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10/15/05, 07:12 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: somewhere over the rainbow
Posts: 119
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Suggestions for a LARGE outhouse
This is under homesteading on a large scale. I sponsor a couple of older kids at a orphange/boarding house in the Ukraine. From what I understand there are about 200 kids at this school and, believe it or not, are using an outhouse. I'm assuming this is more than a one-holer. One of the sponsors just returned from a trip there and noted that it smelled exceptionally bad. Is there anything that could be added to this to help break things down a bit quicker? My septic guy swears by yeast in a septic tank, but I don't know it this would apply here.
Do any of you with outhouse experience have any suggestions?
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10/15/05, 08:01 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 951
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Wouldn't some sort of homemade composting toilets be better than a large outhouse????
If they must stick with an outhouse, maybe it's time they dug a new one....but with that many kids I'd be afraid of something seeping into the water supply....
I still think some sort of homemade composting toilets would be better and I think there have been plans for those in Mother Earth News and maybe COUNTRYSIDE before????
anybody have plans for composting toilets for these folks, I'm sure it would need to be SIMPLE and use no electricity!
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10/15/05, 08:09 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: tn
Posts: 4,910
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i do have plans for a simply built, composting outhouse. pm me your address, and i'll send you a copy.
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10/15/05, 08:12 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 597
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If that is the case, you are well beyond outhouse technology. You are well into latrine territory. Probably need to research it at that level.
Most good latrines will have a vent stack. If it is a permanent structure and you have a large number of people some means of removal is probably required. It can be burnt in place. Many times lime is used, added as the layers build up.
Something like this so it can be moved around, or have multiple alternate sites. You might be able to use a sawdust cover but that will also fill up the hole far faster. A little research into how the military does it might give the best answers. They have lots of experience in the business. I doubt there is any slick way of quickly breaking the crap down. A problem that has been around for thousands of years.
http://www.tpub.com/content/construc...s/14265_54.htm
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10/15/05, 09:38 AM
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In Remembrance
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 6,844
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When I was visiting relatives in Croatian in 2001 the superintendent of the local schools took me around for a tour. Croatia has a law a 1-8 school must be no further than a certain distance (X minute bike ride I believe) so they still have lots of small two-four room school. I visited one I know to be over 100 years old as I have ancestors who attended school there. It still had an outhouse. Local hog farmer came around every so often to empty out the pit. Contents then went into his manure lagoon. He also cleaned out septic tanks for residences.
Two suggestions would be to require each user to sprinking on some lime. A second is to make a type of urinal for the boys with a hose running to a separate gravel/stone bed seepage pit.
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10/15/05, 11:52 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 24
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you should check with a state park near you and see how theres is set up. one of our state parks has primitive camps sites with really nice out houses complete with cement floors and windows up near the roof and they don't smell, they have a different name for them and i can't remeber what it is but they are still out houses,Any park ranger should be able to tell you how they are set up
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10/15/05, 11:59 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: White Mountains, Arizona
Posts: 2,466
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When you have a couple of hundred people using the same outhouse, the primary objective is to cycle them through promptly. Hence the smell. 
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Mess with me? I may let karma take care of it. Mess with my family? I become Karma.
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10/15/05, 01:23 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 7,154
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If electricity is availble vent pipes with exhaust fans in them should help. With this each seat should have a closed cover unless being used.
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10/15/05, 02:15 PM
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Furry Without A Clue
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: NW Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,236
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by uncle Will in In.
If electricity is availble vent pipes with exhaust fans in them should help. With this each seat should have a closed cover unless being used.
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If electric isn't available, would a solar exaust fan work?
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Nevermore 
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10/15/05, 02:24 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Southeastern Massachusetts
Posts: 148
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There is a wonderful book dealing with this, that has all kinds of useful information. It is called the Humaure Handbook and can be purchased through Lehman's Hardware in Kidron, Ohio. This book goes into all methods used, their failings and the positives of them. I would think a composting toilet system would be good, and will create safe compost for gardening use. Its clean, does not smell, and recycles humanure effectively and safely. There are descriptions of large systems as well as small individual ones also. I have a composting outhouse and a portable toilet in the house also.
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10/15/05, 03:13 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Michigan's thumb
Posts: 14,877
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the Humanure book is also on Carla Emery's site.
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10/15/05, 03:29 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Georgia
Posts: 873
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Tweetybird
, and will create safe compost for gardening use. Its clean, does not smell,
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Now theres a good way to solve the problem of 200 people using it! Spreading human crap on food crops will be a sure way of killing off a few with e-coli and other contaminants, especially with all the stuff people eat!
Might work for ornamental gardens, but if they have outhouses, i am sure they aren't worried about landscaping!
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10/15/05, 03:31 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Georgia
Posts: 873
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Now they can cap off the outhouse, put a pipe out of it, and run it to a heater or cookstove and have plenty of fuel for a while to cook and heat with.
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10/15/05, 04:01 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: tn
Posts: 4,910
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it is also free, online, for those who can't afford the book.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Maura
the Humanure book is also on Carla Emery's site.
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10/15/05, 04:56 PM
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I rescued an old 1-holer from the bulldozer last Thursday. An ond farm was tearing down some old buildings. Got some nice homemade nest boxes out of the chicken house too. Brought the old outhouse home on a trailer and set it in the backyard. Boy, was my wife proud!!! I just hate to see old things destroyed. There are very few outhouses left in this area.
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10/15/05, 05:01 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 936
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Ken Scharabok
When I was visiting relatives in Croatian in 2001 the superintendent of the local schools took me around for a tour. Croatia has a law a 1-8 school must be no further than a certain distance (X minute bike ride I believe) so they still have lots of small two-four room school. I visited one I know to be over 100 years old as I have ancestors who attended school there. It still had an outhouse. Local hog farmer came around every so often to empty out the pit. Contents then went into his manure lagoon. He also cleaned out septic tanks for residences.
Two suggestions would be to require each user to sprinking on some lime. A second is to make a type of urinal for the boys with a hose running to a separate gravel/stone bed seepage pit.
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LIME is the answer untill the pit gets too full.
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Freedom isn't Free
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10/15/05, 06:52 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: somewhere over the rainbow
Posts: 119
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Thanks for the responses. I'll look these items up and compile (I think there's a pun in that somewhere) some info to send to the group doing this sponsorship stuff.
This boarding school/orphanage is in a poorer section of Ukraine in the town of Borzna. Both kids I sponsor do have parents, but given their economic circumstances in the home, sending them to this place is a better opportunity. The 13 yo girl does go home every night because of a medical condition -- she asked for deoderant in the last package. The boy, who is hoping for winter boots, goes home only on weekends. A very far cry from kiddos from the US.
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10/15/05, 07:16 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: A short way past Oddville
Posts: 1,247
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online???
Quote:
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Originally Posted by marvella
it is also free, online, for those who can't afford the book.
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Do you have a link or address for this book??
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10/16/05, 12:39 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Vancouver, and Moberly Lake, BC, Canada
Posts: 833
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Vent and lime
Put an 8" diameter gravity (no fan, or fan is better, if lots of money is available) vent pipe connected to the pit area, in the vicinity of each seat.
Put a scoop of lime into the pit after EACH use.
There should be no more odor, give it a try!
Alex
btw Carla's website -- to order Humanure
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Last edited by Alex; 10/16/05 at 12:44 AM.
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