Hello everyone!

This toilet building season I have started with a new facility at the Eco-Park”Kopilov” in the woods 30 km from Kiev north -west. Although the toilet is not completely ready yet (we have long Orthodox Easter holidays) Istill decided to start publishing the report.








The idea was to have here a public toilet mainly for the stuff and builders which would fit into forest environment and look kind of “authentic” while bearing all the features of the modern up-to date dry toilet . My own motivation was very much to develop a model facility to be used at the National Park tourist network in the Ukrainian Carpathians. One of the objectives was to have a passive ventilated system (no main electricity available on the site) while getting without sticking pipes and such. The other important consideration clearly expressed from the owner side is to have a NON-urine separation system.

The basic concept comes from crib toilet design described at the “ Backcountry Sanitation Manual” by Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Green Mountain Club . The SUSANA resource link is www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/2130 . It is great manual! My big acknowledgments to the authors!

The crib design allows for non-pipe ventilation, mixed human waste input and looks good. The construction is simple.

One of the important features of this toilet is a zeolite filter that I put under mouldering chamber. The idea is that zeolite absorbs excessive nutrients and liquid preventing them from entering the ground water. After some time zeolite can be taken out and used as a soil conditioner and fertilizer. About 350 l of zeolite was used for each chamber.

The essential crib timber antiseptic treatment was done by natural wood tar –turpentine mix (4:1). It has pleasant smell as beautiful brown-grey color after fully absorbed. We used the Estonian produced tar which costs around 10$/ liter.

The other feature of the toilet is extensive use of the hand forged elements especially in door construction which I believe attractive and fits into the style. Being a profy blacksmith myself try to use the blacksmith art whenever it is possible and strongly recommend it for other toilet builders.

The process begins. Purchase of the materials at the building market.



Crib timber is cut and tar painted


Foundation prepared. Note zeolite filter pits





Crib construction

Steel and insect mesh attachment




Frame assembly






Roof construction




Wall siding


Door set up

The wall profile for ventilation


1 tone of zeolite arrives from Carpathians!

Zeolite grain size 3-5 mm

350 kg of zeolite is put inside each chamber

Thanks for these three posts, Bogdan! I love it how you give us updates as you go along, rather than just put up a final polished report at the end...!

The term crib/zeolite dry toilet is new to me. I know what zeolite is ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeolite ) - and thanks for the photo - but what do you mean by "crib" in this context?

And does it function as a composting toilet?

How come the owner specificially wanted non-urine diverting? I suppose due to worries that people would not use it in the right way?

Regards,
Elisabeth

Hello Elisabeth!
Thank you!

Crib\Zeolite is not a term but just combination of two words. Crib means type of chamber which I took from "Backcountry Sanitation Manual” by Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Green Mountain Club.
Zeolit used as a filter to prevent ground water pollution and catch the nutrients.
It is supposed to be a compost toilet.

I disbelieve urine separation would work in Ukrainian public context unless separate urinals involved.
Regards,
Bogdan

How's the smell so far?
I am a bit surprised that you intentionally didn't include a sort of vent-pipe that creates an air-current to the top of the roof. Maybe that's only helpful in the summer, but then it will probably also stink the most.

It also looks like the wood of the upper walls is already moldy? Did you apply some kind of varnish/lacqeur to it?

Hello Krischan!
So far I rely on the the what is written in the “ Backcountry Sanitation Manual” by Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Green Mountain Club . That is crib chamber is self-vevtilated and does not need a separate vent pipe. But let's see. The toilet is not in operation yet. This Monday I go to Kiev for inauguration.))))

Apart from that the wall siding made with the 2 cm gap at the upper part of the structure (see the pictures above) which gives quit good ventilation itself.

The third anti smell curcuit I hope to be perfomed by zeolite. If it does this job in the cat toilets why it shouldn't work with human ones.

No, the wood is not moldy. I used for the siding dead wood rough sownn planks of to claim "sustainability". It sometimes has this grey-green colour. But it is OK-- I like it. Actually I will make and post the pictures of the finished toilet soon. It is rather pretty.

Hello everyone! The inauguration of the toilet went well. Now it is in full operation.
The pictures of the finished toilet included. The earth ramp still needs to be planted with grass.

Please, note how the ventilation upper wall profile looks from the inside. The gaps are around 20 mm

Bogdan - Excellent work! One question: what is the foundation made out of? You are very detailed regarding the remainder of the structure but you don't describe nor am I able to tell from the photos how you constructed the foundation. Is it rammed-earth using, perhaps, clay? Is it some sort of concrete or cement-based masonry poured into a form and then worked when partially-cured/leather-hard? Or something else? I simply cannot tell.

Hello Kai!
The foundation is of poured concrete around 30 cm wide and 50 cm deep initially . The funnnel shape on the inside chamber perimeter was given on the third day by trowel upon removing mould planks. Actually next time I would go simply for narrower foundation -- 20 cm or so.