I have seen them in use at CAT ( centre for alternative technology)

I would go for dry composting as a favoured choice. Also at CAT if you want to look or sniff.

I've been looking into similar options for our rural build and so far dry composting is top of the list. We're going for probably the lowest tech solution: Separette composting toilet. It looks like a stylish "normal" toilet, but functionaly it's effectively a urine diverter + a bucket + a fan. In contrast to other composting toilets, the actual composting takes place outside on a compost heap (the advantages of being rural). We chose this option because the in-toilet composters use too much electricity (we're off-grid) and the in-basement composting was quite expensive with the possibility of something going wrong in the composting process and you sit with a pile of poo in your basement. I'd rather sit with a pile of poo 300m from the house :)
There are also benefits to using a urine diverter: Urine is a more easily useable fertilizer, when diluted with water; and there not as much smell as a mixture of urine and feces.

The only reason we use water in our toileting systems is because it's a good transport medium. If you can solve the transport problem some other way - then you don't need water. It's actually quite a wasteful system when you think about it (to paraphrase from the Humanure Handbook): we crap in 3 litres of drinking water, then move the mixture some distance and then spend vast amounts of money trying to separate the water and crap again.

With the separette toilet, you carry it the 300m every 2 weeks when the bucket fills up!
The aquatron uses water, which it then separates - the dry bits go into a composting bin and the wet bits go out for processing. A dry composting toilet does not use any water for flushing in the first place. Although some composting toilets can use a foam for non vertical pipe runs. Some of the manufacturers of dry composting toilets I've come across on the web:
Biolet, Clivus Multrum, Envirolet and Sun Mar.

I have a similar situation which I would welcome comments on. I am in the process of rebuilding a house in Italy and I am trying to find a solution that does not include a septic tank. My problem is that my family will not have anything to do with a dry composting toilet, they want one that flushes so they don't have to deal with any "yuckyness". I have to give way on this one, they have agreed to go for a house which is more my choice than theres so it's up to me to find a solution.

We have a big garden so I want to compost but it needs to be a wet toilet. What I thought was to use an Aquatron to seperate water from solids, collect the solids in a plastic drum and then at regular intevals empty the drum into a compst pile. I would need to fix the Aquatron onto a solid surface, and hang the drum underneath it. I was thinking of using one of those industrial drums with heavy skrew lids. This would allow me to swap drums, and put a fixed lid on the full one for transportation. I would then take the excess water and put it through a reed bed system.

The house is on the side of a mountain so vertical beds are no problem, there is a spring above the house so no problem with water supply, and the position for the toilet is over a store room with the door to the outside, so nothing needs to be moved through the house.

Thats the theory, do you think it would work? and comments from anyone with knowledge of reedbeds would be most wellcome.

Cheers

Recently done a assignment on sanitation and drainage!

Building regs like you to use public drains, where not possible they like you to use septic tanks. You have to haggle with them when trying to do anything else.

but as you said you have a stream then that is an ideal place for your surface water to go. You could run some off and store it for watering the garden or for many other uses too. Another thing is that with surface water its advisable to use soak-aways (basically a big pipe full of holes) when there is nowhere for the water to go.

I think with there being a stream in your property your going to have troubles trying to put any waste into the ground. It is considered pollution as we use chemicals to clean with that will damage the environment. If your putting this into the ground you may be polluting the stream. have to see about potential polluting before building regs will let it be placed.

I am part of the team that import the aquatron and developed the trench arch system in the UK. The Environment Agency will make decisions either directly or as the statutory consultee of the planning regs in the UK. So far we have only ever been declined for one trench arch job and that was because there were both a main drain nearby and there were water abstraction points nearby.

In general you need to connect to the mains if there is one nearby. Incidentally this is also the low carbon and green option in many many cases due to the issues of scale.

