My family stayed with the old fashioned outhouse ( a two-holer by the way). We opted for the scenic view, which helps overcome the obscessive mental focus that city dwellers have about sitting over other people's work. There is a large picture window looking out at a wildflower filled glade, a runoff pond, and enveloping forest. A 12V lighting system (ready for solar power)keeps it friendly, including path lights enroute. We hand the terlet seats over the woodstove back in the cabin. Remembering to bring one is an occasional issue.

Do you guys work for Mulltoa (called "Biolet" in North America)? It's essentially the same as the SunMar and the Envirolet. If you couldn't get those to work, you won't get the Biolet to work. But you can. Read our book on the topic: http://www.ecowaters.org

The above comparison isn't really comparing apples to apples. Longer discussion...

So how does a toilet that you've never even tried win the contest? It has a fan and a trap door, but sight unseen it's the second coming? That's a weak recommendation considering that you were so willing to dismiss the others that you actually tried out.

The automatic "trap doors" only work on it when you sit. Therefore, a male using it while standing has to use his knee in some way to keep it open...

we acknowledge Anna's point that waterless composting toilets operate essentially in the same way (although the Sun-mar Centrex is different in that the extra water and excess fluid is a real issue) and disagree with Ed in that we did not vote for it sight unseen- we saw it and examined it closely. Having just purchased an envirolet we did not get to actually buy one and try it. However, we stand by our statements that from a users point of view, it is the most sophisticated that we have seen. John's point is absolutely valid and had not occured to us- we try to minimize the fluid load on our toilets and pee off the back deck, but this is not a realistic option for all males in all climates.

Be sure they include the extra cotter pins.

Well this is very interesting and perfect timing. I'm in the market for another composting toilet as we are adding another cabin at our northern Ontario camp.

I have two Biolet toilets which I love -- and have had them for at least 10 years. We have never had any problems with them... ever. What I didn't know is that they are called MullToa in Canada now. That is great!

By the way, my husband and 2 grown sons either do the knee trick or ....sit down. It isn't a problem.

Thanks for the info.
Jan

Just a quick note from one of the companies mentioned here - wood shavings work better in one pint flush systems such as the Centrex, and we have been prescribing a mix of peat moss and wood shavings (erring mostly on the side of shavings) for a number of years now (actually since 1997). Peat moss on its own does not work for any of our systems, in particular the one pint flush systems. For referrals of people who have these units and are happy with them, please contact me at Sun-Mar. In addition, I would be happy to answer any questions that Sun-Mar users have and am saddened that we couldn't have solved this problem for the authors of this article before they spent so much money somewhere else.

Yes, why did you recommend the toilet that you didn't use? Did you try the biolet yet? I would like to hear your review.

Hi, I am a graduate student at the University of North Texas and I am writing a paper on composting toilets for my environmental class. I found your web site and thought you could help me.
I am looking for people willing to talk to me and about their "composting toilet experience" and tell me why they decided to opt for alternative toilet.

I would greatly appreciate your help and anyone's contribution to this class project. I can be reached at cecilesatin@yahoo.com

Cecile

I have a Biolet that is just getting fired up. What compost source is recommended? So far I haven't found any that look like the starter pack.

Has anyone out there successfully used a composting toilet in a remote/waterless cabin that will not be heated except when in use? We live in VT and I've heard concerns raised over the effectiveness of composting toilets in this setting. We are willing to add some solar components to run ventilating fans etc. if that is helpful. If you have experience with similar conditions, I would appreciate your input.

Most toilet's I've seen also come with ample opportunity to purchase (for additional, ongoing cost) some form of biological agent (a "starter") that you're supposed to add "as you go" to keep things humming along.

Do we really need it... and is there an alternative? It smells remarkably similar to brewers yeast... and looks like some brown powder (like yeast) mixed with ordinary fertilizer. Have I stumbled onto the magic (and much cheaper) formula by lucky chance?

My husband and I bought a water access cottage last year and it came with a SunMar. We are now considering building an outhouse since the continual maintenance and smell (indoors and out!) is just not acceptable! We have called SunMar many times with their advice to try "this,that,or the other"... You have to have the electricity on all the time to heat the "compost mix" and when not there, they advise you to unplug it or else it gets too dried out and you return to the cottage to find a bathroom full of flies and gnats!!! Can't use it in the winter either-it's one frozen mass that you can't turn! Also you have to keep feeding it with either "their" feed product or your own mix of peat&pine shavings. We've had enough of trying to figure out managing it! Hurrah for the outhouse! The BEST ecological answer (when constructed properly) yet!

