Looks something like the 'outhouses' which were popular in my hometown when I was a kid (about 45 yrs ago). These things were basically a porto-potty sitting over a hole in the ground. People kept a supply of powdered lime in them and used them for years before the pit would fill. Dug a hole beside the current one, shifted it three feet, covered the old hole with soil and the process began again. By the time the newer pit was full the old hole was now a source of great fully composted soil you could reclaim and use somewhere. Governments can hardly tax that or justify paying 'septic engineers' $100K/yr to manage. Lol.
How does the water leach out of the tires? Do you punch holes in the tires or does it just gradually leak out from the narrow spaces in between the stacked tires?
I agree with your question, seems like any gaps would just get sealed by any sediment in no time & then just overflow the top of the tires which I guess would work.
I could see this working quite well and possibly getting some free btu's(heat) out of it while the bacteria is doing it's work but for me living in a first world nation I don't think I would use anything other than a cement or plastic tank. The thought of it having a leak and seeping into the ground over time would keep me up at night haha. Also I might move the tank and pipe the waste to under the green house so that I could have a small hatch to check the seal once in a while. That's just me tho! PS. I do really like this idea, maybe just modify it slightly.
Same. The solution in my head would be to put a drain pipe from the toilet to the inside of the tires. Also preferably put some vertical and lateral seperation between the toilet and septic tank like any other system. Having the toilet right on top seems like a recipe for acrid smells
You don't have to empty it. It works just like a traditional zoned septic tank. So long as its enzyme levels are proper then it should decompose any solids into the the static black water that will sit no higher than the outlet. Solids and liquids go in and liquids out. To a leach field which is perfectly safe and clean to live around. Most homes outside city limits have a septic tank and a leachfield
I've heard on other ES videos that after these being used for 20 years, they're still not full! Apparently, the anaerobic process works so well in this design that it doesn't need to be emptied? They did not elaborate...
@@blackmambo327 to my understanding, yes. It should never need emptied because solids become liquids and tge liquids flow out the outlet into a leach field. In the case of most earthships you will have a lined leach field so as to hold onto that liquid in order to grow vegetation. Now keep in mind, this vegetation is not going to be any kind of grown food as it is black water after all.
@@thebusbums2825 Yes, I know. I am two field studies away from ES Academy graduation. I just said that they did not elaborate and I was under the assumption that it doesn't need to be emptied. Thank you, Bus Bums
and how do third world communities clean out this unit , or do yo just dig another and forget about the first one, also one tends to associate 3rd world with lack of water
MusikCassette the gas would most likely go out with the water, only other place is to bubble out the toilet but that wouldn't be path of least resistance so it goes out into the dirt along with the water.
You can build a tank with a pressure bell tapped at the top for the gas. The composting action creates methane it bubbles to the top and lifts the concrete bell. The pressure created to lift the bell is your gas pressure.
+Paul Martin If by solids, you mean things that shouldn't be flushed down the toilet in the first place, yes. If you mean solid human waste, then no. As with a standard septic system, the solids are broke down by the bacteria in the first section of the septic tank.
James Zawacki, Depending upon the use, you may have to remove solids. There’s a big difference between two people using it or a family of six as far as the buildup and how quickly the bacteria can break it down, from what I see it’s a good design for one or two people but beyond that you would have to pump solids out.
Cold Steam the efficient way to use the sun or composting and rocket stoves as heat sources to produce electricity and or distilled water explained from basic concept to employment. Water boils in a vacuum at 75 F or 24 C Two open containers one full of water the other empty connect them at the bottom and water will reach an equilibrium 50 50. If one is sealed except for the connection the other will remain empty because of the vacuum created in the sealed container. Gravity will overcome this vacuum if the containers are taller than 34 feet. If the tanks are 40 feet tall the tanks will reach an equilibrium of water levels at 34 feet leaving six feet of hard vacuum in the sealed tank. This makes a vacuum pump set we need two of them if we were going to distill water as the cold side open tank is used to collect the distilled water from it as the continuous input of water needs to go somewhere. Each sealed tank has four valves three at the top two of those on opposite sides (B&C) one at the very top (D) one at the bottom on the side (A), water-based vacuum pump operations are, Close bottom tank valve A and top tank valve C. Open top tank valve D. Fill sealed tank through top side valve B. Close valve B and D when full. Open bottom valve A. This primes the system to let the warm water in that will vaporize and run through the system when you partially reopen valve B (to control flow rate) and open valve C to its fullest. For only power generation need one pump set and one vacuum tank so we can have a Hot side and a Cold side one to boil the water and one to have the low pressure/vacuum to draw the steam in through the turbine then the cooling coils then to the tank. At the bottom of the cold side, tank is a return pipe with the one way valve to the heat source the one-way valve prevents expansion back to the cold side and as the hot side vacuum chamber is the only outlet for the expanding water and it is drawn by the vacuum the cycle proceeds. You can combine the two and get power generation and distilled water keeping the return line from the power generation system will let you switch if you don't need distilled water on a continuous basis in large quantities. I am going to make one feel free to make one as well it is open source.
This crap will ne er be approved in any state and u dont trust it working as good anyways. The best septic tanks are built in concrete by pros like myself. Should have 2 inside tin chambers before inlet and after outlet built in concrete like 2x2ft...( the leech field many people dont even do it right. ...
Thank you for the comment. Our systems are in addition to a conventional septic tank. Our systems contain and great waste water without dumping into the ground and polluting water sources.
