Sanitation

Homes and Retreats
BaseOne
Posts: 93
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2015 5:52 am

Sanitation

Post by BaseOne »

I searched around, but couldn't find a thread on the subject, so maybe the forum needs one.

Inadequate means to handle human waste is one of the greatest risks in the event of a SHTF situation. Not only can it be unpleasant, but disease can spread very quickly.

If the water/pumping system breaks down, the first thing to do is to seal-up your indoor toilet so it cannot be used. There are two reasons for this:

1. After weeks of no use, the water in the trap will evaporate, allowing gases to rise up from the sewer system.
2. If there is no water to flush waste away, you are going to have to manually clean it out at some point.

Simply cover the bowl with a few layers of cling film, close the lid and tape it down.

- - -

You now need to find another method to handle waste. Digging a hole and allowing the waste to drain away into the ground water is not ideal, especially if you might be digging a well in the future. The waste should be stored in some sort of container, where it will compost, and after a year or so, it can be sprinkled on your vegetable patch.

A common system, and the one we use at the cottage, is to collect all solid human waste in a large 20-30 litre container. After each visit, dried leaves, sawdust or dry mulch is added to absorb excess liquid. But don't add too much, it means the container fills too quickly.

Once full, the container is emptied into a composter (ours happens to be an old chest freezer, painted green :) ). After a year or so, it composts down and becomes extremely lightweight. I won't give any design for compost toilet building, you can find lots of options on google.

One thing to remember: Try to limit the amount of pee you add to your composting poo. Pee slows down the composting and greatly increases the smell. A compost toilet without pee has practically no smell. If you can pee somewhere else, it is much better. (One good option is to pee on a bale of straw, which helps to safely break it down.)

Finally, for anyone who has never defacated anywhere else but a flush toilet or a nappy, you should practice as part of your preps. Some "city people" who visit us find it surprisingly difficult. Best to break your "outside poo" virginity now, rather than finding it a challenge during a future time of stress.
alwayscross
Posts: 91
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: Narnia

Re: Sanitation

Post by alwayscross »

Definitely agree with you on sanitation, lately that is what 90% of my preps have been going into. I've been buying lots of general sanitary products, still needs improving though :cry:
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Hamradioop
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Location: Area 1: north wessex

Re: Sanitation

Post by Hamradioop »

How Do Composting Toilets Work? http://www.letsgogreen.com/how-composti ... -work.html

Composting toilet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet

Probably the best way to deal with human waste.

The straw bail is an excellent idea. however collecting urine does have a use.

Tanners soaked animal skins in urine to remove hair fibers—a necessary step in the preparation of leather.

Cleaning

Because urea in urine breaks down into ammonia, urine has been used for the cleaning properties of the ammonia therein. In pre-industrial times urine was used – in the form of lant or aged urine – as a cleaning fluid.[25] Urine was also used for whitening teeth in Ancient Rome.
:shock: :shock:

aged or stale urine is also a part of the traditional treatment of wool cloth or fulling .
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Decaff
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Re: Sanitation

Post by Decaff »

Hamradioop wrote:
Cleaning

Because urea in urine breaks down into ammonia, urine has been used for the cleaning properties of the ammonia therein. In pre-industrial times urine was used – in the form of lant or aged urine – as a cleaning fluid.[25] Urine was also used for whitening teeth in Ancient Rome.
:shock: :shock:

aged or stale urine is also a part of the traditional treatment of wool cloth or fulling .

I am so glad I have a mini mountain of toothpaste, flossers, mouthwash and brushes... I mean using urine to whiten teeth??? :shock: :shock: :shock: I just one million percent cannot imagine ever thinking, ooh my teeth need a bit of whitening, where's my pot of pee... :? :? :? :lol: I would rather pull them out with pliers!!! :o
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ForgeCorvus
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Re: Sanitation

Post by ForgeCorvus »

I suppose you really need to think of Sanitation in the short, medium and long term as there are different answers to the same basic problem.
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PreppingPingu
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Re: Sanitation

Post by PreppingPingu »

Another thing to help with sanitation in the event of a shtf (quite literally!) moment is that in the case of flooding for example, you don't want your waste to be coming back at you so items such as non-return sewage valves can be used if you think your property is at high risk. I don't know about this subject but have just heard about them. I am sure there was an old thread on here some years back about them.
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preppingsu

Re: Sanitation

Post by preppingsu »

You can also put urine into your normal compost (garden waste, food waste etc). It aids the process.

Also can be a deterrent to keep foxes off your property especially if you have chickens. However that just needs to be male wee not ladies because of the hormones.

So get the guys peeing along your fence line!!! :D
GinaCampbell
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2015 7:23 pm
Location: Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Re: Sanitation

Post by GinaCampbell »

I have been looking into this myself and have a Lulu Tourlet (camping toilet - bucket) for the little ist of my grandbabies and latrine virgins. There is also the small toilet seat into a bag system for bugout on foot journeys. Adults get it but kids need transition. Love the idea of sealing off toilet but if my neighbours don't, I am concerned about my house eventually receiving their waste if theirs overflow.

I also believe separation of solid and fluid gives very little odour.

It is unpalatable but alternatives to toilet paper and ladies' conveniences existed on the way up to grid overload, so can be reverted to on the way back to off grid.

So I am only prepping for transition myself. I just wish I didn't live in such a populated area.
jaimo693
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2014 6:35 pm

Re: Sanitation

Post by jaimo693 »

If you are remaining at home, perhaps divert your rain water downpipe to a water storage unit which feeds your toilet water tank. This is probably for the short term, but it will work.
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CynicalSurvival
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Location: Scotland

Re: Sanitation

Post by CynicalSurvival »

It seems a shame to have toilets and not use them (assuming a bug-in scenario).

What about this (assuming 2+ toilets in house): disconnect toilets from main waste flow pipe and seal that pipe. Connect one toilet to a composting box in garden like the setup BaseOne explained, and connect its cistern to rainwater collecter, as Jaim described. The other toilet is to be used for pee only, no paper etc (add a mesh) and its pipe can go straight into ground soakaway.

Seems we might as well try to adapt the home comforts we have.
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