outhouse questions

[knuckledragger]

I am wanting to build an outhouse on some property we bought so that it will be easier for my kids to "use the facilities" when we go over and camp on it this fall. I will also probably use it while I am building my cabin in a few years. But I have a couple of questions:

1) There is a well on the property. How far from the well should I place the outhouse to avoid contaminating the water supply? Is this even a concern given the fact that it will be used infrequently (one weekend a month, family of five) and the fact that deer, bear, and all manner of wildlife use that land for a bathroom on a regular basis without any effect on the wate supply?

2) How deep do I make the pit? I have seen anything from 3-5 feet on the internet. Does infrequent use have any impact on this?

3) For anyone else who has done this before, do you have any helpful advice? special features I should include? etc.

[nobleknight]

Hey,

My first post disapeared, while I was typing. I'm not sure what I did, but poof it was all gone.

I'll try again. I built an outhose on my property in 2003. We use it on weekends etc. It sure beats using the great outdoors. My county here publishes a pamphlet on septic alternatives. They actually have plans and specs. I had to get a permit etc.

The pit should be 4 x 4 x 5 deep. The seat should have a cover and the outside door should have a lock. You do not want small kids, under 40lbs, getting in there unsupervised. If they fall in, they could die. They suggest a lock on the outside door. This also keeps people out while you are away.

Keep your outhouse about 400-500 feet from your well. They made this suggestion to us. I think it is good advise. As you get going, I'll be glad to offer advise.

An old timer once said to me: Years ago people stayed home to eat dinner, and go outside to do their business. Now days, people go out to eat their dinner, and stay home to do their business.

Tom
nobleknight
class 01-15-05

[knuckledragger]

I like the idea of a lock. In the Arkansas Ozarks, I am not as worried about the permit issues. I have talked to people who have built there without getting any sort of inspection done on their cabin. For that matter, I have heard that a septic cyctem

WOW! 5 feet deep! I hope I can pull that off in the rocky soil of the Ozarks. We are planning on going over for one weekend a month maximum so I was hoping that 3 feet would be enough.

Thanks for the input.

[Mark OBrien]

Wow! 5 feet deep! I hope I can pull that off in the rocky soil of the Ozarks. We are planning on going over for one weekend a month maximum so I was hoping that 3 feet would be enough. Thanks for the input.

Here in the rocky soil of the Missouri Ozarks it gets real tough to dig, especially by hand. Get ahold of a big steel bar and a sharp pickaxe and get to swinging. I guarantee you will smack into some rocks, many many rocks. I had to dig a grave for my old dog and she was about 90#. It took me 4 hours to dig just a small hole for her.

[JeffandSara]

Hi, Knuckledragger--

Like Thomas, I have some experience with home-built outhouses. I'm not sure what your setting will be like, and I don't recall if I know where you live. However, I'd say that, especially with kids using it, you might want to consider either some sort of "in use" ventilation, or a location where there's privacy enough to leave the door open. When I was a kid, our outhouse was positioned so that privacy was not an issue in the direction of the cabin or road approaching. The only place you could see anything was from the deep woods, and if we were coming in from a hike that way, we always skirted the loo if anyone might be in there. If there were too many people visiting to keep track of everyone, we had a long ribbon we hung from a tree on one side of the path, which could be stretched across to a tree on the other, to notify anyone coming that the outhouse was in use, so no one was surprised. (giggle)

However, that's not always a realistic arrangement, and some people would be nervous about it even in the deepest woods. So, in thinking about your question, I think that if we were building one, I'd at the very least install an openable window or vent of some sort. The nastiest things about an outhouse, especially in hot weather, are the smell and the confined feeling. I'd think that a framed pane of glass on hinges on the wall, or a big camper vent on the roof, at the very least, would improve the interior conditions during use.

Oh, and one other thing. If you have any trouble with squirrels, etc., getting into your toilet paper if the door gets left open or whatever, an old tobacco tin is the perfect size, once you've rolled off the first couple of feet. I see Granger tins just like the one we have at antique stores all the time. (smile)

Sara

[nobleknight]

Sara is correct:) The outhouse should breath. Luckily, our property is located in a windy portion of Arizona. I installed a vent stack, screened openings, and we used shiplap siding. This lets a little air in as well. All in all, it is not to bad. I have visited restrooms in a mall or shopping center that a single breath could drop you to your knees! With the addition of lime daily, there really is little to worry about.

Tom
nobleknight
class 01-15-05

[DKDenton]

Before going to all the trouble of digging a hole and potentially polluting your ground water
you should read the humanare handbook available at:
http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html
Its free and downloadable.
Essentially, its a 15 dollar (from cabellas, called lovable loo) sawdust toilet, which when full, is placed into a compost pile.
It is completely odor free. I have been using one now for 6 months and it works as advertised.
The compost is extremely usefull and pathogen free

[wwlivin]

Kunckledragger,
I am currently building an outhouse at our cabin site. If you are interested in seeing the construction process I am happy to share with you. You can now view the concrete slab poured for the foundation, the hole in ground with a 55 gal drum inserted ready for the slab, and the slab in position on the hole site at the following URL.

http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa19/wwlivin/?action=view&current=MakingoutdoorprivyAug07006-1.jpg

Notice the inverted 5 gal plastic bucket and the 3" plastic vent pipe that is embedded during the concrete pour. We are putting walls in place tomorrow and I will post pictures to the web site tomorrow night, if you are interested. I also have more pictures of building the outhouse slab if you are interested (has rebar). If you have any questions please let me know. wayne

PS: This outhouse/privy is much, much better than the ones we used when I was growing up in the rural south. :>) wl

[Kola]

wwlivin, what did you use to cover the 55 gal drum before you laid cement over top? If you have specific details I would be interested. I plan on doing something similar to your plans but putting a shower next to it.

cheers and beernuts,
Kola

[wwlivin]

Kola,
Not sure if you saw the picture of the drum with, dirt surrounding it, on the website. I just leveled the soil around the top of drum (see URL below) and then picked up slab with tractor and set it over the hole. That exposed the top bucket hole (underside of slab) t and vent tube over the drum. I cut out the bottom of the bucket to come up to the underside of the toilet seat in outhouse. The vent tube will come through the back wall, connect to a 45 degree coupling and turn to go up above the roof. If you need more pictures let me know. I will try to put more pictures of the wall structure up on the website tomorrow night. wayne

URL for Drum hole in ground: http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa19/wwlivin/MakingoutdoorprivyAug07001.jpg

[Kola]

sounds good ..tanks man!
Kola

[wwlivin]

We made a little more progress on the outdoor privy walls today. See below URLs:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa19/wwlivin/MakingoutdoorprivyAug07008.jpg
http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa19/wwlivin/?action=view&current=MakingoutdoorprivyAug07014.jpg

wayne