How does a dry closet work?

The principle of operation of a liquid (chemical) toilet

A liquid bio toilet is a structure consisting of two parts: upper and lower. The upper part consists of a drain tank, a seat, a lid and a pump supercharger for flushing waste. The lower part is designed to receive these same waste products and their further processing.

The design of a liquid toilet.

The toilet works as follows:

• Water mixed with a chemical aromatic solution in the proportion of 100 mL per 10 liters of water is poured into the upper tank.
• The lower tank is filled with water by a third, and a substance with biologically active bacteria is added to it.
• After using the toilet, a person presses the corrugated pump several times (in some models, a piston pump) and flushes the waste products. They fall into the lower tank (sump), where they mix with microorganisms that break down feces into water and solid particles (silt).

The splitting process takes place within 24 hours, so it is not recommended to empty the sump before this time.

Maintenance of a liquid (chemical) toilet.

The advantage of liquid models is the complete absence of odour after fecal processing. Also, no gases are released during the splitting process, so the toilet does not need ventilation. The unit is small in weight and compact, so it is convenient to take it with you on vacation. It is easy to empty it by first closing the flap and disconnecting the upper tank. However, this should be done once every 2-3 days (for a family of 3 people) or as occupancy increases (some models are equipped with an indicator). The consumption of disinfectant and solvent substances is quite large, so the maintenance of a liquid toilet is not cheap. The models are equipped with a toilet paper storage tray:

Toilet paper storage tray.

Like the liquid, the peat toilet is equipped with an upper and lower tank and a lever for flushing. However, instead of a liquid chemical, dry peat is used here.

Design features of a peat bio-toilet.

The principle of operation of a peat-type bio-toilet is as follows:

• A dry peat mixture enriched with microorganisms that process feces is poured into the upper tank to the top.
• In the lower tray, peat is filled in only a quarter of the total volume.
• After use, it is necessary to turn the dispenser handle (No. 4 in Fig.) clockwise so that it goes through a full turn. Peat will carefully cover the waste in such a way that they will be clearly located between the two layers of the mixture.

In about a day, peat will process waste into compost, and then it can be used as fertilizer. In the design of this type of toilets, there is also a ventilation pipe, since gases are released when peat comes into contact with waste. That is why the toilet can be used permanently only in places with the possibility of pipe output, for example, in the country.

The main advantage of this type of toilets is the cheapness of the consumable — peat. However, when unloading a tray with recycled waste, an unpleasant smell cannot be avoided.

The principle of operation of an electric toilet

Electric units look like an ordinary toilet with a lid and a seat. Some models are equipped with a drainage system for separate collection of liquid and solid waste, while in others the destruction of feces is carried out in one common chamber.

The principle of operation of an electric toilet.

The toilet works as follows:

• A paper cone-shaped bag must be placed on the closed flap (shown in the figure above).
• After using it for its intended purpose, you need to press the small pedal under the toilet, and the contents will fall into the lower chamber.
• Heating elements are placed in the chamber, which dry the contents and turn it into ashes. The process of "cremation" takes place within an hour and a half. Thus, the waste is converted into fertilizer.

The toilet is equipped with a ventilation pipe to remove unpleasant odours, so it can only be used permanently with pre-installation. Users note that when using the unit with a family of three people, the tray must be unloaded once a month. Some models are additionally equipped with batteries, so when the light is turned off, the toilet continues to work.