You are interested in the topic of Tiny House and in particular in the important question: "Which toilet is right for me?"
We have already dealt intensively with this question and are presenting three different options for your tiny house here. You will learn the advantages and disadvantages and hopefully be able to answer the “business question” more easily.
Because the decision depends on your personal ideas, the installation location, the use of the house and your budget.
1. The classic - the toilet with sewage connection
The first option that we present to you here is a conventional ceramic toilet that is connected to the sewage system. This solution seems to many to be the first and most comfortable option. Because with a push of a button the legacies are gone. True to the motto "out of sight, out of mind". Since we are subject to strict building law in Germany, the property on which the house is to be inhabited must be developed anyway (more on this under: Tiny House & Building Law). This in turn means that a supply and waste water line is not far away in most cases. In the case of final assembly at the installation site, connection to the disposal network is always an additional factor. This must be taken into account in any case, since installing this toilet is usually the most cost-effective solution in the first step. So this toilet is the absolute classic and the first choice for anyone looking for a quick and convenient solution. This option is also recommended in the hotel industry.
Advantages:
+comfortable
+ cheap purchase
+large selection
Disadvantages:
-Water consumption
-Expenses for connection to the sewage system
2. The self-sufficient eco-alternative - the dry composting toilet
In the following we would like to introduce you to a real alternative to the conventional ceramic bowl: the dry composting toilet. These are available in different designs as a permanently installed toilet or, for example, as a mobile toilet for mobile homes. The toilet has the decisive advantage over a chemical toilet, as it does not contain any environmentally harmful additives. That's why we don't list a chemical toilet in this blog entry, as it doesn't really represent an alternative. As the name suggests, the dry composting toilet separates solid and liquid excrements in two different collection containers. The urine is collected in the front and the solids in the back. That you have to deal with bad smells with this toilet solution is a fallacy. Due to the separation, the enzymes contained in the faeces cannot form a strong-smelling ammonia compound with the urea contained in the urine. The drying of the solid is then promoted by the addition of a natural litter. The advantages of this toilet solution are therefore obvious. The disposal of the natural waste product is easily done via compost or household waste. The urine can be diluted and used as fertilizer for the garden. So it's the ideal solution if you're interested in a self-sufficient solution, because this toilet works without a water supply or waste water connection.
Advantages:
+autonomous
+chemical free
+no water consumption
+Can be used as fertilizer
Disadvantages:
-higher workload
3. The self-sufficient high-tech miracle - the incineration toilet
Similar to the dry separating toilet, the incineration toilet does not need any water supply or waste water connections and is therefore also suitable as a self-sufficient toilet solution. Externally, this toilet is also relatively inconspicuous. If you look at the technology behind it, you can see that this is a very special toilet. It works either via a 230V power connection or a gas connection. The remains are burned in this toilet in a combustion chamber at up to 600°. The resulting gases are discharged to the outside via an exhaust pipe. The remains are collected in the form of ash in a collection container, which must be emptied after 50-100 trips to the toilet. This option is ideal if you want to make yourself independent of supply and sewage pipes. Only the relatively high acquisition costs can be a hurdle here.
Advantages:
+autonomous
+no water consumption
+Ash as the only legacy
Disadvantages:
-Electricity or gas consumption
-High acquisition costs
All three toilets have their right to exist and in the end you decide which product you want to install in your tiny house. We hope we were able to give you a good overview and that you find the right toilet for your tiny house.
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If you are interested in the topic of self-sufficiency, we have another exciting article for you: Photovoltaics - self-sufficiency for the tiny house
The vagabundo living team Luca, Michi & Andi