OUTHOUSE

[pdxman]

Anyone ever built an outhouse? Any engineering specifics that may aid in maintaining a successful john? Trying to think of accomodations at a primitive cabin site with no utilities.

My thought is to pour myself a cement pad about 4' by 4' 3 or so inches thick. Integrate the hole (via a mold) into the pour. Built the house attached to the pad. Rebar the pad with exposed loops for dragging to a location. Maybe dig the 'basement' and line with an steel barrel with both ends cut of to prevent cave ins or erosion.

Any thoughts or design ideas?

[zuiko]

I think the parks that have these buy precast vaults and just bury them underground, then build their outhouse structure on top of that. Might be worth checking out.

Otherwise I think the old timers just used a wood floor and skipped the concrete.

[Chippy]

I used to have an insurance customer who built "outhouses". More accurately they make composting toilet systems. Bio Sun Systems, Millerton PA. They are great people with a great idea. They have put their "outhouses" all over the country in state and federal parks etc.

They can be used for full time residences. They basically consist of a big plastic or concrete tank with bark chips or other compost. They do not use water. The system circulates air to speed the process and keep the smell from backing up. Basically they quickly decompose the waste and you are left with fabulous composted soil!

I know that their systems are quite expensive, but they really work well and NO SMELL ever! Give it a look!
http://www.bio-sun.com/
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[lacyj]

If it's small enough, you don't need the concrete, just extra work. a sheet of 1" outdoor plywood should be enough...
That's what this one is...


It's got a 5 gallon paint bucket, with the bottom cut out, for the seat of the hole, attached to the plywood, It's not on a skid tho, wish it was...
It has a gravity fed, cold water sink and battery light, insulated and sheetrocked...oh, ya...that's a sliding glass door section, for the window...Probably not a good idea, if you're using a skid, unless it's removable...
lacyj

[pdxman]

Thanks for the replies. The BIO-SUN is probably a little more than I am looking for but the concept is interesting. With as little use as the one I am proposing will get, I am thinking of just the old hole in the ground method and occasionally just dumping lime in. And if it ever fills or needs relocating, just skid to new location and back fill the old one.

Neat picture of the outhouse. Exactly as I would like it to be, probably won't do windows though as they would probably get shot out by someone anyway. I noticed the vent tube going thru the roof. Is this exposed on the outside of the siding? One thing I did find on the net about building one of these is to use black plastic pipe for a vent withas much southern exposure as possible. When the sun hits the black plastic it creates heat and vacuum and does a better job of drawing ventilation from the 'basement'.

Which reminds me of one of my favorite Simpsons episode where the old grandpa steps out of a porta-potty and tells the next person in line..."This elevator only goes to the basement...And somebody made a baaaad mess down there"
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[LazyJ_Arabians]

One of the effects of the passive solar design of LacyJ's outhouse is to cause a positive flow in the vent. I'm very impressed by the engineering depicted in this structure. I assume the pickle bucket was chosen for it's ease of being sealed up by the lid?

[pdxman]

How deeps the hole and any bracing done for the sides of the hole?

[egon]

Ah shuckins; just go with a Thunderpole and avoid all the hassles.

Egon

[lacyj]

The vent pipe goes into the flooring, to help with venting the smell...ha...We happened to pick a real rocky location and it doesn't drain well. ( that's why, I wish, we'd put it on skids) If it starts getting damp, in there, I put a small fan, pointing down the seat and help with evaporation. It's balanced over the hole, across the seat, The seat has a lid, but it's made of wood, easier to remove. Our other out house has a pickle barrel lid tho.
http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/...1708103071.jpg
The building on the left side is our winter out house. It's larger, about 3 sheets of plywood. Before we had electricity, it held the generator, cold water washing machine and clothes line. I could wash the clothes, hand them to dry and have a warm place to set, in the winter. It will eventually be for my loam.

[Gatorboy]

Check out the Privy Page for ideas.