Ventilation in a country toilet with a cesspool: tips for arrangement and step-by-step instructions

Many townspeople love trips to the country for the opportunity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city and breathe in the fresh air. Unless, of course, it is spoiled by poor-quality ventilation in a country toilet with a cesspool, but there is nothing to be done about it, these are the disadvantages of a country vacation.

Or is it still possible to do without the fetid amber that has settled in the latrine?

We will tell you in detail how to correctly arrange air exchange and enjoy a fresh vacation without such small, but still unpleasant nuances.

The need to arrange ventilation

A country or rural street toilet is usually the simplest building, most often wooden or brick. The place for collecting sewage is a cesspool with or without a container installed in it.

As human waste accumulates, an eerie smell appears - the result of the decomposition of organic matter with the participation of bacteria in it.

In addition, fat flies crawl through the sewage and spread the infection with parasites in such a toilet.

Fortunately, the design of the cesspool, and this is how street latrines are most often equipped, allows through the hole in building in a timely manner to remove the accumulated feces, and in addition, in the building it is really possible to equip a functioning ventilation.

Theoretically, it can be included in the already built toilet, but still, it is best to provide for it even at the design stage of the closet.

We will tell you what types of ventilation for country latrines exist and you can choose the most optimal option for you.

Natural ventilation of the toilet

When they say "natural", in most cases they mean the installation of the simplest supply and exhaust structure. But in fact, it is most relevant to talk about the design features of the structure itself.

With this type of ventilation, if you can call it that, odors are removed naturally, thanks to the standard air circulation in the booth. For this, the structure is most often built with gaps - in the lower part between the floor and the walls and in the upper part - between the walls and the roof.

And of course, we must not forget about the window, which, however, must be present in any ventilation scheme. The window is not glazed in any case, the exception is constructions where there are 2-3 of them and only one of the existing ones is left open, covering it with a sheet of plywood for the winter, and with a mosquito net in summer. It serves as a natural source of fresh air and lighting.

In villages, such toilets are found quite often and, most likely, that is why the notorious "plowing" is found about latrines in such an area.

Why is such ventilation not effective, although it certainly has advantages in the form of complete absence of costs?

Ventilation conditions are not constant and odor removal is ineffective. In standing weather, air exchange is completely reduced to minimum values.

Freestanding cesspool in the toilet

Some latrines are similar to home ones. In them toilet installed, there are absolutely no natural smells inside. At first glance, perfect. But on the other hand, this design is very complex.

This is a freestanding toilet house with a remote cesspool. On the plus side, there is no need to fight stenchs and flies, everything is clean and comfortable.

Cons:

• the whole structure takes up a lot of space on the site;
• the pit will smell anyway;
• water supply is required for flushing;
• faster filling, just because of the flush;
• it is necessary to arrange a pipeline through which the fecal mass sent to the pit will move.

Due to the large number of disadvantages and the high cost of arranging such a toilet, we will not consider this option, but move on to more rational ones.

We also recommend reading our other articles, where we examined in detail the most popular projects of country toilets:

1. Toilet with shower.
2. Popular schemes for country closets.
3. The toilet is a hut.

Natural supply and exhaust ventilation

This method is one of the most popular. This is due to the minimum costs, both labor during the arrangement, and financial in the process of manufacturing and operation.

All the same house, a cesspool under it, a window for natural ventilation. However, several elements are added to the structure at once.

Airing takes place on a double principle. The cesspool and the booth itself are ventilated. The principle is supply and exhaust.

The downside of the design is less effective ventilation than with a forced system, which we will consider a little later.

Pros:

• minimum costs both during construction and during operation;
• no need for complex care;
• simple arrangement that does not require skills.

In addition, this type of ventilation can be easily arranged even with a standard type toilet already in use.

What to prepare for natural ventilation?

First of all, you need to clean it up in the booth so that it is convenient to carry out installation work in it.

Prepare the following tools:

• drill for wooden structures, perforator for brick walls;
• crowns;
• tape measure, level;
• scissors-pipe cutter for plastic pipes or a hacksaw;
• electrical tape, pliers;
• bayonet shovel.

In principle, every summer resident has such a set, but if you are missing something, ask a neighbor or rent the same power tools from a hardware store that provides such services.

In addition, the necessary consumables should be purchased in advance. They are sold in almost any hardware store. They can also be ordered via the Internet, but in principle, there should be no problems with their purchase.

Required materials:

1. PVC pipe with a size of 110 mm, the length is determined individually.
2. PVC pipe with a diameter of 110 mm.
3. Corner PVC pipe for pits that do not protrude beyond the booth.
4. Fasteners - clamps with dowels, self-tapping screws for wood or concrete for arranging ventilation grilles.
5. Ventilation grilles - 4 pieces.
6. Deflector.
7. Protective steel sheath made of steel with an inner diameter of 110 mm. It will help protect pipes from deformation during natural wall shrinkage.

Once you have everything ready, it's time to start editing.

Installation of natural exhaust ventilation

To begin with, we will equip the ventilation of the booth. An exhaust duct should be built. The ideal installation height is 15 cm from the ceiling. In general, it should be as close to it as possible, but not closer than the sounded 150 mm.

