The completed outhouse! A great view and a cresent moon on the door.

The new urine separating, solid waste dehydrating outhouse for the Snowbird Hut has been completed and is ready for your visit!  The Snowbird Hut Team is testing a new outhouse design for the alpine environment.  This design uses a specially crafted toilet bowl shaped with a  ’catch chamber’ that drains liquids outside to evaporate. Solid waste drops down the hole of the toilet bowl onto a drying rack. Fresh air is circulated through the system by venting and solar warming to remove the moisture from the chamber.  We hope to dry the waste matter so that it can be removed more easily and less frequently from the outhouse.

The drying rack and venting tube. The waste matter is contained in the trough until it is collected for removal. This picture is prior to sealing the chamber.

Venting pipe faces south to take advantage of the exposure. The lower dehydration chamber is covered with plexiglass which allows solar to penetrate and speed heat/drying.

Toilet bowl contains a basin for urine (which drains outside to evaporate) and a hole for solid waste. Waste drops onto a drying rack which is vented above and below the rack.