A+, but as a composting toilet it doesn't qualify.
Thank YOU for the info. have a nature's head a few years and it is true, it is a pain to clean. I had a problem this time around and had to hose it out and it is sitting overnight outside to dry... after watching your tutorial, I may just pull out the mixing thing (as I already own it) and maybe find a bucket to sit inside with the bag in the bucket... keeping it simple.... wish I new all this before that grand.... it is quite clumsy to work with too.
Wow!! Great job guys 👍👏👏😊🎉👏😊👏🤔
Thank you for sharing!!
Nicely done
Great video. I see that you altered the plans though and didn’t mention this. I’d suggest adding an intro to explain what you did and why. You obviously made the boxes narrower to be able to lift the lids when the toilet seat was in place. This makes sense and is how I’ve built mine.
I saw that too. Making mone qith some modifications. Good video.
Excellent and thank you.
Great video and very informative. Looks like what we will do in our van.
Thank you for watching!
Thank you!! Great video!!!🙏💪🌿🌳
Muy bueno capo! Saludos desees Argentina
awesome build
WOW!!! The amount of money you saved is everything. So glad I came across your video. I'll be using your video as a reference for making mine. Good job 😉
Thank you for watching! I am so glad it was helpful for you!
Great job. Truly the greatest design, explanation and final product. I do I find it a bit pricey but, compared to the commercial ones it is 10x cheaper.
I'm building a cheaper Luggable Loo type for now but your version will be my future dream composter. TYSM
This is a really good tutorial. Thank you.
Couple questions:
Did you line the peat moss holder with any thing or just placed as is in box?
Can you provide the measurements for the boxes you made?
Very nice!
Old Large Soap jugs and the 3 gal. water jugs would work for urine, but we are diverting to gray tank to use on garden & trees after dilution with weepers till winter than fill ground tank for Watering Compost Piles for Gardeners Gold Rich Black Soil!
Love it! super helpful tutorial and seems pretty easy (minus the fan/vent, which seems like the trickiest part. However, I'm not keen on the plastic bag in the bucket. I feel like using plastic and throwing your composted waste in the trash defeats some of the purpose of using a composting toilet (to reduce impact).
Yes, that is one of the downsides of being mobile with a composting toilet. If we were parked at a property permanently we would have a dedicated composting pile to actually compost the waste. All that being said it’s not about being perfect, but doing the best you can to lower your impact everyday. #buslife in general has a significantly lower footprint than most lifestyles. Even though we are creating a garbage bag of waste every few weeks we still save over a gallon of water every time we use the bathroom by not flushing.
You’ve done a fantastic job with the loo and with the vid. Thanks for sharing 😊
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@SoulfulBusLife " .
, ' ,
Awesome!
Thank you, nice job🙌