Dale's Urinal

I have saved piss on occasion, but this is simply an expedient method of sending it to the trees that lie 20 ft. from the cottage.

I have a small porcelain sink that I picked up for free. I'm mounting it against the wall of the bathroom. A garden hose will run out to the trees. The end of the hose will be moved from time to time, so that the urine is spread over a wide area.

If I want to save some or all for the garden, I'll run the hose to a rain barrel there. Both areas are down slope.

Smell will be dealt with just as with any urinal. A fresh water rinse and occasional wash with soap. The plug can be placed between uses. An S-trap could be employed. Hand washing water goes down the same spot, so the low volume trap would contain mostly water. The hand water flow will be thigh activated, so there is no tap to clean or pee on. An elevated container holds the wash water. Females use a floor pot and dump it in the sink. There's an outhouse for #2. I don't want to store that stuff in the building.

This is a much more advanced system than one that I used at another location. It consisted of a PVC pipe that ran through a hole in the wall and dumped 6 ft. from the building. It worked fine. Women would have trouble with this configuration.

What sort of set up are you planning for the thigh activated faucet?

William Bronson wrote: What sort of set up are you planning for the thigh activated faucet?

Probably a push rod that leads to a squeeze activated tap like the ones on a hose that are used to clean vegetables or wash the sink. There's currently no well pump. Water is carried in and will be gravity fed.

In my experience mineral deposits are going to form along the pipes and block them. It might take a few months, but make sure the system is set up so you can clean or change the pipe easily.

Burra Maluca wrote:In my experience mineral deposits are going to form along the pipes and block them. It might take a few months, but make sure the system is set up so you can clean or change the pipe easily.

What are you drinking ? I think the fresh water rinse will solve most of this. A garden hose is flexible and can be shaken. I suppose that if it starts to clog, I could set it in the stream and allow thousands of gallons of clean water to flush through. It could also be swapped out with an irrigation hose.

Ah - you're going to flush water through with water. That should help!

I was remembering the set-up with the old man's sheath catheter with a tube that emptied into a 5 litre tub. Admittedly his pee was kinda strong as he wouldn't drink enough, but the tube would clog up surprisingly quickly.

I'm gonna change the subject before I gross everyone out...

Burra Maluca wrote: Admittedly his pee was kinda strong as he wouldn't drink enough, but the tube would clog up surprisingly quickly.

Me --- Hey, that might work as some sort of butter substitute.

Burra --- I'm gonna change the subject before I gross everyone out...

Too late.

Dale Hodgins wrote: Hey, that might work as some sort of butter substitute.

No no no - the tube blockage was more of a chalky mineral deposit. Phosphorus or magnesium, maybe? Not easy to clean out at all, even with flexible tube and lots of shaking, squeezing and rinsing. A bit like lime-scale.

And here I thought this was in ulcer factory talking about Dale's other posts....


I might use a chunk of soft copper for the S trap--the copper should help prevent any growies. You definitely want a trap and probably a screen to keep out crawlies.

R Scott wrote:And here I thought this was in ulcer factory talking about Dale's other posts....


I might use a chunk of soft copper for the S trap--the copper should help prevent any growies. You definitely want a trap and probably a screen to keep out crawlies.

I see we have some spill over. Luckily it's from other threads and not the urinal. No trap or screen. There's a plug. We don't have anything dangerous that could crawl up there and I don't want to clean a screen. In the Amazon, they have a critter that can crawl right up there ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1aXq9hAroM

As a service plumber I have found urinals do clog with calcium deposits.
Super nasty
The acid in the product CLR should do the trick, but having a removable trap is more important.
I like your activator idea, might have to steal that...

William Bronson wrote: As a service plumber I have found urinals do clog with calcium deposits.
Super nasty
The acid in the product CLR should do the trick, but having a removable trap is more important.
I like your activator idea, might have to steal that...

What is the activator ?

My twin boys have been out of diapers for a while but they still prefer the proximity to the floor that their little potties offer. These end up with the chalky mineral deposit in them too. I've always been curious about what exactly it is made up of. I've tried different things to get rid of it but the best has been hydrogen peroxide.

A quick google around has led me to struvite which according to wikkipedia is magnesium ammonium phosphate, a phosphate mineral with formula: NH4MgPO4·6H2O which is sparingly soluble in neutral and alkaline conditions, but readily soluble in acid. In which case vinegar sounds like a good first choice for cleaning.

Just about everything in my environment is acidic, the soil, rainwater and the water that will flush the pee down. Problem solved.
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Here's one you haven't heard. Sometimes at demolitions of institutional buildings, I come upon huge old urinals about 5 feet high. If I find another of these it will be included in the bathing area. The shape is perfect to use as a reclining seat with a headrest. The curved porcelain will hug the back. I'll post a photo of me sitting in one when it turns up.

I was referring to the thigh activated set up.

I've become mildly famous over a urine issue. On Monday the radio station solicited funny stories about quitting a job. I called and told them about the time I peed on the floor of the office of someone who owed money. While doing this, I explained other things that would happen. I left with the money. The station has run the story several times. Two friends have called to congratulate. It was 15 years ago. I've calmed down. I was hopping mad at the time.

You've all waited 6 years years for the punch line:
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I guess he was pretty pissed off.

Chris Sturgeon wrote:You've all waited 6 years years for the punch line:
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I guess he was pretty pissed off.

I feel a sense of closure now.  Thank-you.

LOL, great stories. Unbeatable!

Doug's portable urinal for cabin or camping is considerably more lo-tek, and unfortunately less dramatic.

A wide-mouth recycled jug with a handle and tight fitting lid. Half filled with fresh char/ash so there is no smell.

The label on the jug? Miracle-Gro, with a big "X" over it. I kid you not.