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Privies and outhouses: this article discusses outhouse construction, maintenance, venting and lime or lime alternatives for odor control, outhouse sanitation, outhouse safety, and outhouse products or alternatives. A privy or outhouse is a toilet located outside of a house or other occupied building. Historically a privy was a small wood structure that encompassed walls, roof, a door for privacy, a rudimentary ventilation system, and one or more seats placed over a pit dug to receive the ususal toilet wastes. Modern outhouses follow those old design ideas but often use plastics or other newer materials and may add solar-powered ventilating fans. We list sources of outhouse supplies. Our page top photo shows a modern outhouse along the Appalachian trail in Sharon, Connecticut. Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman. Construction& Maintenance Guide for Outhouses
About the Types of Lime Used in Outhouses
Question on Lime Alternatives for Outhouse Odor ControlI use an outhouse and use lime. What else works. I am low income and live in Texas. Thanks. - Rob Hager, TX. Answer:Lime has been traditionally used reduce the odors or smells in an outhouse or at an outdoor latrine. Lime does not speed waste decomposition and may actually slow it down by decreasing the acidity of the sewage. Lime also reduced the problem of flies in the outhouse or latrine. (Some folks hang flypaper inside the outhouse pit to reduce the fly problem further.) Lime may also absorb some portion of liquids (urine) and may pick up moisture from the air, aiding in waste decomposition. More about the types of lime used in outhouses is below at Details About the Types of Lime Used in Outhouses. Watch out: don't get lime on the toilet seat - it will cause skin burns. Types of lime that have been used in outhouses include the following:Lime is calcium hydroxide (CaOH2), or more carelessly called S-lime or slaked lime. Quicklime is calcium oxide (CaO). Quicklime, when "slaked" with water (providing more H2O) becomes hot and chemically changes (this is why mortar can be warm or even hot when being mixed). Quicklime is made from limestone (calcium carbonate or CaCO3) by heating limestone in a kiln to drive off CO2 leaving CaO. Calcium hypochlorite Ca(CLO)2, (lime chloride) produced by treating slaked lime (CaO) with chlorine gas, is also sold for treating manure or for sanitizing dairy barns, and is essentially powdered bleach - a disinfectant. Alternatives to Lime for Outhouse Odor Control & Maintenance
Cedar shavings work even better and may provide a more pleasant smell. In a remote area if sawdust or wood shavings are not available, even dry leaves may help reduce odors. Wood ash: If your home includes a woodstove, wood ashes can also be sprinkled over waste in the outhouse. Straw or peat moss for the outhouse: Other recommendations for an outhouse additive to keep down odors include chopped straw or even peat moss to encourage the formation of a crust atop the waste. The crust also reduces outhouse odors and flies. Crust formation is encouraged by adding lye or hydrated lime at one pound per 1000 cubic feet. In other words, for a human-use outhouse (as opposed to manure storage) you don't need much lime for daily use - just a sprinkling. If the pH of waste is kept over 6.7 crust formation is encouraged.
We have not been able to find technical data supporting that use - contact us if you find such information as we'd be glad to add it here. Our photo (left) illustrates solar-powered venting on an outhouse at the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge walkway that spans the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, NY. Kitchen waste for the outhouse: Some people add vegetable waste (never meat waste) to the outhouse on occasion, especially cooked cabbage, to promote the composting action of the outhouse. Watch out: Do not use thick wood chips in any volume in an outhouse as they won't decompose rapidly and the added volume will reduce the life of the outhouse pit. Watch out: do not use bleach nor formaldehyde for outhouse odor control. These chemicals are irritants to the outhouse users and they also interfere with the biological break-down of sewage in the outhouse pit. Use a Vent for Outhouse Odor Control
Your privy vent can be constructed of a 4" or larger plastic pipe but you can also simply make a home made one out of 1x6 boards framed into a rectangle. You can also use 4" aluminum or steel vent piping such as a clothes dryer vent or a steel chimney vent pipe. Ventilation of the outhouse interior itself (see our photo, above right) can help avoid heat stroke in a too-hot outhouse interior during summer months. Also see SEWER GAS ODORS and see ODORS, SEPTIC or SEWER and ODORS, URINE REMOVAL. Warnings: Do Not Use These in an Outhouse or LatrineWatch out: do NOT try pouring bleach or any chlorine product into the outhouse or any other type of dry toilet. The chlorine will react with the urine to make dangerous, even possibly fatal ammonium chloride gas. We also do NOT recommend using the deodorant chemicals intended for chemical toilets such as those used in RVs or porta pottys - those chemicals may interfere with the natural breakdown and decomposition of outhouse sewage. Do not spray pesticides into an outhouse pit or latrine. Frequent spraying of outhouse pits for insects will breed pesticide-resistant insects that can become a serious health hazard. One-time insecticide spraying a latrine or outhouse pit that has become filled and is about to be filled in and closed, is permitted. This is to prevent fly pupae from hatching and gaining access to the open air. Outhouse and Latrine Fire and Explosion Hazards - Lessons from Camp VirginiaThe Day the Blackfeet Set Fire to Oklahoma
