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ann sterling

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since Mar 15, 2013
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Central Maine Highlands on the cool side of zone 5
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Recent posts by ann sterling

tel jetson wrote:

ann sterling wrote:
Thanks for that! Was it plumbed into a pressurized supply?



the supply was gravity fed from a tank up a hill. never measured it, but based on my best guess at the altitude change, it was probably in the vicinity of 15 psi or so.



Perfect, thanks very much!
11 years ago

tel jetson wrote:

ann sterling wrote:
could you share more about your system, are you still using it?



I am not still using it. it was pretty simple to build, though. layer of wood chips, spiral of poly pipe, layer of wood chips, spiral of poly pipe. I sprayed water on and stomped each layer.

we used it to heat bath water, which I don't think is the best use for something like that. because it is constantly producing heat, it would be much better for something that also needs constant heat. running the hot water through a radiator to heat a living space, for example.



Thanks for that! Was it plumbed into a pressurized supply?
11 years ago

paul wheaton wrote:




this is so fabulous!
11 years ago

tel jetson wrote:I made a pile of wood chips with some polyethylene tube coiled through it for water heat, but skipped the much more complicated biogas part. my pile wasn't as big as Jean Pain's, but I got 140 Fahrenheit water for several months, though it's gradually cooling off now. the things probably five months old and I would guess the water coming out is about 120 Fahrenheit.

the only real problem I ran into was finding enough material to build the pile.



could you share more about your system, are you still using it?
11 years ago

Gord Baird wrote:We have been on the bucket for seven years, and there is six of us. We have literally never had an issue with smell with either of the two bathrooms in the house. We have compartments that hold two buckets, and when the two buckets become full of both pee and poo (and shavings), then they go outside and are replaced with two more buckets. When I have ten full buckets (once a week) I open the pile and dump them. Here is a link to a video of the dumping

.

We also do a lot of research and policy work around such things, and have been able to legalize the bucket system, and have even built one at a local regional park, where we also service them. Neighbours bring their friends by just to look at the bathroom... and again no smell. The research and analysis on the compost allows us to safely ensure we can use the composted materilas on the food gardens, as well as hen I do a presentation to schoolkids or engineers, I can let them handle and smell the compost.

One key point, if you remove the urine from the bucket, you are removing the nitrogen from the system, and the composting process is less vigorous and the end product is nitrogen deficient (as studied at UBC Choi toilets that do separate). The course we teach on grey water and composting toilets has one common point... if it smells then your doing wrong - neither should ever smell.

In our home we run a 24VDC 50cfm fan which keeps the slightest of air flows through the toilet compartment - this also seconds as the bathroom exhaust fan, as well as services the whole house's demands under the building code to meet the required air changes per hour. Don't be nervous... trust what Joe Jenkins has written... everything goes into the bucket and give it plenty of cover material, more if it seems sloppy. My fovorite time of the year is when I dig into my 2 year old pile and place it in the gardens. All exciting!



Thank you so much for sharing this video.. It will ease the way for my partner who is 80% on board with this idea. I think it will push him to 100% or close enough.. Great!!



11 years ago
Wow, thanks, We don't have that many big cats here in the central Mainer highlands. I'm really enjoying the updates of the Grand Project.

I'm interested in the wheelie-bin pooper now that it's been built and active for a bit. Any updates? I'd like to implement one here on our patch..
11 years ago

Kristie Wheaton wrote:The guys found this skull an a few other parts out behind where the teepees are sitting


Oh my word.. what is it???
11 years ago

Brenda Groth wrote:love those upside down teases..of course this means I'm UPRIGHT..

I will admit my cats do eat a lot of birds..which I do frown upon..however..we still have lots of birds..

Actually do believe that my big cat would eat chickens if i had them, that is why I don't..he eats rabbits and anything smaller and when he was about 6 mo old he took down a fawn..or tried to..but we didn't let him keep the fawn. (he was just playing, he wouldn't have eaten it)



We have cats and chickens that free range... Our cats don't harm the chickens at all, they do however catch the occasional wild bird, much to their delight. If one of our cats gets too up close and personal with a chicken, they know they are likely going to get pecked in the face. They don't get too close very often!

Ann, Central Maine Highlands, the cool side of zone 5.
11 years ago