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I save folgers cans for cooking grease so it doesn't kill my pipes. while I was camping I saw a dude who brought one of those porta potty's for bedridden (a chair with a hole in it where a basin slides in). He set it up behind a tree, dug a cat hole directly underneath, had newspapers in plastic ziplock besides the chair. Kind of comical looking but it worked.
darstar- ordinances are what they are- i certainly can't argue what your situation is. I know humanure systems got lots of grief from municipalities mostly because they were clueless how they operated and it took challenges of law to educate them about the systems. similar to non standard architecture problems. hard to get permits when they don't have a clue how these things work and what the real issues are about. Know what I mean?
The upside to humanure systems for long term and short term is that you don't waste good water on chit. It gets recycled directly back into your land, retaining soil health, and saving money on costly plumbing/septic systems-- its definately not for everyone. For the elderly or infirmed, composting might be too much work. It has no place being in urban areas, like I had mentioned. It's also a health issue for water quality if too close to those sources. Maybe that's why they refused you? Your perks come out ok?
Yes , we got final approval about 3 weeks ago. That set me free !.... I was able to get the building permit last week. The health dept. is now history, they will not visit again.
One factor , you did not address , is resale ,. Countrywide standards are the preferred , when even thinking about resale , or , a loan, mortgage etc.
I have found , that , most all things are possible , I like new ideas , and , the latest tech.....as well as , keeping it simple. I do not like to pay excess , any more than anyone else , especially , when , building with cash , like I am doing.
The upside to humanure systems for long term and short term is that you don't waste good water on chit. It gets recycled directly back into your land, retaining soil health, and saving money on costly plumbing/septic systems-- its definately not for everyone. For the elderly or infirmed, composting might be too much work. It has no place being in urban areas, like I had mentioned. It's also a health issue for water quality if too close to those sources. Maybe that's why they refused you? Your perks come out ok?
A properly working septic field will return water and other effluence back into the environment harmlessly. You're not technically wasting anything, espeically if you draw from a well. It's a wash, pardon the pun.
darstar-- definately a factor-- resale values. Thing is it might surprise you. Sometimes green buildings, like in current economic climate where energy is so costly, proving that you've got cheap source of electricity from solar panels or hot water panels wind up adding value. Same with building envelopes that wind up lowering energy needs in a quantifiable/provable way. Earthships are hard to see as having good retail value because they're so different. I think to guarantee it's moot, planning on living in a house for the rest of your life solves it. Good luck with your new house.
A properly working septic field will return water and other effluence back into the environment harmlessly. You're not technically wasting anything, espeically if you draw from a well. It's a wash, pardon the pun.
three in places like wv where rain is plenty fresh water of drinking quality isn't an issue. out west its a different story. if you do the math to see how rurally people pay huge sums for septic and plumbing systems all around poop-- a considerable ammount of $$$ can be saved by keeping your plumbing as supply for sinks and showers only, and allowing that to drain to decorative landscaping (not meant for edible crops). I doubt wv will ever have to deal with drought conditions or manage conservation programs beyond runnoff from strip mining/coal byproducts in water.
as far as returning effluence back to environment through septic- you're correct if chemicals aren't used. if it has to be pumped out because it isn't breaking down correctly thats another price tag. i think the soil health is unaffected by septic because its happening below grade, and thats why this vermont farmer took another look at how he circumvented the recycle chain. he was removing nutrients from the soil and modern solution for that has been to add chemical version of nutrients back (at a price). If you'd like to learn more about alternative farming trends, google permaculture. Neat stuff.
It might not apply to you, and being happy with your plumbing as-is doesn't mean it can't be used for remote locations on your property if you're rural.
Lily i think you might be confusing humanure system for a mouldering toilet- its a different animal. google mouldering vs humanure, you'll see what i mean.
No need to Google, I've lived with several kinds already, including the humanure system for one summer ..but that was before kids! I'd said "or SIMILAR...ones that still use a flushing toilet", because there are also quite a few composting systems which do the composting for you in an underground chamber or reed bed system outside, but inside the house, it's still the same old flushing toilet with plumbing--a toilet that can get limescale or rust stains from hard water, or worse from my husband and son that just make me want to bleach. We wanted one of those systems for our current house, but the installers said, NO BLEACH, NO CHEMICALS, or the compost is ruined. Dang.
So we've got a reed bed system now, which required a third of an acre to itself: everything gets processed "naturally" down a channel of reeds and other specially chosen bog-loving plants. Lucky them. But we no longer have to pay 300 euros to have our septic tank emptied every year, and there's no smell. Unfortunately, we don't have the compost to use either, which the humanure system would have given us...all we have is what we make ourselves the old-fashioned way, with garden waste and pony bombs.
Another previous experience of ours is living within five miles of a sewage treatment plant. Unspeakable. The more options we all find for an alternative to THAT, the better! Even the Folger's can!
three in places like wv where rain is plenty fresh water of drinking quality isn't an issue. out west its a different story. if you do the math to see how rurally people pay huge sums for septic and plumbing systems all around poop-- a considerable ammount of $$$ can be saved by keeping your plumbing as supply for sinks and showers only, and allowing that to drain to decorative landscaping (not meant for edible crops). I doubt wv will ever have to deal with drought conditions or manage conservation programs beyond runnoff from strip mining/coal byproducts in water.
as far as returning effluence back to environment through septic- you're correct if chemicals aren't used. if it has to be pumped out because it isn't breaking down correctly thats another price tag. i think the soil health is unaffected by septic because its happening below grade, and thats why this vermont farmer took another look at how he circumvented the recycle chain. he was removing nutrients from the soil and modern solution for that has been to add chemical version of nutrients back (at a price). If you'd like to learn more about alternative farming trends, google permaculture. Neat stuff.
It might not apply to you, and being happy with your plumbing as-is doesn't mean it can't be used for remote locations on your property if you're rural.
That's why I said a "properly working" septic system is a net wash.
There's no doubt other forms of recyclers have their place. And water conservation and quality are definately important issues (especially in the west.. the FAR west, that is..). But keeping tune with this region- septics are o-k, and technically won't waste any resources. Not bashing other forms of poo-control, mind-you.)
And we used white vinegar to clean our toilets when we lived in Kearneysville when we were on well and septic. No problems with stains, rust or otherwise! Ahh- I remember the sign on the basement bathroom wall above the tee-pee for all my out of town friends- "ONLY THREE P's GO IN THE HOLE- POO, PEE AND THIS WHITE PAPER!!"
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that just make me want to bleach. We wanted one of those systems for our current house, but the installers said, NO BLEACH, NO CHEMICALS, or the compost is ruined. Dang.
But we no longer have to pay 300 euros to have our septic tank emptied every year, and there's no smell. Unfortunately, we don't have the compost to use either, which the humanure system would have given us...all we have is what we make ourselves the old-fashioned way, with garden waste and pony bombs.
Ahh- I remember the sign on the basement bathroom wall above the tee-pee for all my out of town friends- "ONLY THREE P's GO IN THE HOLE- POO, PEE AND THIS WHITE PAPER!!"
