Separating (composting) toilet pee tank?

[IdaSHO]

A trap full of urine wont freeze up on you very easy.

Flushing to fill the trap with water is quite a a waste of water.

How about a manual valve, instead of a trap?

 

[Joe917]

Its -10C outside here tonight. Maybe your pee has enough alcohol in it not to freeze ...

 

[IdaSHO]

Its -10C outside here tonight. Maybe your pee has enough alcohol in it not to freeze ...

It might

But Im pretty sure it isn't that cold inside the cabin, where the trap is/would be.

After-all, if we are legitimately talking about cold weather travel, you need to have a legit cold weather camper.
That includes insulated/heated/conditioned tanks and lines.

That said, and speaking of alcohol, a quick shot of vodka down the drain would lower the freeze point even more ?

 

[Ramdough]

I would have a p trap in the camper directly under the urine separator. The sink would be higher and flow down to the p trap so if you washed your hands, the p trap would be at least diluted if not flushed. In my layout, the kitchen sink is on the other side of the wall from the toilet so I could flush it with kitchen water too.

Everything will be inside the camper and insulated from the outside so freezing will not be a concern unless I am in real deep trouble.

Thoughts?

This is my thought if I combine tanks.


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[Joe917]

It might

But Im pretty sure it isn't that cold inside the cabin, where the trap is/would be.

After-all, if we are legitimately talking about cold weather travel, you need to have a legit cold weather camper.
That includes insulated/heated/conditioned tanks and lines.

That said, and speaking of alcohol, a quick shot of vodka down the drain would lower the freeze point even more ?

I agree about cabin temps, however the shower p trap ( if installed) is almost always outside the heated envelope. My original comment is make sure the p trap won't freeze.

 

[IdaSHO]

I would have a p trap in the camper directly under the urine separator. The sink would be higher and flow down to the p trap so if you washed your hands, the p trap would be at least diluted if not flushed. In my layout, the kitchen sink is on the other side of the wall from the toilet so I could flush it with kitchen water too.

Everything will be inside the camper and insulated from the outside so freezing will not be a concern unless I am in real deep trouble.

Thoughts?

This is my thought if I combine tanks.

Id avoid dumping urine into anything other than a legit black/waste tank.
Dumping it into grey tanks ties the drains of the sink & shower if equipped with the (now) black tank, which is a pretty big no-no.

I'm working on a similar project with a custom composting toilet setup and the plan currently is to use a manual valve (instead of a trap) and a small tank just for urine.
The tank is little more than a semi-translucent detergent bottle with a good lid. So the urine tank level is easy to check, and disposal is easy as removing and dumping.

 

[Joe917]

How big is your detergent bottle? 2 adults will produce 1/2 a gallon of urine a day

 

[IdaSHO]

We don't use the camper toilet for every "deposit"
Currently we use a small chemical toilet, at it can last a week or better, with the two of us.

But it is a 2.5 gallon bottle. And very easy to carry more, if desired.

 

[Ramdough]

Id avoid dumping urine into anything other than a legit black/waste tank.
Dumping it into grey tanks ties the drains of the sink & shower if equipped with the (now) black tank, which is a pretty big no-no.

I'm working on a similar project with a custom composting toilet setup and the plan currently is to use a manual valve (instead of a trap) and a small tank just for urine.
The tank is little more than a semi-translucent detergent bottle with a good lid. So the urine tank level is easy to check, and disposal is easy as removing and dumping.

From what I have read from the composting toilet people, urine is grey water not black. Are they mistaken? (RVs may have different rules) The shower may end up separate, because I may dump that more readily. The sinks and urine I would not want to dump near campsites and only where legal. I could see shower water being a little more ok to run off while showering if I had a tank bypass (never makes it into a tank). I have seen outdoor showering done all the time.

Is the kitchen sink Grey or black water. I have heard both answers.

I intend to avoid the every two day per bottle dumping.


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[IdaSHO]

Sink water is often considered black.

Unine without feces IS considered grey water.

However, (typical) grey water left for just a few days will turn into black water due to growth.
Adding Urine into the mix just feels like asking for trouble.

 

[IdaSHO]

I could see shower water being a little more ok to run off while showering if I had a tank bypass (never makes it into a tank). I have seen outdoor showering done all the time.

While done all the time, it is still technically illegal in a lot of places.

You are draining grey water to ground.

 

[The Artisan]

Are you off grid for weeks at a time? If not just keep it seperate and pour out the urine tank at an outside gas station toilet?
Or rest area if you dont mind carrying it in ?
Kevin

 

[IdaSHO]

Often for 2-3 weeks, but wilderness or BLM, so I water trees & bushes most of the time.

Currently we have a chemical tank, so its often dumped @ out houses / rest areas.

 

[AbleGuy]

It might
That said, and speaking of alcohol, a quick shot of vodka down the drain would lower the freeze point even more ?

That’s not too far off course of what I do...I buy bottles cheap rubbing alcohol at the dollar store and take them along for cold weather and pour a bit of that down into my p traps (shower and two sinks). Seems to work ok so far....

 

[Ramdough]

Sink water is often considered black.

Unine without feces IS considered grey water.

However, (typical) grey water left for just a few days will turn into black water due to growth.
Adding Urine into the mix just feels like asking for trouble.

Is old grey water legally grey water always even when old?

My understanding is that bathroom sink is Grey water and kitchen sink is sometimes considered black.

I plan to have strainers on all sinks so that the waste tanks never have large solids. That way the drains are always liquid only. I would like to carry just a garden hose for dumping with a small booster pump. That way I can dump fast and easily.


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