I thought I'd save money and be eco-friendly by building my own compost toilet. Watched a bunch of videos, read blogs, seemed easy enough, right? Um, no. Now I'm knee-deep in sawdust and buckets, and the smell situation is... let's just say, not exactly lavender fields. Anyone else underestimated how tricky this whole compost toilet thing can get?
Haha, I feel your pain. DIY compost toilets always seem like a great idea until reality hits—usually in the form of smells you didn't even know existed. But honestly, I think you're being a bit harsh on the compost toilet concept itself. The real issue here isn't necessarily compost toilets; it's the DIY factor.
I've seen plenty of professionally installed compost toilets that work surprisingly well—no smell, minimal hassle, and definitely no knee-deep sawdust situations. The key is proper ventilation and moisture control, which are trickier than those YouTube videos make them look. Trust me, I've been called out to fix more than one "easy weekend project" gone wrong.
One time, a client proudly showed me his homemade setup... buckets everywhere, questionable airflow, and let's just say the aroma was memorable (and not in a good way). After some adjustments—mainly installing proper vent pipes and tweaking moisture levels—it actually became pretty decent. He still uses it today and swears by it.
So before you write off compost toilets completely, maybe consider tweaking your setup or even investing in a professionally designed model. Yeah, it might cost a bit more upfront, but it'll save you from becoming intimately acquainted with sawdust and mystery odors. Plus, your guests will thank you.
Just my two cents from someone who's seen (and smelled) it all...
Gotta disagree a bit here. I've tried both DIY and a professionally installed compost toilet, and honestly, even the pro setup wasn't exactly odor-free. Sure, ventilation helps a ton, but there's always gonna be some level of smell management involved. It's not terrible, but let's not pretend it's totally hassle-free either. Still beats dealing with septic issues though...