If there is no practicable main drain nearby you have to do something on site. The Aquatron allows flush WCs and composting. It is particularly useful if it is difficult to get access for a tanker to suck out a septic tank, but of course if you are wishing to be responsible for your own muck and other people in the building don't want to have to use a composting toilet I don't know of an alternative. (Actually there is the 'holy grail' which works in warmer climates and which used to be called the DOWMUS and is now sold as Biolytix - google them and watch the 'poo cam' for a pretty good grasp of the subject.) It means either separate WC drains to the Aquatron and a parallel drainage system for other waste water, or everything goes through the Aquatron and then our experience is that there is a little more water that goes through the composting process. It is not ideal for a situation where there is a lot of grease - in a septic system this ends up in the crust of the tank like fat in a gravy boat in the fridge.

Whether separate or combined, the trench arch is a good disposal system. Essentially it is a soakaway system but the pipes are very wide and cut in half along their length and lain upon the soil. It has the advantage of being large bore - up to 500 mm diameter so there is no issue of blockage and it can also store a lot of water so it is good for situations which have a very large fluctuation in load.

The trench arch has been used without a septic tank before it. This has been particularly useful in churchyards which are special - shallow digs wanted to avoid getting into uncle Harry's crypt, or to alert the archaeologists, and it thrives on intermittent use - Christmas eve service and sundays mainly. But the soil must be appropriate and standard BS6297 or acceptable soakaway test must be undertaken to get the right size.

Compost loos are the bees knees and the mutts nuts in this area of life but they need to be looked after. I much prefer the large vault types myself but the 'electric chairs' do have the advantage of not needing space beneath the throne. An intermediate between these two are the vaults that Andy Warren of NatSol do - the Agas. But that still leaves the greywater and the trench arch is idea for this if you can use it.

Mick

I am an Aquatron user in West Wales, been using it for over four years now, there have been a few issues which I would happily show you. We are actually considering shifting over to a dry compost urine seperator, mostly due to the current position of our solids/liquids hold tanks. I am have a aquatron for sale in the next few months, let me know if you are interested in further info and/or possible purchse.

I tend to agree with the forum here, dry composting is the way forward, people just need to get over the whole "Not dealing with sh*t"" idea, it is very strange, people come to our house and find the idea of solids collection appauling, yet they will happily follow their beloved pet and pick up dog crap (albeit with a flimsy plastic bag between them and it).

We have a very low tech outside compost loo to save water in a dry summer when the well gets low.
It has two seats with separate chambers, and we just alternate year on year. We let everything go down the same hole. After a year the result is a lovely compost we just shovel out and take to the compost heap or straight to the garden. It uses straw, woodchip, sawdust, grass cuttings, paper shreddings.
being on a slope helps - there is a level entry at the top, with removeable access hatches below, partly excavated out of the slope.

Hi, I've skimmed through the answers, but I hugely recommend the aquatron... I'm in west wales too and it works fantastically. It sits over a chamber which then is like an alternative septic tank, ie composting worms do the job and I'll probably not have to empty it as they munch so well. I rainwater harvest to flush the loo and then the liquids just go to a soakaway system. Really pleased w/it. If you want to discuss it, you can go to my website and email me www.quietearth.org.uk

Hi Lee, yes, seem to get a good turn out. Let me know if you want to be on the mailing list and I'll let you know when there is another course. Alternatively, I can run a course as part of your build, as it's often more practical and useful.

Hi Mick,
You can come and see my aquatron installment if you like as I'm St Dogmaels, nr cardigan...

Hi Mick,
Yes, just email me. Am away from 12th june for a few days. Straw bale studio next year sounds great. There are a few interesting straw bale projects near here I'll be working on. One just near Eglwswrw.

Hi again Lee
I am moving down in two weeks and the thing I need to get sorted first is the loo before the family arrive
you did mention selling? your aquatron loo - do you have any idea if this might coincide with our dates?
(I.E in next 6 weeks ish) anyway it would be good to meet up and see what you're up to - share info etc.
Mick

I am interested in your Aquatron - please you can get me on my email contact (click on me)