[suziequeue]

Here is our new composting toilet.

It was installed for us by a company in Llanidloes called NATSOL (http://www.natsol.co.uk/)

As you can see it's rapidly morphed into my garden shed!!!

It is absolutely GREAT. I love it. We are going to get a little wind turbine on the top to charge up a battery to run a small light and we are going to change the urine system so that it drains directly into our wood chip pile.

Now I just need to get a little table to put some magazines and a vase of sweet peas on!!!

[lachlanandmarcus]

oOO I'm jealous it looks great!! Will you cut up newspaper and thread it onto a hook for loo paper to complete the look? I would!

[smallholder in the city]

Excellent ! I want one. We had a compost loo when we stayed in a yurt for my birthday last December it was great.

[Sandy]

Thats a proper toilet, one you can sit  for ages in!!!

[bazzais]

Great stuff -

Can I ask how big is the hole you dug for that?  Does it need moving every now and then?  Do you have to put sawdust or anything down after using it?

Do you think the public could use it with all their carelessness?

I'd love a few on our campsite with our yurts, I am aware that I may need planning for the shed bit, but I dont think you need to inform environmental health or get planning for the 'pit' bit as no second handling of sewage is necessary?

Looks neat - I'd sit on it all day counting my spades and forks whilst pretending to read a copy of OK magazine that the misses left behind!

Baz

[suziequeue]

The vault hole is 2.5m long x 2m wide x 0.85m deep. The vault sits in the hole and acts as the foundation for the shed bit. It's very neat.

The vault is divided into two - so one side is in active use for a year and the other side is composting for a year. So - instead of moving the hole, you move the toilet pedestal from side to side on an annual basis.

You have to put a handful of sawdust or any "brown" material after each visit. There is a urine separator for the ladies and a urinal for the chaps. We haven't had the urinal fitted yet but I am planning to have that routed straight to my woodchip pile.

There are two other holes in the vault which are only opened to shovel the composted waste out at the end of its composting year.

I think this is one of the first "private" toilets that Natsol have installed. They usually go to public places, allotment sites, churches etc. and they are popular with the public.

We won't be using newspaper for loo paper but we will be switching to an unbleached toilet paper brand. Can't quite bring myself to use straw 

We didn't get planning for this. Natsol have a document of cogent arguments on their website as to why planning isn't required.

[knightquest]

Nice! Very impressive and I'm quite jealous 

Ian

[doganjo]

Don't fancy that on a cold winter's night

[Bright Raven]

Gosh, what you have there is an enormous boon, (and we are always on the look out for enormous boons,...... are we not?) Congratulations on your super loo and thanks for posting your photos.

[Sandy]

Reading these posts and as I am now in regular contact with a cousin, she was brought up with a wealthy relation as her dad lived a VERY rough life, her brother is in Glasgow now and has little contact with the family due to his upbringing etc, BUT I remeber they had no services and had a sort of hut with a wooden seat and a bucket that my uncle chucked into the sea when it was full...they realy did lead a life living off the land. truly, he lived in a fishermans cottage on hells mouth and had a well for water, that toilet and grew his own veg and my cousin used to put rope around any roaming horse and ride it!!!! Real living off the land.

[Sylvia]

Thats a proper toilet, one you can sit  for ages in!!!

With the door open--first thing on a summer morning, listening to bird-song and watching the sun rise. (I was brought up on a remote farm with no neighbours and summer mornings started like this )

[tizaala]

Well , a bit of a chiller on a cold winter's night , you could fit a second loo to save the annual move , I'm sure that even two Jags Prescott would be jealous then. If you turn the muck fork up the other way then the handle will stay clean ! whoops, na'h , You're one of those posh folk who wash their tools before putting e'm away in the shed......
Well done you.

[goosepimple]

Lovely loo su, you need a magazine rack though for all those copies of smallholder mag - if you're anything like us its the only 5 mins you get to browse..... we have a few composting loos we inherited here, one is in a turret overlooking a river - it has heart shapes cut in slot windows so you can see who is next in line!  Have a nice eh..hmmm....

[suziequeue]

 

I've found a little magazine rack!!!

Glad you think the tools look clean Tiz - I was just thinking in a rather heartsink way as I hung them up on their new hooks yesterday that I would have to start keeping them clean. They are filthy!!! I don't think I look after my tools nearly as well as I should.

[Olly398]

Great loo! Please tell me that's the legendary "Thunderbox" poem printed out on the wall?!