!! I made a whole house compost worm septic system

Please do post photos!

Hi Yen, I would love to see some photos and hear about the details.

I'm also interested in photos! I have plans to build something similar as well , but smaller.

I would love to see photos!

Yes please. Can you install them on this site?

Yen, congratulations on the system working so well!  It would be great to see current pictures and details.  How cold and hot does it get where you're at?  Have you needed to add any bulk substrate like wood chips to your bin, or just periodic greens and vegetables?  Is your greywater system a pipe to daylight in a banana circle?  More info on that would be nice as well.

Hello Yin. Please do make a simplified drawing of how you do it and maintain it. Is there a time when a tractor comes in and sucks out the composted waste?

I think it's important you tell us all, because you have a long time experience with it. As well many green minded people are not very happy about dry toilet systems and would not dream to install that on their property. Yours is like an in between it seems. Or am i confused and do you not use water to flush waste away?

Yes, please post any photos, this is a fantastic project to observe

interested

This is super interesting. I've been using black fly larvae (which can then be fed to animals right as they leave to hatch). They eat absolutely anything! Dead animals and all! I'm going to try a system for dog waste that people can use in cities (most city dwellers put it in the trash can). And then move onto human waste. Black fly larvae like it wet and soggy......seems like a better choice than worms. But I have never really looked into worm composting. Our compost pile changed from red wiggles to black fly larvae because it became too soggy with too much dropped fruit in it. The larvae devour fast and so made short work of spoiled apples and such. Anyone else use black fly larvae?

Yen Yus wrote:Hi all

The system has been running for around 5 years now! It's had 0 maintenance so far and has filled up around 20 cm since I first commissioned it. The worms have multiplied beyond my imagination. We've had a lot of rain this year and it's been quite cold but the worms are still doing fine, actually thriving. Also the grey water system has given us many kg of bananas.

If anyone is interested I can post current pics and details. Thanks.

Yes, Please!

Would love to see current photos and hear updated news on your septic system Yen!

Question: would redwood work instead of rocks? Or does it have to be stone or concrete?

Yen Yus wrote:You would have to get rid of the bottom of your tank and put in gravel etc. İt may not be worth it.

...which is why the worm method -- as a retrofit -- seems like potentially a GREAT solution for a cracked septic tank, which is generally considered to be an expensive and toxic problem....

Also, re: the comments about "diversified diet" -- if I had a system like this, I think I would probably just toss the kitchen compost into the food processor, whiz it up, and flush it down the toilet occasionally.  Saves some composting trouble and keeps the worms happier, presumably.

I have to imagine the worms are not "staying in the hole" but are migrating out through the soil into the rest of the yard and improving the soil there with their castings.

( I have tested nothing, everything above is just speculation.   )

At present I have standard septic, but I do flush a "SeptiFix" tablet every six weeks that provides oxygen-producing bacteria to the tank, to create an aerobic environment.  It has been a number of years since it was pumped.  Will see how long that task can be deferred.

Yes, please provide an update. I would be very interested to know your thoughts after 5 years of use. 😀

Yen,

Yes Sir I would like to see updated picks as I am in process of building a place at present !

I built one of these with the help of friends. It’s been functional for a few weeks now. So far, so good.  We used the designs from:

http://www.vermicompostingtoilets.net/design-construction/

The outhouse is made with mostly salvaged wood and plumbing parts. The walls are clay-sand-hemp hull-dog fur-straw-biochar, with a lime plaster over that. Same for the IBC tote worm house, with some extra straw and dog hair insulation. The secondary filter is a 500gal basin dug on contour in a forested area, filled with woody debris and biochar.

Please do so.

Thank you very much. I found very interesting and detailed information at that link (https://www.vermifilter.com). I was especially interested in the design that delivers water for surface irrigation.
I've been looking for practical examples for some time now, because I'd only seen a lot of theory and a few commercial systems. They have a discussion group where you can ask questions.

Burton Sparks wrote:Yen, interesting experiment!  Thanks for sharing your journey.  The website vermifilter.com shows several DIY flush compost toilet designs that take advantage of some of the latest technical papers in the field of "vermifiltration".  The DIY design at vermicompostingtoilets.net was based on the work of Anna Edey, whose design is documented in her Green Light at the End of the Tunnel book.  Pour flush Tiger Worm Toilet designs are documented on the OxFam WASH website.