Emergency-use toilets & disaster zone toilet options.

This article describes how to make an emergency toilet in a disaster zone or how to flush existing toilets in an emergency. Emergency services needed in area of flood, hurricane, storm, & wind damage control & building inspection include ways to provide toilet facilities.

This article gives options including possible use of building toilets or various makeshift toilets and sanitary facilities that can be used if there are not other or no better toilet facilities available in an emergency or in a disaster zone such as following a flood, hurricane, or earthquake.

Emergency Toilet Flush Methods, Disaster Zone Toilets, & Camping or Portable Toilets

Disaster zone toilet guide - emergency toilet flushing procedure & alternatives - can I use lake water to flush toilets?

Post hurricane Sandy question:

Can I use lake water to flush my toilets. We still have no power, heat or water in Stamford, Connecticut - S.D., Stamford CT 11/5/2012

Reply: Suggestions for emergency flush procedures for conventional toilets when heat, electricity, or water are not available

Here are some suggestions for & warnings about using lake water or other reasonably-clean water from other sources to flush toilets in an emergency.

In short, S.D. yes you can use lake water to flush a toilet. Rather than living with un-flushed toilets, you can use lake water, snow melt, rainwater collected at a downspout, etc. to flush conventional water type toilets (or urinals or bidets) in a building connected to a public sewer or private septic system.

But be sure to read our warnings and procedures (next) that may help avoid a mess.

Watch out: If you know that your public sewer or private septic system is still flooded or under water, do not try flushing water type toilets in the building or you will probably find that the toilet will overflow into the building.

Watch out: even if your septic system is itself is no longer visibly flooded, nevertheless the septic tank may have become flooded, even filled with mud and silt, and the drainfield may still be saturated - meaning that there is still a significant risk of a sewage backup into your building when you try flushing a toilet.

See SEPTIC SYSTEM FLOOD REPAIR for procedures for checking out and repairing a septic tank that has been flooded.

When Can You Safely Flush Building Toilets After a Flood, Hurricane, Etc.

If you are pretty sure your septic tank and fields are at least not under water, or that the public sewer is no longer under water and flooded, you can test the private or public sewer system to see if you can safely begin flushing toilets:

1. Select water that is free of debris and is clean as you can (it does not have to be sanitary, clear lake water would be fine) - don't use water loaded with weeds or other trash to flush a toilet as you risk clogging the drain system.
2. Test a lowest-floor sink or tub drainage first: try pouring a few gallons of clean lake water (no weeds etc) down a bath tub drain or sink drain on your lowest floor. If that drain doesn't back up and no water comes up in nearby drains (floor drains, sink, shower, tub), then
3. Test a toilet on the lowest floor next: try flushing the lowest toilet in the building - you can fill the toilet tank to the fill line and then flush, or (messier) you can try pouring some water directly into the toilet bowl until it begins to flush.
   
   We chose a toilet on lowest floor to avoid the unpleasant surprise of flushing an upper floor toilet only to see the sewage boil up out of a lower floor toilet in the building.

Watch out: if you flush via the toilet tank and flush valve and the toilet starts to back up or overflow, quickly

• Take off the toilet tank lid and carefully (not to break it) place it aside
• Manually push closed the toilet flush valve in the center bottom of the toilet tank to stop the flush
• See TOILET OVERFLOW EMERGENCY for illustrated details of this emergency procedure to stop an overflowing toilet

Other emergency toilet options for use when your home or building have no power, water, etc. include these expedient methods for holding feces, toilet paper, and if necessary, urine

• Use existing portable toilets already in your area? Check with local emergency services and neighbors to see if emergency personnel have already set up portable toilets close to your home or building.
  
  If so, you may want to use those toilets, or you may want to use them to dispose of the waste collected in your own emergency toilet such as the alternatives we describe here.

In the event that there are no public toilets or sanitary facilities working nearby or simply for convenience if there are those who need to make frequent use of an indoor toilet during an emergency, one of the disaster-toilet methods described below may work for you.

1. Camping toilets or porta-potties: illustrated above and described in detail at
   
   at CAMPING & EMERGENCY TOILETS
   
   such as portable johns, port-a-potties if you can obtain one of these devices; if possible, also pick up some chemical deodorant to use if the type of portable toilet you can find makes use of such chemicals.

2. Home made emergency toilet: any container, a plastic trash can, even a metal ammunition box (described in the article just above) can be used as an emergency toilet. Line the "toilet" with a plastic bag that can be closed and later carried to an appropriate waste disposal site.
   
   Exact details of using a small container as an emergency toilet can be read
   
   at ARMY SURPLUS AMMO BOX EMERGENCY TOILET box or ammunition can for an emergency field toilet.
   
   Watch out: Emergency toilet tip #1 - especially for children, elderly or disabled, if you are using a plastic-bag-lined bucket as an emergency toilet, it would be smart to locate it in a corner where there are railings or heavy furnishings that can assist people in sitting down and getting up off of the makeshift toilet.
3. A plastic zip-lok or similar sealable bag can, with some care, be used to catch feces, toilet paper, as needed. Typically these are a one-use per person per bowel movement solution.
   
   After using, place the used toilet paper in the bag with the excrement. See our tip about bleach or disinfectant immediately below.
   
   Squeeze out excess air before closing the bag. In an emergency situation where you must make use of disposable bags to serve as a toilet, collect the bags in a larger plastic garbage bag, doubled if necessary for strength, in order to provide a sanitary means of later carrying the waste to a suitable disposal location.
   
