What is an EarthAuger Toilet? Why use an EarthAuger Toilet? How does it operate?

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1 What is an EarthAuger Toilet? The EarthAuger is combination urine diverting dry toilet and a composting toilet. It is designed to transform human waste into usable soil products or an energy source. Why use an EarthAuger Toilet? It requires no water to operate It doesn t use energy it has little odor or flies it produces two usable end products: compost (great for the soil) or for making energy pellets, and urine (a great liquid fertilizer) It s easy to use and maintain How does it operate? Urine goes one place and poop and cover material that is added goes another place. When you flush by stepping on a foot pedal, the solids are mixed and gradually move along a horizontal chamber, eventually filling a storage container. Depending upon how long the compost stays in the horizontal chamber and storage container, the compost will be partially to fully stabilized. The storage container can then be taken to a place for use or further treatment. The urine, mixed with greywater, is either stored and eventually used as a fertilizer, or it can be used directly in a sub-surface irrigation system.

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3 Instructions for use 1. Lift up the lid (unless you are using the toilet as a urinal only - for women) Image of a hand lifting the lid 2. Sit on the bowl in such a way so that your pee will go directly into the urine separator, and your poop will go into the main bowl. 3. Put any used toilet paper or sanitary products in the trash NOT in the toilet. 4. Step on the flush pedal just once to flush this rotates the auger and moves and mixes the entire poop and cover material.

4 5. Flick the sawdust lever with your fingertips just a little (about 1cm). You should use enough material to lightly cover everything in the toilet bowl. 6. Put a little water down the urine diverter (about half a cup), to wash down the pee. 7. Put the toilet cover on the bowl you can now use it for body washing.

5 8. Wash your hands! What you can put inside the toilet Poop and pee! Cover material, like: o Sawdust o Rice hulls o Coffee or tea grounds o Other shredded organic material like leaves What you should NOT put inside the toilet Toilet paper, sanitary products and diapers (these should go in the trash container) Trash like: o Bottles o Cans o Condoms o Chemicals o Dirt (sand, silt, clay, sweepings) Cleaning and Maintaining the Toilet An ecological toilet should be cleaned just as often as a traditional toilet. It s best to only use water to clean the toilet, although small amounts of chemicals are OK occasionally. 1. Cleaning the lid: The lid can be cleaned with a cup of water or a wet rag as needed, depending upon if it s used for urine or washing. Cleaning should be at least once a week. 2. Cleaning the bowl: To clean the outside of the bowl you should use a damp cloth. For the inside you can use a brush that is either dry or moist but not dripping wet. Try to keep water out of the compost chamber if possible. Cleaning should be done at least once a week.

6 3. Water in the compost section: If too much urine or water gets in the compost section (where the auger is) it may start smelling or encourage flies. If this happens, simply put a few handfuls of dry cover material in and flush once or twice For best use of the toilet remember: It is very important to add cover material every time you poop in the toilet, because cover material helps the waste dry quickly and minimizes insects and odors. When you start using the toilet for the first time you should not step on the pedal to flush, as there isn t enough material for the auger to move/mix. Once the poop and cover material has accumulated to the level of the center of the auger (about 5-10 uses) you may begin flushing one time per use.

7 How to manage the products of the EarthAuger? As you use the EarthAuger, two products will begin to accumulate: - The solid material that is the poop and cover material that is composting - The liquids that is a combination of urine and wash water. Compost The compost fills up the storage container at the end of the horizontal tube outside of the building. It is important that you: 1. Check the level in this container weekly. When it starts to get close to the top, arrange to empty it or replace it with an empty container. 2. If you will be using this compost on your garden or farm, set it aside so that the total time it collects compost and the time is sits is 6 months. 3. After storing, mix the compost into the top 15cm of soil. The first year after you apply the compost, grow crops where the edible parts to not make contact with the soil. After the first year, any crop can be grown.

8 Urine The best way to make use of the urine and wash water is to have it irrigate a raised bed garden area. That means all these liquids are combined and enter a subsurface perforated pipe system that is about 15cm below the top of the soil. This method requires minimum monitoring. If it is easier or necessary to collect the urine and water: 1. Check the level in storage container weekly. When it starts to get close to the top, arrange to empty it or replace it with an empty container. 2. The full container can be used for irrigation and fertilizer after it has sat for over a month (the length of time depends upon the storage temperature).

9 Maintenance, Problems and Solutions The EarthAuger is designed to need minimal work to keep in working properly. However, because it is a mechanical toilet, it requires some maintenance. 1. Keep cover material in the sawdust chamber. The flipper system works best when the chamber is half or less full. You can use a number of organics in this system, but they must be very small size to fit through the bottom slot: - sawdust - dried coffee or tea grounds - rice hulls Also you can use organics that aren t small sixed, but you have to put these in by a scoop: - leaves - coconut fibers - wood shavings - shredded paper Don t use any sand, silt or clay, nor 5. any If rotting the urine food, diverter as the has food water draws in it, flies. clean out the drain hole by carefully inserting a flexible wire as far as you can Keep the it clean metal to gear keep at odors the toilet a end minimum. of the auger lubricated. 4. If the flush pedal doesn t move do not force it parts might break! - Check to see if there is an obstruction in the auger (like a bottle, cloth, or newspaper) - Check to see if the pedal is connected properly - Check to see is the metal gear is rusted. 6. If insects and bad odors are present, add more cover material. Also, make sure that the vent pipe is attached and working correctly.