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THE BEST off grid compost TOILET- no smell, no water, DIY, CHEAP

Girl in the Woods

416,451 views

In this video I show you how to build a cheap, easy compost toilet for any off grid cabin and how to manage this kind of system: including how to divert the urine through a tube to a pit outside, build the pit and the compost bin, and what to use for cover material.

Keep an open mind- this just might be the end of late-night trips to the outhouse in rain and snow storms!

*Humanure Handbook: https://amzn.to/49abPf4
*The Compost Toilet Book: https://amzn.to/419pz83
*Privy 501 Separating Toilet Seat Kit: https://amzn.to/3ZduLFv
*Bio drain cleaner tablets: https://amzn.to/3BeWmhj

Dimensions of my toilet, cut from 3/4 inch plywood:
Height: 15-1/2 inches- all pieces should be cut to this height (remember, you're top piece adds another 3/4 inch!)
Width: 15-3/4 inches
Length: 19-3/4 inches
(The top piece, with the toilet seat cutout should measure 19-3/4 inches by 15-3/4 inches)

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Thanks for watching!

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20 Comments

@therealgirlinthewoods Creator 1 year ago (edited) Pinned

*You can also just use a bucket without a urine diverter for this setup! Just make the box and attach a lid/seat and you're good to go. Urine is a valuable addition to the compost pile adding nitrogen which helps with the breakdown of the material. Toilet paper can also go in the bucket and be composted with the rest of the material. I just wanted to try something new (with the urine diverter and the drain hose) and will be updating later on how this setup works for me. Having the urine separated does make the bucket lighter and easier to deal with.

Another option would be to capture the urine in a jug in front of the bucket and empty them separately. (Depositing them both in the compost pile.) This is a great option if you don't want to put a hole through your floor and dig a soak-out pit or are mobile.

Remember to use slightly damp cover material for the best capture of SMELLS. If it smells, use more cover, or use a more damp cover. The sawdust I get is from green wood and is quite damp which works great. If you need to, spritz it with a water bottle to dampen it.

Good luck!

@Robert-vh2cl 1 year ago

I have great admiration for people who take care of their own sh*t.

@dandeleona4760 1 year ago

I use a paper bag from the grocery to line the bucket. That way, all the solids slide out without anything gooey sticking to the sides. The paper absorbs any diarrhea, etc. Cheap thin brown packing paper works too, that comes on rolls. Everything is contained and biodegradable with less rinsing, especially in winter.

@strawberryrhubarbtarot 1 year ago

I live on Salt Spring Island in a small log cabin in the woods. On our acreage we also built a large log home with the logs off our property (32 years ago). When our daughters left the nest we moved into the small cabin. We have lived off grid since 1988.

@laurie8868 1 year ago

Betty White alone deserves a thumbs up!

@sheryllbaskin2658 1 year ago

For 2 years now, I've been living off grid. I have a 2 bucket toilet system. One for pee and one for poop. I use sawdust to cover. I love it.

@ladyofthemasque 1 year ago (edited)

Thank you for handling this in such a competent, straightforward manner. Over the years, this subject has gone from being Completely Taboo to simply being something we need to consider. It is wonderful to see someone explaining the steps and the needs with clarity and simplicity, literally showing us what can be done. You're a gem for handling this plumbing issue with such aplomb!

@SiwyWabbit 1 year ago (edited)

I'm 75 and have used a composting toilet for many years, however I use one smaller 2-(?)-gallon bucket (easier to handle), COMBINING liquid & solid and dump it daily into a rotating composter machine I got online from Walmart years ago. Mixing the urine drives the thermophilic reaction, hastening the natural composting process.

When the composter machine gets full (about monthly) I dump it on the ground, move the composter machine a few feet (it's on skids) and start over.

The chickens work the pile, which is already partially composted, and there is never any disagreeable smell.

@davidjones8680 1 year ago

😅Billions and billions of gallons of water could be saved each year if everyone used this system. A really great and educational video Brooke.
Many thanks
David in the UK.

@BrLambert 1 year ago

With the issues they're having in the Carolinas and beyond after these disasters, this would be a game changer.

@thenorthstargirl 1 year ago

Brooke. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how amazing I truly think you are. You are such an inspiration to me and I so appreciate the joy, knowledge, skill, wisdom and passion you put out into the world. This is our future - to be innovative and active participants in our lives. To take responsibility for ourselves, even the messy parts! To understand that even what we flush down the toilet… is a renewable resource. :) Love you Brooke! From Massachusetts.

@karinchristensen220 1 year ago (edited)

I'm not completely off grid but 3 years ago I gave up on my septic tank which was never put in correctly when I bought the house 18 years ago. It constantly plugged up and I spent a fortune having it pumped every 18 months. The toilet was the only thing going to it everything else is gray water. It was going to cost 10 thousand dollars to put in a new septic system!

I tore out the toilet and put in a box similar to yours with a bucket but I do not have a urine diverter. I find it easy to empty the buckets into the composting bins. I have livestock animals so I have plenty of material for the compost. No more crossing my fingers every time I flush. Your cover material should be damp instead of dry. It seals in the odors better that way.

@commonsensepatriot9450 1 year ago

This is way cheaper and better than what we had living off grid. Being able to easily remove a 5 gallon bucket when it's time is far better than completely removing the entire toilet assembly and cleaning it. Great video as always. Thank you.

@weaktwos 1 year ago

Oh yeah, this is much better than the 1k composting toilets. Thank you for the tutorial!

@shingles1465 1 month ago

Were here for u jazza i lost too many relatives to cancer ( recently found out my aunt now has it( hearing this news over and over iv been growing num to this but hearing this song made me finally cry especially in front of m fiancee

@tinayang3845 1 year ago

Everyone should buy a copy of the book and donate it to their local library, so more people have access.

@monana1711 1 year ago

I have seen DIY composting toilets, but not with the pre-made seat with diverter and hose. And not with your set up with the hole for liquids and fantastic compost bin. You explain everything so well.

@lisamdrake5696 1 year ago

Betty in the John! I just love that! 😂 ❤😊

@danwheeler1154 1 year ago

The pipe you used for urine diversion should be pvc or abs smooth wall. What you used will allow urine to collect in the ridges and smell

@kellyjohnson3617 1 year ago

I use a similar simple system when I camp. I keep my composting toilet and my cats litter box next to each other. Her poop goes in my toilet and her pee balls are separated. Since she eats raw food her poops don’t stink like other cats poop who eat commercial cooked wet or dry food. Her pee balls get put in a separate bag. While I’m camping it doesn’t stink. I’ve had friends come into my tent and they’ve sat on my toilet that looks like a storage ottoman and they had no idea it’s my composting toilet. They comment with surprise how they don’t smell any foul odors at all. I use a pine cat litter that is just pine shavings like saw dust. We use saw dust from my dad’s saw table for our cats when I was growing up. It works well. Composting may be a pain. But I lived in a travel trailer with a grey and black tank. Now those were a hassle, esp the black water tank. And it SMELLED!!! BAD