Can you put the composting toilet on top of the wheel well?

TheMacyFamily · 07-25-2020, 02:32 PM

So I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a short bus, just trying to make the layout work roughly before i write a fat check.

I keep coming back to the bathroom over the wheel well and I'm wondering if anyone has ever put the toilet on top of it? I think it would be awkwardly high, but thought it could maybe work?

Maybe I'm trying to hard to put a round peg in a square hole.

musigenesis · 07-25-2020, 02:45 PM

If you're building your own DIY toilet, there's no reason it wouldn't work. You can use a shorter cat litter bucket instead of a 5-gallon bucket and lower the whole thing. If you're dropping a grand on a Nature's Head, that might be up a bit high.

FWIW it's not uncommon for people to shave off some of the top of the wheel well, something you could do to keep your toilet down low.

DawgBüs · 07-25-2020, 03:12 PM

You could always build a step in front of it if you can't reduce the overall height.

musigenesis · 07-25-2020, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DawgBüs

You could always build a step in front of it if you can't reduce the overall height.

Heh, I was thinking it's more the issue of stage fright than accessibility, but I forget not everybody keeps all their windows like I'm doing.

TheMacyFamily · 07-25-2020, 04:04 PM

Yea, not sure how it would be climbing up there.

Drew Bru · 07-25-2020, 04:37 PM

We put our Nature's Head toilet up on the wheel well. It's a tall toilet, so we built a little step in front of it that doubles as extra toilet paper storage.

TheArgobus · 07-25-2020, 08:58 PM

The real beauty of doing a DIY skoolie is you can do it however you want, and customize things to make them work. You should absolutely put it over the wheel well, and make a step as mentioned to make it work--you will be super proud of your work, and the fact that you built your skoolie to your exact spec that you wanted. I did this with a few things on my bus and, although it took a little engineering and thinking, put things where I wanted them to go and even though they might look weird or silly (like the AC sticking out the forehead with a backing plate--but it works GREAT! and I have extra free space in the back for a future bunk bed!) I'm super happy I made it work!

joeblack5 · 07-26-2020, 07:45 AM

As a kid I used to ride on trains. Looking into the toilet you could see the rails moving under you.. It was very loud and windy. The toilets were always positioned at the beginning or end of the cabin....so close to the wheels. Sure the maintenance crews found a piece or two..

DawgBüs · 07-28-2020, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Heh, I was thinking it's more the issue of stage fright than accessibility, but I forget not everybody keeps all their windows like I'm doing.

Haha! I didn't even think of that! Theres plumbing companies that place decals/paint on the drivers door that makes it look as if they ARE on the toilet. This person could just get one of those. No one will suspect a thing.

BeNimble · 07-28-2020, 01:29 PM

I would not like having to navigate a step when getting up at night to use the toilet.
Also might consider if you ever wanted to change to a wet toilet, no way to drain it over the wheels. But do what works for you, anything is possible, even draining over the wheels even though I said no way you can, of course you can just lot more difficult, maybe a second step too..

Ronnie · 07-28-2020, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeblack5

As a kid I used to ride on trains. Looking into the toilet you could see the rails moving under you.. It was very loud and windy. The toilets were always positioned at the beginning or end of the cabin....so close to the wheels. Sure the maintenance crews found a piece or two..

Yes and the sign that says do not use while in the station.....

gs1949 · 07-28-2020, 06:21 PM

The last time I was in China was in 2014, but they were still using trains like that, and they had signs in Mandarin and English.
At that time they were working toward getting rid of all those old trains, the new, high speed trains don't have toilets that let you see the tracks.

rebapuck · 08-01-2020, 03:33 PM

I remember looking at the tracks on the Durham to Petersburg ride. For some reason, using the water fountain on the train was a big deal to little me too. My poor mother.

maddmaxx · 08-01-2020, 05:35 PM

Depending on what kind of Short Bus you are considering. I can't speak for others, but my 5 window, BlueBird "MicroBird" on a E-450 cutaway chassis has NO inside wheel wells to deal with. For what it's worth... It also has a relatively flat ceiling contour (more headroom and space for upper storage around edge of ceiling)

