DIY Portable Toilets

[wasanah2]

I found this website from a prepper type site and there are several models of home made toilets shown.  Some are ideas I've already seen, but a couple I hadn't seen.

https://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2017/10/diy-portable-emergency-toilets-easy-make/

 

[Motrukdriver]

When I was in the big truck I used a 5 gallon bucket and then I took an old toilet ring and attached 4 steel angles to the bottom of it. It fit inside the bucket and held the plastic bag in place. I could take the ring off and use the bucket for other things. A step stool for the top cabinets and a seat for when I needed to air the tires or polish the aluminum wheels. In an RV you could probably get dual use by making a top for a plunger and make a washing machine.

 

[wasanah2]

When I was in the big truck I used a 5 gallon bucket and then I took an old toilet ring and attached 4 steel angles to the bottom of it.  It fit inside the bucket and held the plastic bag in place.  I could take the ring off and use the bucket for other things.  A step stool for the top cabinets and a seat for when I needed to air the tires or polish the aluminum wheels.  In an RV you could probably get dual use by making a top for a plunger and make a washing machine.

I'd call that more than dual use.  You have more than #2 there.  You have a step stool and a washing machine or a regular bucket for washing stuff.  I think you're right.  Everything has to have more than one purpose to work well for us.

 

[Gideon33w]

They make 5 gallon bucket lid toilet seats. Combine that with a more reasonable short bucket (2 or 3 gallon) and you have a simple toilet.
Liner bag, then business bag. After deposit, seal business bag and leave in liner bag. New bags go over the top of the used ones till full.
A little bit of kitty litter or cedar shavings before deposit and some on top of deposit soaks up the moisture and stops smells pretty well.

Hassock toilet is the cheapest/simplest ready to use solution which uses this method. Less than $35 on Amazon and compact.
Alternatively, Walmart carries the folding Reliance toilet which is the same idea minus the bucket. Compact and cheap though.
Plus, if you're willing to spend the dough, you can use the Reliance gelling bags which are spendy but work REALLY well.
You can also make your own gelling bags by buying the stuff and adding it to your own bags. Also expensive though.

Pro Tip: Too much waste and the bags can get suctioned into the bucket. Hard to get out without tearing (which is obviously bad).
Add a length of vacuum line leading from the top of the bucket, down the side, and under the liner bag so air can get in easily.

 

[wasanah2]

They make 5 gallon bucket lid toilet seats. Combine that with a more reasonable short bucket (2 or 3 gallon) and you have a simple toilet.
Liner bag, then business bag. After deposit, seal business bag and leave in liner bag. New bags go over the top of the used ones till full.
A little bit of kitty litter or cedar shavings before deposit and some on top of deposit soaks up the moisture and stops smells pretty well.

Hassock toilet is the cheapest/simplest ready to use solution which uses this method. Less than $35 on Amazon and compact.
Alternatively, Walmart carries the folding Reliance toilet which is the same idea minus the bucket. Compact and cheap though.
Plus, if you're willing to spend the dough, you can use the Reliance gelling bags which are spendy but work REALLY well.
You can also make your own gelling bags by buying the stuff and adding it to your own bags. Also expensive though.

Pro Tip: Too much waste and the bags can get suctioned into the bucket. Hard to get out without tearing (which is obviously bad).
Add a length of vacuum line leading from the top of the bucket, down the side, and under the liner bag so air can get in easily.

Great information here!  I especially like your pro tip!  In this case, a vacuum is not your friend. 

I also never thought of buying the chemical separately to jell the waste.  It makes me want to explore other jelling substances to see if I can find something that's cheaper.  And if the more expensive agent is the only way to go, buying it like that would mean you could use it when you really need it and use kitty litter or other fillers when you could get by with that.  Yes, you have me thinking....

 

[Gideon33w]

Personally, I use modified Reliance folding toilets. I like the low space requirement and they are plenty sturdy.
I use doubled up small trash can bags and add cedar shavings which are much lighter than kitty litter and work well.

The cost per deposit on the gel stuff is just too high for me personally. There's a couple different options though.
Biggest advantage in my opinion is that the good gel is biodegradable like your waste. Bio bag and you can bury it all.

 

[casper]

wasanah2
The 5 gallon bucket porta potty was the best choice for us when our septic became unusable a while back. Although we are newbies to traveling in an RV we been living in one for over ten years. We used the two bucket system, one pee, one poop. The pee bucket got emptied daily of course and then sprayed with dilute bleach and pin-sole, the poop bucket was lined with tall kitchen trash bags and layers of kitty liter, ceder or pine shavings worked best and needed to be changed once or twice a week. I also bought a cheap padded toilet seat on Amazon for $18.00 and slightly modified the the little bump stops on the bottom so it would keep it centered on the bucket and would not slip, when the poop bucket was not in use we kept a lid on it with a gallon of kitty liter on top to maintain seal and no smell. It worked great until we were able to get the RV system working again, with only two occasions when our neighbors decided to open the waste bags while in the dumpster to see what was in them, boy where they surprised.
casper.

 

[wasanah2]

Personally, I use modified Reliance folding toilets. I like the low space requirement and they are plenty sturdy.
I use doubled up small trash can bags and add cedar shavings which are much lighter than kitty litter and work well.

The cost per deposit on the gel stuff is just too high for me personally. There's a couple different options though.
Biggest advantage in my opinion is that the good gel is biodegradable like your waste. Bio bag and you can bury it all.

I'm looking into this.  I think you're on to something with the medium being of similar biodegradable structure.  And of course, cost is a huge factor.  Do you bury IN the commercial red bio bags?