   Do not dispose of waste by leaving it on the ground exposed to weather where runoff may contaminate public surfaces, streets, or nearby water sources.
   
   Definition of flying toilets: in some areas where people live in crowded urban conditions with no public sanitation (such as the Kiberia Slums, East Africa's largest informal settlement), the frequent use of plastic bags as emergency or even regular use toilets has led to the popular term flying toilets - a reference to the practice of tossing the plastic bag of waste into a nearby vacant lot or onto a nearby rooftop. [9]
   
   Watch Out: Emergency toilet tip #2 - avoid burst or exploding sealed plastic bags of feces: seal the plastic bag after use as an emergency and store it in a cool dry place if possible, inside of a larger plastic trash bag to await proper disposal.
   
   If you have bleach or a similar disinfectant, mix your bleach as one part bleach to three parts water and pour a few tablespoons into the plastic bag before sealing it - this will reduce bacterial action and gas formation and might avoid a burst bag.
   
   Emergency toilet tip #2 - Provide a bucket of clean water and soap for washing hands, something that will be particularly appreciated if people have to try using a small plastic bag as a temporary toilet.

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

If the electrical power goes out can I still flush the toilets into my septic system?

I have a septic system for my house. If the power goes out can I still flush the toilets? On 2017-09-16 by Rick

by (mod) - Usually but not always - depends on whether or not

1. you have water supply

2. your toilets flush by gravity

3. your septic sysetm doesn't rely on electricity-driven pumps.

Rick,

Bottom line: IF there are no pumps required for your septic system to operate, and IF your septic system is not in failure for some other reason like a flooded septic tank and field or a blocked sewer pipe, then YES you can flush toilets.

Otherwise maybe not without some worry.

Here's the deal:

Obviously if you have no water pressure you can't flush toilets more than once unless you can find a water source that lets you manually re-fill your toilet flush tank.

Often municipal water supply pressure continues during a power outage. .

IF your septic system does not rely on a grinder pump to get sewage out of the building and up into a waste pipe headed for the septic tank,
and

IF your septic tank does not rely on an effluent pump to move effluent up out of the tank into a drainfield or on an aerator pump to keep an aerobic system working or an effluent spray pump that is used by some aerobic systems to dispose of effluent on the ground surface,

THEN sure you can flush toilets.

Keep in mind that IF you are in a flood zone such as recently created by hurricanes in the U.S. in Texas and Florida, then the ground around your septic system may still be so saturated that your septic system could still back up.

If that's the case you want to keep wastewater disposal to the minimum you can until the area dries out, and you want to keep an eye on the lowest plumbing fixtures or drain openings in the building to be sure there's no sewage backing up into the structure.

Watch out: if your septic system relies on an effluent pump or if your household drains rely on a sewage ejector pump to move waste to the septic tank, then if you have no electric power your plumbing drain system won't work.

 

Emergency toilet option during COVID Pandemic - septic system failed

Hi! I have a 30 year old septic system serving our 3 bedroom house.

About 2 months ago we had the tank pumped and inspected as we got back flow into the downstairs tub and toilet. It was indicating that our drain field has failed. We are in the process of getting a new Glendon system installed, however with Covid and the county permitting, it’s expected to be at least 4 more weeks until we’re back online.

We’ve been extremely conservative in our water use to limit as much as we can more stress in the already failed drain field, but after a few days of heavy rains, we’re back to water being above the outlet pipe and 1/4” above the bottom lip of the inlet, close to where we were when we got the back flow.

What can I do besides rent a hotel for the next 4 weeks to get by until the new system is installed?

Would it be worthwhile to pay the 900 bucks I was quoted to pump the tank empty and “jet the lines” Considering having no functional water in essence for 2 kids and 2 adults in quarantine for 4 weeks sounds like a nightmare? - 2020/05/13 Steve H

Moderator reply: more emergency & temporary toilet solutions

Thanks for the question, Steve.

I'm doubtful that jetting the drainfield works for long, though with some processes like Terralift you might get temporary help.

An alternative is water conservation and tank pumping.

How big is your septic tank? And whats the charge to empty it weekly vs other options?

What climate? If not too cold, then consider these additional options

• A rental Portapotty or even
• Rental RV complete with a shower and toilet is an option. The RV will have its own holding tank that you can empty periodically by driving to a dumping station or campground - though most of those are closed during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Chemical toilet - if you have an accessible, nearby dumping station you can use. Some of these are very simple, even rudimentary.
  
  See ALTERNATIVE & WATERLESS TOILETS
  
  See CHEMICAL TOILETS
• A temporary latrine can work for some families, though with small children, use at night may be a hassle
  
  See OUTHOUSES & LATRINES
• The woods - if you live in a sufficiently rural area, same objection as for latrines

Also, please see our suggestions for emergency toilets at

DISASTER ZONE TOILET GUIDE - above on thi spage

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Continue reading  at CAMPING & EMERGENCY USE TOILETS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Related Articles

• ALTERNATIVE & WATERLESS TOILETS camping toilets, chemical toilets, emergency-use toilets, waterless toilets, graywater systems, composting toilets, home health care toilets, incinerating toilets, outhouses, and latrines
• CAMPING & EMERGENCY USE TOILETS
• CHEMICAL TOILETS
• DISASTER ZONE TOILET GUIDE
• EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE - home
• FIRE DAMAGED BUILDINGS - home
• FLOOD DAMAGE CLEANUP & REPAIR GUIDE - home

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DISASTER ZONE TOILET GUIDE at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to TOILET INFORMATION

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