A Cullman

Unless steps are taken to seal the chamber/bucket, or a fan is added to the vent stack, would a draft be created? Are there any articles on this?

Given that a typical toilet seat is less than airtight, and that there is going to be an airgap between the bucket and the seat, it seems like the system is basically open. I checked my toilet seat here at home, and there is a 5/16" gap between the bowl and the seat, and a 1/4" gap between the seat and the lid. My toilet seats would have approximately 17.5 sq in of ventilation just at the bowl/seat/lid area. A 3" vent pipe would only add 7 sq in.

I guess my question is whether the juice is worth the squeeze. A lot has been made of the fact that composting toilets don't smell. The prevalence of vent stacks seems to suggest otherwise. I guess I can try without and always add one later.

Hi everyone, first time poster.
I'm looking at designs for bucket composting designs and keep coming across the use of vent pipes running from the bucket up through the roof. I'm trying to better understand this. In standard house plumbing a vent pipe prevents siphon and delivers sewer gas above the roof, but I'm not sure what it does in the compost system. The toilet lid designs I'm familiar with are not air-tight and would seemingly allow for sufficient airflow, particularly with the toilet cover being raised when in use. While a vent pipe might add a few square inches of ventilation, I'm not sure how necessary this is. A cheaper alternative might be to leave the lid up, or use extra thick rubber bumpers on the lid. Am I missing something?