Dennis, I enjoyed most of your video, but as a novice, there's a big piece missing. Where does the battery connect to the system you show? At the shunt? At the MPPT/DC-DC charger? I've always heard the shunt connects to the battery negative and the charge controller.
0:46 That hum is sounds like a feedback loop, the microphone can hear itself. It comes and goes as you move the microphone. Best, a headworn or lapel microphone and recording into a separate recorder (your phone, perhaps).
Simple setup with an easy-to-understand description. My problem is I already have and use a portable power supply. Can this be modified so I can use that instead of the battery and invertor? My power supply has both an ac and a solar input. It is the dc-dc charging I would like to add. Thanks!
@@dennislittlefield I have really limited needs for power right now. 12vdc fridge and some puck lights. Haven't used the van enough to know what else I need to power. Might use my CPAP This is the power supply I use. Thanks.
@@sands4651 the fridge and the cpap will use the most power in a day. Do you need to use the humidifier? If you do, it will need about 70 AH. If you use your cpap every day, I’d suggest about 200 amp hour battery to give a buffer for unknown things.
I’ve been able to do fine with the 1200 watt inverter, but I’ve regularly found the 200 AH battery wasn’t quite enough. That is why this time I went with the 280 AH.
@@dennislittlefield do you have enough solar to charge that size battery i dont believe you talked about your solar setup. BTW im not trying to be a wise guy just curious about other folks DIY Solar systems
@@mannyfragoza9652 You are asking good questions! I have a single 500 watt panel on the roof and the Kisae Dc to Dc charger is 50 amps. This is a lot more than the usual 30 amp Dc to Dc chargers. So it will be able to charge fairly well.
Thank you so much for including the link to the urine diverting part !! So many videos out there talk about them but don't tell you where to get them from. I'm going to check out their site right now. Great video BTW, short and to the point !
Your version is just as efficient as the one I paid over a grand for but I needed it 3yrs ago so... Great build. Glad to see such a nice alternative to 🤑🤑🤑 A mini square wood 12x12" (or14x14) step on the floor may make a comfy alternative.?? Justa thought. Great video. Going to check your info on propane next. Thanks
Intriguing, nice design and build. So, into a bag you poo on top of previous poo? Don't you put sawdust in? What if the descending poo hits the sides on its way down? The simplicity is really appealing. I would have expected it could just be the size of seat, but I suppose the buckets need 17" ?
Sawdust is often used. If you want the best option cocoanut fiber works well. This type of toilet doesn't create much smell and when you add the small vent fan it can be fine to not use sawdust for a few days and then toss the bag in the garbage. The 17" height allows the liquid tank to be 2 gallons, which is enough for two people for one day. Any smaller would be a big problem. The solids container has to follow suit and be the same height as the liquid tank.
The outer dimensions are 19 X 19 X 19. The "lid" is 2 inches high and it is included in the 19 inches. Kildwick includes a template for the shape of the urine diverter.
This would be slightly more comfortable to sit on if it was about 18 inches high, but 19 inches made it work better with the other cabinets around the toilet.
Thanks, Dennis. I wonder if you could link to whatever composting material it is you use to add to the toilet? (I've never had one--this is out first build).
People use a wide variety of material. Peat moss, coconut duff, but I’ve found that sawdust is just as effective. It certainly can be done, but very few actually compost the solids from a dry toilet. The solids dry out and loose volume. You can remove the plastic bag, tie and toss in the garbage.
@@dennislittlefield forgive me if I misunderstand but if u use a plastic bag and dump in regular garbage then it's not really a composting toilet. I would imagine using composting bags and disposing it as compost waste would make more since and be much more environmentally friendly. Unless I'm missing something.
Addressing @Dennis: I like cedar shavings, the bag is for a traveller and dumping is the way to go. On a homestead one would commonly use a newspaper liner, or nothing, and truely compost the wast(typically) one year batch for gardening. Now gardening, one would use sawdust (pine) or peat to enhance breakdown. Cedar is too slow to break down. But is nicely odor concealing, thus for traveler use.
@@rosemarythyme3510 Dennis isn’t using this toilet as a composting toilet but rather a dry toilet for traveling. Although it could be used as a composting toilet. For our composting toilet we get a small pickup load of pine sawdust from a local sawmill once per year. We have around (20) 5 gallon buckets with lids we use for the solids. We dump them in a compost pile we designated for human waste every few months and wash the buckets. It makes great soil in about 1-2 years. Pine shavings for pet rats can be purchased at Walmart but takes up much more space so you’ll have to change the buckets frequently. Either way the pine smells wonderful. Doug and Stacy have a good video explaining the process
Internal parts from Kildwick: www.kildwick.com/Kildwick-camping-toilet-DIY-kit-without-casing-16l_6 Rockler Hinges - 30lb x 2 pack: www.rockler.com/lid-stay-torsion-hinge-lid-support-satin-nickel Quiet Fan: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NQLT0M/ Push Button Switch: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07931588C/ Find out more about the van builds at campmaker.com
