Build Yourself an In-house Outhouse

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A plywood version has proved appropriate for a composting toilet I designed for a boat shop on a wharf, since the 4' X 8' assembly is hung from the floor joists of a drying shed. When the pilings shift with ice and tides, the box moves with them and isn't harmed. The boatbuilders traded a cozier indoor incinerating toilet for my chilly outdoor model, because the propane- fired device cost a lot to run, threatened to burn down the shop, and produced poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas.

Their outdoor john is very cold, however, and is used by too many people, so the waste doesn't decompose well. The liquid bypass-which runs out to a box of sawdust set above the high-water mark-does allow the material to break down enough to make it safe to unload, though. You could adapt this idea (with the liquid going to a separate composting pile outside the box) for limited use in cabins with post foundations.

The key to the successful operation of acomposting toilet in a chilly environment isthe liquid bypass, though the importance ofthis option is hard for some people to understand. (This is no doubt because of thevarious myths about waterless toilets creat ed by those whove used one for a day or a week and then gotten a government grant to do a study!) You see, there just isn't any magic recipe (or chemical formula) that will spirit away the age-old hobgoblin of sewage: If the liquid isn't drained away, it must be evaporated... a tough job, since each user will supply about a quart per day! In the wild, Mother Nature takes care of this dispersion with the sun, wind, and rain, and makes humus at the same time. When using a composting toilet, though, you're attempting to bring that process in doors and make it work in a dark box... and it's necessary to limit the amount ofliquid that must be dealt with. I hope this information will help you avoid frostbite, a new, septic system or both. But don't expect miracles... it'll take care and concern to work this little compromise with nature. Take advantage of the resources that are available. I suggest starting with the National Center for Ap propriate Technology's booklet -OwnerBuilt Compost Toilet Designs", available free from NCA T, Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 3838, Butte, Montana 59701... and then moving on to Witold Rybezynski's Low-Cost Technology Options for Sani tation (Unipub, $10)... and-if you get truly desperate-I'll prepare you a spruced up set of plans for $20, or we can arrange for consulting. Write me at Dept. TMEN, Box 462A, Kennebunkport, Maine 04046.

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