I have an envirolet, which we got last August. I use it all summer everyday, and my husband and I both use it on weekends and long weeks the rest of the year. So far, after a year of weekend use and two months of daily use, I haven't had to empty it yet, but that's tomorrow's job.
Flies were a problem until I screened the vent and put in the turbo vent--both should come standard with the unit.
I don't put TP into the unit, since it filled up too quickly.
There are no smells whatsoever. The leveling mechanism doesn't really deal with the problem of a big pile developing--a stick deals with that much more reliably (and then the stick goes into the woodstove, along with the paper bag of each day's TP).
So far, I'm happy with the unit, especially since I learned how to use it without peering into the waste 6 inches below. Tomorrow I may feel differently, after trying to empty it! I'm never sure that the thing is working properly, and envirolet could do a much better job with information on system maintenance.
There have been no problems for us with turning it off during the week in the fall, and with leaving it turned off much of the winter (temperatures here at the tip of WI are 20 to 30 below 0 much of the winter--the mass freezes solid of course, but it's thawed by the spring, and freezing doesn't seem to hurt anything).
I would have prefered the kind that you sit on, with a spring loaded door, since guests sometimes forget to open the trap. But that's no big deal.
I just hope stuff is really decomposing--I'm a little worried that tomorrow I'll be faced with a mixture of peat moss and poop. Envirolet recommends peat moss, but I'm inclined to look for some very fine, non-cedar mulch and mix it in 50-50.

Thanks for sharing your experience, nancy.

Well, here's the update on emptying the envirolet (it's the MS10 model, electric, the largest one they carry). What a mess. Turns out composting wasn't happening properly, so the mass was far too dry, and the liquid wasn't evaporating from the bottom, and the vent pipe wasn't venting right. The frustrating thing is that there wasn't an easy way to know that it wasn't working right. The rake bar wouldn't work to rake the finished compost out. Everything, finished and unfinished, seemed to be mixed together, and toilet paper from 7 months ago was still hanging out in big, unbroken clumps.

Hopefully, the problems will be fixed with some modifications (the fly screening to block the flies was slowing evaporation too much, and I hope that's most of the problem). At this point I couldn't recommend the Envirolet MS10. Whatever model you choose, I'd strongly recommend NOT throwing toilet paper in it, and DO talk to the service people about what things should look like before you start using it. Directions tell you to look out for a mass that's too dry or too wet, but there's no easy way of knowing what either really means. Turns out mine was both too dry and too wet.

Ruth, if you're still listening, I've been using the Biolet non-electric for going on 8 years now and I think it is good for weekend use in a remote cabin in VT. Somethings you should consider: install a vent fan it helps speed the decomposition process and helps with any oders (use oders, not decomposition oders), if you have electricity keep the fan going full time (mine is solar and stops with the sun), watch out for excess liquids - the composting material can clog the drain if not tended to, Home Depot sells a mulch mixture in a black bag, rectangular shape that seems to work nearly as well as what the manufacturer supplies, be mindful of freezing - it stops decomposition and excess liquids can back up if the drain is frozen. All in all though the compost toilet is a great alternative to installing a septic system.

While I not know Nancy's entire history (without her full name or contact info), I do have a few comments and suggestions.



The first is that although you may think it is a good idea to do modifications on your own, such as adding a screen to the vent, but it is not! The reason a screen is not in the vent is because it blocks the vent. Think of your screen door if it rains or you spray water on it. When this happens at the top of the vent on a composting toilet system, proper venting will not occur.



Improper venting will lead to possible liquid build-up, which seems to have occurred.



Also, adding your own mixture of ingredients is not always good. Often it is fine, but not always. Certain items are suggested by all compost toilet makers for specific reasons. Some say peat, some say hemp, some have their own mixtures you buy.



Back to the issue of insects. If you have insects, it usually is from the material you adding. Sometimes, the egg is inside this material and they can multiple fast. This is unavoidable. We recommend you use diatamaceous earth, do not add a screen.



Liquid waste should be added through the middle of the system to wet the mass.



The manual trap on Envirolet is to allow males to use while standing. Just like a toilet seat, you open it when you use it. Not a big issue.



Before you empty, you also want to let it run for 24 hours, if posisble, to evaporate any excess liquid. Now, this may not occur properly if a screen is there. As far as dryness on top with wetness below, this is another indiucation that evaporate is coming back down into the system from the vent because of the screen. I also do not know iof the vent was installed vertically, as advised.



Without knowing what her mixture was, I cannot comment too much on why it appears so dry other than the fact that they are trying not too urinate on the mass, which you should.



Note as well, toilet paper is good to add to the system. It adds carbon.



If you have questions, be sure to contact us toll-free. We're here to help.



Like any product, problems can arise but there is always a remedy. Us and the other makers (mentioned on this site) have hundreds of thousands of systems installed without issue.