Outhouse fire risks: In the summer of 1955 at Camp Virginia, in Goshen, Virginia, there were two large outhouses, each sporting about a dozen open seats. The outhouses were named for two U.S. states. Campers would say "I'm going to Oklahoma" to mean I need to use the outhouse. That was fine. The second outhouse was named "Arizona". Also fine. Oklahoma was a bit more popular than Arizona as it was a shorter walk from the camp cabins. We were divided into camper groups by bunks (cabins), each named after an american indian tribe. Arapahoes, Blackfeet, Mohicans, Utes. That's me (DF) 3rd from left in the photo above. But as Mrs. Ebbe Hoff later told my mother, boys will be boys, and someone had the theory that methane gas in the large outhouse pit would make a neat explosion if we dropped a match or two down the hole. We had been studying camping and woodlore, including a class guaranteed to be popular with boys: how to build a small fire using as few matches as possible. Some of us were pretty good at fires, so we had a few wooden kitchen matches left over. Our outhouse photo at below left shows a very old wood-shingled outhouse in Cooperstown, NY. This outhouse was located more than 100 feet from any nearby pond or stream.
There was a sudden woosh! as a methane gas cloud exploded. (See SEPTIC METHANE GAS.) We thought this was wonderfully exciting. Quickly more lit matches followed the first one into the outhouse pit. We had already exploded the immediately available methane gas, but there was quite a bit of dry toilet paper scattered in the large outhouse pit, and now it caught fire. That too, seemed exciting at first. But the fire grew, and very soon we got worried about burning down the whole outhouse structure - something that camp director Mac Pitt would not be very happy about. Quoting from Camp Virginia's modern website about "Building Character"
Thinking fast, and exhibiting teamwork, we recruited more campers (the rest of the Blackfeet and some of the Mohicans) and we all took our turns peeing onto the fire in the outhouse pit below. The pee, combined with a few buckets of water tossed in by our role models, camp counselors DeWitt and Emerson, saved Oklahoma from destruction. But that was not the end of it. Watch out: don't throw matches into the outhouse pit, and never pee into a fire except in the most dire emergency. Methane explosions can be dangerous. And the stench of hot burned urine was unimaginable to anyone who had never peed onto a fire before. Which was all of us. For the rest of the summer, acrid stinking Oklahoma was completely unusable. We all had to crowd into Arizona. Considering recent Arizona stop-suspicious-looking-people legislation, it's lucky that none of us at the time looked like a genuine Blackfoot, or we'd surely have been arrested for improper peeing. - POETRY & SHORT FICTION by Daniel Friedman Reader Comments & Photographs of Camp Virginia, and Goshen Virginia in the 1950'sWith apologies to readers who don't care a hoot about Camp Virginia, we include photographs of Goshen Virginia and the Camp contributed by readers and the author. Or if you wish, skip over this stuff and continue at Outhouse Location - where to put the outhouse. Our photo, below left, by the author [DF], shows Camp Virginia's Maury River in 1955.
Reader Lee Schiflett contributed the three Goshen Virginia photos and text just below: John McDonald's store on Little River, near Goshen,Va. The photo was taken probably around 1950. McDonald's Store was a ' general ' store in every sense of the word, selling clothes, canned food, pots and pans (which hung from the cieling) and of course 'pop' (soft drinks) candy bars, and all sorts of things the camp boys would buy. I remember it sounded like a school yard when the boys would come.
I knew Mac Pitt, and I remember one counselor named Jimmy Cease. Jimmy had a summer romance with my cousin Martha Belle Lyle who lived in Goshen. Jimmy drove the camp truck , a yellow '49 or '50 Ford pickup and came the Goshen Post Office often. Grandpa operated his store untill he was 88 years old. The Scouts had bought all the land on either side of his farm. Always the good businesman, he got the Scouts to find him another farm that suited him andtraded the Little River place for a much larger farm at Rockbridge Baths. I took the photo at above right in October, 1957. I call it "The Little River Homeplace". McDonald's store isn't visible here, but it was about 50 feet from the right side of the house. Lake Merriwether covers the bottom land in front of the house. Nothing remains to show that a family once lived here, or that Camp Virginia boys once rode their ponies down the gravel road and stoped at the store for a bottle of ' pop ' and a candy bar.