A couple of pics of interior prior to floor removal. Only thing that encroaches on my floor space is the diesel fill tube, rear heater box, and hydraulic wheelchair lift. (Heater box and lift will be removed)

A couple other advantages of the "MicroBird" shorty is:
* An all aluminum body (no rust & much lighter)
* Extra 7"-8" under body storage for gray water/fresh water/generator/air compressor, etc (due to lifting the body up above the wheel well.
* Still has a 74" (6' 2") headroom
* Windows sit 7"-8" higher than normal (safer as the bottom of an open window is well over 6 feet from the ground)
* More ground clearance with the elevated floorplan.
* Maybe even add some external insulation under bus
* Able to add under floor storage and/or recess the shower floor below the bus floor

Doktari · 08-01-2020, 07:10 PM

I considering specializing in conversions for extra tall people so toilet over the wheel well might work good.
As far as height is concerned that is. The term “relative placement” comes to mind. (How is something placed relative to everything else)

tad875 · 08-02-2020, 09:26 AM

Absolutely! I built a raised platform over it and popped the toilet on top. Generally sitting down when I’m using it anyhow. �� Even tall people are able to adapt to the arrangement. I did have to put it kind of an angle though so long legged people knees don’t hit the wall

gs1949 · 08-02-2020, 10:37 AM

My plans have a sink on the wheel well. I am not using a factory-made, pre-composting toilet, though, I am building my own, and it will actually compost. That is one of my main design criteria I have been organic gardening and composting for decades, and I am sure I can pull this off.

There will be 2 composting chambers, sitting right next to each other, right next to the wheel well, and they will be 20 gallon hazardous waste containers I found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LDEP0C/

Most homemade compost toilets use 5 gallon buckets, but such small containers simply do not have enough thermal mass for the compost to heat properly. But mine will heat.

In addition to the larger size containers I have also designed a manifold system that will bring fresh, outside air under slight pressure from a muffin fan to the bottom of each container. My bacteria will have plenty of oxygen.

I have almost everything I need for this project and intend to put it all together after I get my floor finally finished. I will start a thread on this then in case anyone is interested.

Mountain Gnome · 08-02-2020, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gs1949

My plans have a sink on the wheel well. I am not using a factory-made, pre-composting toilet, though, I am building my own, and it will actually compost. That is one of my main design criteria I have been organic gardening and composting for decades, and I am sure I can pull this off.

There will be 2 composting chambers, sitting right next to each other, right next to the wheel well, and they will be 20 gallon hazardous waste containers I found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LDEP0C/

Most homemade compost toilets use 5 gallon buckets, but such small containers simply do not have enough thermal mass for the compost to heat properly. But mine will heat.

In addition to the larger size containers I have also designed a manifold system that will bring fresh, outside air under slight pressure from a muffin fan to the bottom of each container. My bacteria will have plenty of oxygen.

I have almost everything I need for this project and intend to put it all together after I get my floor finally finished. I will start a thread on this then in case anyone is interested.

EEEWW! 20 gallons of ... poop ... or is that 40 total ... with you everywhere you go for months at a time? Then what do you do with it?

gs1949 · 08-02-2020, 11:32 AM

That will be 40 total, well-ventilated and eventually well-composted. When finished, the compost will be safe to use anywhere on crops that are either ornamental or for animal food. Personally, I would not hesitate to use it on human food crops that I was sure would be cooked before consuming.

And I plan on asking before I actually do this, but from the regulations I've read I think it could be legally dumped almost anywhere in a national forest that is more than 200 feet from a stream.

The only question in my mind is whether I can get proper composting activity throughout the whole mass without any turning of the pile. I may have to occasionally stir a little.

I do intend to use compost starter so it should go fairly quickly. I'm thinking maybe 6 months between batches, but that depends on usage and so might be more or less.

But I'm doing a lot of guessing here. Compost toilets that actually produce compost instead of just producing desiccated excrement are not all that rare, but those are all immobile installations built in a shed or something, and it's usually a shed with a basement.

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