 

[wasanah2]

The 5 gallon bucket porta potty was the best choice for us when our septic became unusable a while back. Although we are newbies to traveling in an RV we been living in one for over ten years. We used the two bucket system, one pee, one poop. The pee bucket got emptied daily of course and then sprayed with dilute bleach and pin-sole, the poop bucket was lined with tall kitchen trash bags and layers of kitty liter, ceder or pine shavings worked best and needed to be changed once or twice a week. I also bought a cheap padded toilet seat on Amazon for $18.00 and slightly modified the the little bump stops on the bottom so it would keep it centered on the bucket and would not slip, when the poop bucket was not in use we kept a lid on it with a gallon of kitty liter on top to maintain seal and no smell. It worked great until we were able to get the RV system working again, with only two occasions when our neighbors decided to open the waste bags while in the dumpster to see what was in them, boy where they surprised.
casper.

You have a very good working system.   You used a lot of kitty litter on top, so I am betting there was no smell with your system.  Great! 

Oh my, dumpster divers in an RV park or campground?  That's just creepy with people looking through your garbage.   I can't imagine someone opening up a bag that OBVIOUSLY has kitty litter in it too.  Oh man.

 

[Gideon33w]

Casper - Venting the bucket if possible is always preferable to using something to keep it all sealed up tight. You want the beneficial bacteria which requires oxygen and not the very smelly bacteria which does not. Aerobic vs anaerobic bacteria. If using multiple buckets for different waste then spend the dough for a waste separator. Liquid and solid waste goes to different containers while using the same toilet.

Wasanah - You can get biodegradable bags and gel stuff. Combined with your waste it just gets turned into dirt. The cost is still prohibitive for most of us in my opinion. The only advantage it has over a composting toilet is that when you aren't out in nature it is still easy to dispose of versus a giant bucket of waste.

 

[Kia girl]

Well I have 3 different toilets. I have the reliance toilet from Walmart that is nearly impossible to fold down, I have a porta potty that is quite expensive and have to use chemicals and special toilet paper and then I have a cheap bucket from Home Depot with a gamma lid that is cheap and works good with cheap Walmart garbage bags. The cheapest one is the best one for me. I was paying $12 just for bags which you only got 6 for the reliance toilet. Conclusion the diy bucket with gamma lid was the best for me and held the odors in. Use Walmart bags with a little cedar in it and it is great.


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[trailsailor]

I came a armed to this way of life with a 5 gallon bucket. After a year never used it once. Just a shovel and its all good.

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[wagoneer]

I use 2 x 3 gallon buckets both with gamma lids and pee in a separate container using peat moss as a absorbent and smell checker. (doing this for years.) With a toilet seat attached to a wood box comfy.

 

[highdesertranger]

please never bury plastic. biodegradable or not, don't bury it. highdesertranger

 

[John61CT]

Yes usually labeled as such doesn't mean it will, unless sitting out in sun and open air.

 

[Gideon33w]

Well I have 3 different toilets.  I have the reliance toilet from Walmart that is nearly impossible to fold down, I have a porta potty that is quite expensive and have to use chemicals and special toilet paper and then I have a cheap bucket from Home Depot with a gamma lid that is cheap and works good with cheap Walmart garbage bags.  The cheapest one is the best one for me.  I was paying $12 just for bags which you only got 6 for the reliance toilet. Conclusion the diy bucket with gamma lid was the best for me and held the odors in.   Use Walmart bags with a little cedar in it and it is great.


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Take a pair of dikes and snip off those little clips which help key the legs from folding. 
Since the legs drop into cups when unfolded they aren't needed and just make life difficult.
Then just use doubles up small garbage bags and cedar/pine shavings or kitty litter.

 

[Elaine K]

I am building my own separating toilet based loosely on the C-Head toilet design and incorporates ideas of the simple 5 gallon pail as well.  I custom designed it and custom built the box that will house to components.  I even custom made the toilet seat out of wood the will have a tight fitting lid to control any odour.   I need to add a small handle to this lid as yet plus add hinges as required to access the interior.  
(I'm  sorry these photos show up sideways.  If you click on them the view right way up though.)

I also built a tight fitting lid that fits on the top of all which I will add foam and a vinyl cover so the whole contraption becomes a stool.  The whole thing will be on either casters or locking swivel wheels so that it becomes a multiuse piece of furniture.   It will be secured while I am driving the van.

The box needs to be sanded, primed and painted as yet.  I am planning on using an alkyd enamel paint on the wood to make giving it a thorough cleaning easier.  I think that alkyd paint dries harder and is more durable.  Latex paint would be easier to use though.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Casper - Venting the bucket if possible is always preferable to using something to keep it all sealed up tight . . .

 That must be why vault toilets don't smell.

The key to minimizing smell is separating urine and feces (guys have it easier than girls).  I have had up to 18 days of deposits in my bucket with gamma seal lid, detecting no smell in the camper.  I put a bed of pine needles into the bottom of the bucket as a cover scent for when opening to add to the collection.  And I put a little sawdust into the bag to absorb any drips or dribbles.

 

[wasanah2]

I am building my own separating toilet based loosely on the C-Head toilet design and incorporates ideas of the simple 5 gallon pail as well.  I custom designed it and custom built the box that will house to components.

EXCELLENT build, Elaine!  I'm impressed with that.  Thanks for all the pix too because it's easy to see what you're doing.

 

[wasanah2]

I was just concerned that you're burying those red biohazard bags.  I think what you mean is that you have biodegradable bags.  Glad you aren't burying those red plastic bags.