Outhouse Location - where to put the outhouseAs we noted earlier, the traditional location for an outhouse was close to the building it serves. In urban settings "outhouses" or dunnies or thunderboxes were constructed abutting an exterior building wall where the dunny collected waste in a container that was collected by night soil collectors for disposal out of the city. The public outhouse shown below, in Acadia National Park, Maine, is located uphill and well away from the nearby and rocky Maine coast and bay.
When locating a new outhouse, be sure that your outhouse is located where it won't contaminate a nearby well, stream, or lake. We give clearance distances between onsite waste treatment systems and other site features at SEPTIC CLEARANCES. Outhouse Pit Depth - how big and how deep?In freezing climates, it's a good idea to make the outhouse pit extend below the frost line. Otherwise in winter the waste may simply freeze and decomposition won't occur. Digging the pit to an eight-foot depth is common practice. Watch out: while it seems unlikely that a child would deliberately enter an outhouse pit, make sure that your outhouse and its seats or seat openings are secure against a child falling into the pit. Falling into a pit or septic tank can be quickly fatal. See SEPTIC & CESSPOOL SAFETY for details. Traditional Outhouse Compared with Composting Toilet Type OuthousesIt's useful to understand the difference between a traditional pit-outhouse and a more complex composting outhouse. A pit outhouse is simply a protective structure built over a hole or pit that receives the human waste. Good design includes privacy doors, vents so that the outhouse does not become too hot in summer, and a vertical vent stack to conduct gases and odors out of the pit up through the outhouse roof. The pit-type outhouse was moved every few years or longer, depending on how rapidly the pit filled. A composting outhouse is a more complex system that speeds the decomposition of the sewage waste and produces an end product that can be spread on plants. The most popular text we have found on this topic is the Humanure Handbook. Also see Composting Toilets. Traditional Outhouse Compared with Portable Toilets, Port-A-Johns or Porta Potty restrooms and chemical toilets - Portable Loos
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Outhouse or Latrine Desogm. onstruction, Maintenance, Repairs
Question: don't be scared of the Johnny House
In all my 68 years of living in the mountains of West Virginia and using countless "Johnny Houses" over decades I've never seen or heard of anyone blowing up a sh*thouse with matches. People set them afire by smoking cigarettes, but methane gas always rises and no outhouse I've ever seen was gas-tight to where a tossed cigarette or match would explode it. As for kids being hurt a few got their legs down the hole but people are smart enough to make the hole under the seat too small for a kid to fall through. Its simply amazing to me that anyone would ever fear a Johnny House. They have been part of country life for centuries, and I actually rather have the sh*tter outside instead of a toilet in the house. The old people thought having a commode inside the house was dirty and unhealthy, and perhaps they were right. - Huck 4/19/2011
Reply:
Quite so. We agree, Huck, that outhouses are not likely to explode from kids playing with matches and methane gas hazards, though there is no question about an outhouse being set on fire, as we recounted above. It was burning toilet paper, not methane gas that set the fire. And it was a big, long lasting, and stinky fire at that. Worse, if there is enough dry paper waste in the outhouse, kids setting it on fire can burn down the whole structure. That happened, but only once, among the outhouses we knew personally. See METHANE GAS.
However there are very serious methane gas explosion hazards in homes and other buildings if sewer gases are not properly vented outside.
It's a fundamental mistake to think that because one of us has personally never seen something, that the something doesn't exist or never occurs. I'll bet you've never seen the inside of a jet engine, but it's there. - Editor
Question: I don't want to keep moving the outhouse - what about a chemical additive?
Hello, I have an outhouse at my hunting cabin. No one lives around the area and its all my property, I dont want to keep moving it. I want to know the best and quickest cemical product for breakdown. Thank you Don Fassbender 7/19/2011
Reply:
Thanks for the outhouse moving/relocation question Don. Unfortunately when the outhouse pit becomes full close to ground surface you'll need to relocate the outhouse. Solid waste in the comparatively dry environment of an outhouse pit is not going to disappear by bacterial nor enzyme nor other "breakdown" process. Consider that even in a working septic tank where there is plenty of water, the solid waste remains in the tank and has to be pumped out and disposed of.
Your alternative to occasionally relocating the outhouse and closing the old outhouse pit would be to go to a gas-powered incinerating toilet.
