Yolanda Dolling

Hi Debbie,

We have been using our Biolan Naturum for six months continuously and are very pleased with it. We bought it from Germany: http://www.oeko-energie.de/produkte/komposttoiletten/index.html as it was 1,300 euros as opposed to the £2,000 for the same thing from the UK. It took about 4 weeks to arrive, but was very simple to buy and install and the owner of the supply company was very helpful. The only problem we had is that when we installed it we didn't vent it properly, meaning to come back and add the extra piece into the vent (it was only a drainpipe) but we got some insects before we got around to it. Once we vented it as per instructions, above the roof, the insects went and it was fine. It is easy to use, doesn't smell and only needs emptying once a month. We don't use special compost, just the local organic stuff with a few wood shavings. It is expensive, but it is our only toilet and as we are building a house as well as starting a garden from scratch, this has allowed us to save some time and hassles. I completely recommend it, worth every cent.

Good luck!

Yolanda

Thanks Abe. We've been looking at the Separett Villa too. That might be the best option for us right now. This will be our only loo for at least 18 months while we build our house and we've got 15 acres that has been abandoned for at least seven years. We're trying to keep day-to-day maintenance as low as possible or we will never get anything else done. Not that there's any rush, but all those little jobs add up and before you know it, that's another day gone!

We're in Galicia, Northern Spain on the Atlantic side. The area is very beautiful, with a fair bit of the natural oak and chestnut forest still standing. Most of the farming here has been small-holdings for generations, but the young people are leaving in droves for the cities so they have become abandoned. There is a perma-culture network here we've joined, but we've only been here six months and our Spanish is still basic and the local dialect, Gallego, is impenetrable. I'm very glad for this site and its members!

Cheers,
Yolanda

Hi there - thanks for responding!

The wells haven't been used by people for 40 years and we are waiting for water tests. If it's no good we'll have to sink another well, so the same issue applies. There are no pipes connecting to the house at present. We will have to put in pipes, so are looking for the best options. I'm really trying to avoid plastic, but I can't find an alternative. Any ideas?

We are about to move to a cabin in a field while we build our house. We will have an indoor bathroom, but it will have a composting toile at as we aren't allowed a septic tank on the site. We will have well water and electricity, but we don't want to use a fan for the toilet. We don't really want to breach the floor of the cabin and it won't be high enough for a bin below the floor anyway. We have looked at various options and the Biolan Naturum looks good on paper as it appears self-contained with low-maintenance, but it's really expensive. Has anyone tried it? Any other recommendations? Many thanks.

Hi,

We've just acquired some land in Galicia, northern Spain. We are putting up a cabin while we build something more permanent. We have two wells. One is above the cabin site, about 100m away and the other is closer, about 25m away. The furthest one doesn't need much pumping, but needs more piping and we don't ant to use PVC. The other needs a bigger pump and less piping (still no PVC). Anyone have any ideas on what might be the most ecological and cost effective solution?

many thanks,
Yolanda