Question: bad urine smell around the outhouse
interesting and helpful read.. but what i am looking for information on is an outdoor toilet(campground) that has a plastic septic tank under that gets pumped out when full.. the problem is the smell of urine is so bad, what can we add or do to eliminate the smell. thank you - Debbie 8/18/11
Reply:
Debbie, you're talking about a port-a-john type toilet that uses a plastic reservoir to hold all waste; The same chemical disinfectants and deodorizers that work in chemical toilets should do the job you want; you may want to add just a little water when the disinfectant/deodorizer is placed into the holding tank; these chemical toilet chemicals are widely available from RV suppliers, even from Sears.
Just see Chemical Toilets
Also make sure that the Port-a-John is being properly cleaned, not just emptied.
BUT you might check that the people using the outhouse are aiming clearly - if users are peeing not into the tank but onto surfaces in the facility then the pee smell will continue to be horrible between cleanings.
Question: corn starch as an odor killer?
I did not see corn starch as an odor killer, listed above. I know people who used it. Is there a reason why it is not recommended? I'm using a temporary bucket, toilet seat, plastic bag liners, while the septic is backed up to the house toilet. The smell needs attention, as the recommended bags are not cheap, must serve several uses before disposal. - Lurch 12/6/11
Reply:
We have not been able to find any expert sources who could confirm that corn starch is an effective deodorant; in fact with sewage nutrients it may promote bacterial growth.
Question: too many flies at the outhouse
hello, My outhouse is producing allot of flies inside this summer and i was wondering why and how to get rid of them. It has been a dry summer in ontario and i thought maybe the pit was producing more flies because of the dryness.what should i do? - Devon 9/2/12
Reply:
Make sure that the toilet lid is kept down;
Wash the urinal if there is a separate urinal device
Make sure that your outhouse pit is properly vented above the roof
Question: put lime in the outhouse
I have an original log cabin in the hills with an outhouse, I would like to know a chemical to use for waste breakdown. Years ago my Dad used either lye or lime--I think. - Lanette 10/10/12
Reply:
We discuss the use of lime in outhouse pits in the article above. Please take a look, and if questions remain, just ask.
Question: how to maintain a stone privy
I'm trying to find out how you maintain and use an old stone built domestic privy with a perminantly fitted wooden boxed seat and lid, can anyone please help? - Ann 10/24/12
Reply:
Ann, the same maintenance suggestions given above pertain regardless of how the outhouse building itself was constructed. Make sure your structure is sound and that it is properly vented and you should be OK.
Also take a look to see if the pit has become so full that it needs attention. Because of the difficulty of moving a stone outhouse or privy, you might instead need to ask for help from a septic pumper. It's almost impossible to pump the near solid waste out of an outhouse pit, but by adding water and then pumping it may be possible to create space to permit continued use.
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- Camp Virginia, PO Box 10, Goshen, Virginia 24439, Email: info@campvirginia.com, Winter Contact Information: Director Emeritus - Betty Pitt, 8122 Greystone Circle East, Richmond, Virginia 23229, 804 282 2339 or Winter Contact Information:
Camp Director - Shepherd 'Shep' Lewis, 345 Lexington Road, Richmond, Virginia 23226, 804 513 9236
Quoting from the camp's website:
Camp Virginia was founded in 1928 by Directors Coach and Mrs. Malcolm Pitt of Richmond, Virginia. The spirit they developed has been continuously nurtured by campers, counselors, alumni and the Honor Council. All phases of camp life, from the activities to the cabins, stress integrity, unselfishness, and gratitude, and these values are enhanced by daily devotions and prayers. Here in the midst of these beautiful Allegheny Mountains and the Maury River, the founders’ goals of reaching each boy, building character, and developing well-rounded campers will always be pursued.
Camp Virginia has been in the Pitt Family for three generations. Their love and guidance of the Camp Virginia campers and counselors for over eighty years has been their trademark in building a diverse, loving, and extensive Camp Virginia Family. - "Water Efficiency Technology Fact Sheet: Composting Toilets [on file as /septic/EPA_Composting_Toilets.pdf ] - " U.S. EPA, Web Search 07/01/2010, original source: http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/comp.pdf )
- "Quantification of Methane Emission and Discussion of Nitrous Oxide and Ammonia Emissions from Septic Tanks, Latrines, and Stagnant Open Sewers in the World", US EPA, web search 07/01/2010, original source: http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=40001LAG.txt
- The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure, Joseph C. Jenkins, # Joseph Jenkins, Inc.; 3 edition (September 1, 2005),
ISBN-10: 0964425831,
ISBN-13: 978-0964425835
The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure, 3rd Ed., Joseph C. Jenkins. Quoting part of an Amazon review: The Humanure Handbook provides a wealth of thoroughly researched, hands-on experience and scientific data that demonstrates that after a natural process called "thermophilic" bacterial digestion, which occurs in a compost bin and where all pathogens are killed, excreta is then converted to a valuable nutrient for agriculture and thereby completing a full-circle life cycle. Most importantly, effluent can then be kept out of our drinking water and not treated or referred to as an undesirable "waste product". The information is conveyed in a humorous, folksy, down-to-earth easy to understand style along with drawings, charts, tables, photos and a wealth of resource info for further research. Jenkins' website has a forum for sharing more info, experiences and to answer any and all questions in the process of humanuring and constructed wetland gray water treatment. - Green Latrine, Pro-Planet Industrial Supply, 1615 Monrovia Ave Costa Mesa, CA 92627-4404 map Orange County, CA Metro Area (949) 645-4582 Pro-Planet.com
- U.S. Army Field Manual 21-10, Field Hygiene and Sanitation, 1988, web search 07/02/2010, original source: http://www.enlisted.info/field-manuals/fm-21-10-field-hygiene-and-sanitation.shtml
The purpose of this manual is to assist individual soldiers, unit commanders, leaders and field sanitation teams in preventing disease and environmental injuries. The manual provides information on preventive medicine measures (PMM) to the individual soldier as well as essential information for the unit commander, unit leaders, and the unit field sanitation team on applying unit level PMM. - U.S. Army Field Manual FM-8-285-Noxious_Chemicals discusses Ammonia, Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Sulfide, Oxides of Nitrogen, Hazards caused by fire,
- "Field Facilities for Human Waste Disposal", Army Study Guide, (U.S. Army Field Manuals), web search 07/02/2010, original source: http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/army_board_study_guide_topics
/field_sanitation/field-facilities-for-huma.shtml
- The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
- Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information
- The Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems
- Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
- Home & Outdoor Living Water Requirements
- Septic Tank Capacity vs Usage in Daily Gallons of Wastewater Flow, calculating required septic tank size, calculating septic tank volume from size measurements
- Septic Tank/Soil-Absorption Systems: How to Operate & Maintain [ copy on file as /septic/Septic_Operation_USDA.pdf ] - , Equipment Tips, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 8271 1302, 7100 Engineering, 2300 Recreation, September 1982, web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfimage/82711302.pdf.
- How Big Should the Leach Field Be? - table of soil percolation rate vs. field size
- Septic System Drainfield Absorption System Biomat Formation - what leads to drain field clogging and expensive drainfield repairs
- Table of Required Septic & Well Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.
- Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
- Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include
- Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-161, Septic System Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment
- Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-162, The Soil Media and the Percolation Test
- Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-l64, Mound Systems for Wastewater Treatment
- Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-165, Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems
- Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and
Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by
Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)
- Advanced Onsite Wastewater Systems Technologies, Anish R. Jantrania, Mark A. Gross. Anish Jantrania, Ph.D., P.E., M.B.A., is a Consulting Engineer, in Mechanicsville VA, 804-550-0389 (2006). Outstanding technical reference especially on alternative septic system design alternatives. Written for designers and engineers, this book is not at all easy going for homeowners but is a text I recommend for professionals--DF.
- Builder's Guide to Wells and Septic Systems, Woodson, R. Dodge: $ 24.95; MCGRAW HILL B; TP; Quoting from Amazon's description: For the homebuilder, one mistake in estimating or installing wells and septic systems can cost thousands of dollars. This comprehensive guide filled with case studies can prevent that. Master plumber R. Dodge Woodson packs this reader-friendly guide with guidance and information, including details on new techniques and materials that can economize and expedite jobs and advice on how to avoid mistakes in both estimating and construction. Chapters cover virtually every aspect of wells and septic systems, including on-site evaluations; site limitations; bidding; soil studies, septic designs, and code-related issues; drilled and dug wells, gravel and pipe, chamber-type, and gravity septic systems; pump stations; common problems with well installation; and remedies for poor septic situations. Woodson also discusses ways to increase profits by avoiding cost overruns.
- Country Plumbing: Living with a Septic System, Hartigan, Gerry: $ 9.95; ALAN C HOOD & TP; Quoting an Amazon reviewer's comment, with which we agree--DF:This book is informative as far as it goes and might be most useful for someone with an older system. But it was written in the early 1980s. A lot has changed since then. In particular, the book doesn't cover any of the newer systems that are used more and more nowadays in some parts of the country -- sand mounds, aeration systems, lagoons, etc.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
- Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
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