The second channel is the supply channel. It is placed on the opposite wall - to achieve the maximum distance between the hood and the supply air, as close to the floor as possible, but with a minimum distance of the same 15 cm.

Holes for both canals are made using a drill or perforator, as well as crowns. It is best to pre-outline the location of the holes and their size in the absence of crowns.

Plastic pipes are inserted into the drilled holes, which are cut flush with the walls and their edges are sanded so that they are not sharp. If the holes turned out to be very large, around the pipes you can foam it with polyurethane foam or cover it up with a sealant.

The ends of the pipes on both sides - from the booth and from the street, are covered with prepared ventilation grilles. This is necessary so that debris does not fall into them, midges do not fly in and so that they do not siphon strongly.

Thus, we have provided an extractor hood in the toilet into the ducted duct pipes inside the toilet stall. After that, you can start arranging the cesspool.

The pipe for the cesspool is installed in such a way that one end of it is as close as possible to the area of ​​the waste container, but located in its "dry" area. Calculate the length in such a way that the upper part of the pipe protrudes at least 7 cm above the roof. This will create a draft of sufficient power so that methane can be removed from the pit without any problems.

To arrange a hole, you need to dig a hole with a shovel, into which you need to place a ventilation pipe of the calculated length. If the pit is located directly under the booth, use a corner piece and then dock it to the vertical section.

Fix the pipe to the outside wall of the booth with clamps to prevent it from tilting or falling.

Put a deflector on the head, it is best to take a model with a weather vane function, it increases the air flow rate. The main function of the deflector is to prevent debris and precipitation from entering the structure.

This way you get efficient air exchange quickly and inexpensively.

Forced ventilation of the country bathroom

The successful combination of natural traction and auxiliary means make forced ventilation the leader in terms of the quality of toilet scent extraction. In addition, it is not so difficult to equip it. The only drawback is that it requires energy, but it's better to talk about this in more detail.

In addition to the above-mentioned method of supply and exhaust natural circulation, the design includes exhaust fan. Of course, it runs on electricity, which means that you will have to pull a cable to the toilet (if you do not have it as an element for organizing artificial lighting).

These are electricity costs, however, very insignificant. The fan is also inexpensive, but you will have to spend money on a high-quality cable and its insulation.

Materials and tools for work

The list of materials for forced ventilation is almost the same as in the previous version. The only exception is the fan and wires.

You need to prepare:

1. PVC pipe with a size of 110 mm, the length is determined individually.
2. PVC pipe with a diameter of 110 mm.
3. Corner PVC pipe for pits that do not protrude beyond the booth.
4. Fasteners - clamps with dowels, self-tapping screws for wood or concrete for arranging ventilation grilles.
5. Ventilation grilles - 5 pieces.
6. Deflector.
7. Fan.
8. Protective jacket for pipes with a diameter of 110 mm inside for shrinkage protection.
9. Electrical wiring, switch.

Please note that it is not always advisable to buy the cheapest fan. Check with your local store for advice on which device is suitable for most outdoor use.

And if you plan to install it in a window frame, but at the same time you no longer have windows in the toilet, it is better to take care of artificial lighting or additional windows.

In addition, to work, you will need the same set of tools as in the previous version.

Installation of forced ventilation

The installation scheme is also similar, initially they equip the ventilation holes by analogy with the previous version, and then proceed to install the fan.

Electrical wiring is usually lead from the house in the attic. Remember safety - the insulation must be of high quality.

The fan is usually installed in a window; when choosing a device, they are guided by the dimensions of the frame. After installation, it must be connected to the switch, put on a ventilation grill over it.

Other options for dealing with odors

We examined everything about the arrangement of the hood in the country toilet and how to make it correctly. Well-installed ventilation is a guarantee of comfortable use of the closet. Do not forget to clean the ventilation grilles in time with warm water and soap, check the draft. And then you no longer have to suffer with toilet amber.

But there are other ways to destroy or mask unpleasant odors. We do not recommend giving up the arrangement of specialized systems, but as an aid, we can offer you several options.

And by the way, most of them also help to reduce the amount of impurities.

Option 1 - chemicals

The first option is chemicals. They work very quickly and can be used at any time of the year.

There are drugs:

• nitrate;
• ammonium;
• bleaching powder.

Nitrates are the safest environmentally friendly. They contain surfactants, help get rid of odors, and even have some detergent effect.

Ammonia preparations are also effective, but note that if you are pouring soap solutions into the cesspool, they should not be used.

And finally, bleach, an extremely toxic substance, but a budget to purchase.

All of these products fight unpleasant odors and can be great helpers for your ventilation. However, remember to be careful and follow the instructions for use.

Option 2 - toilet bioactivators

More and more summer residents are using bioactivators - concentrated products containing bacterial strains. They "work" at temperatures from 0 degrees and above.

Bacteria are actively involved in the disposal of sewage, which also contributes to the elimination of odors.

The drug is sold in the form of tablets, liquids or powder.

The disadvantages of using include:

• Non-viability at sub-zero temperatures.
• The death of bacteria in contact with a chemical environment.
• Accurate calculation of the amount of the drug, since if there is a lack of it, bacteria will die or simply cannot cope with the volume of sewage.
• Slow result - about a week from the start of use.

As with chemicals, when using a bioactivator, it is very important to strictly follow the instructions on the package.

Option 3 - peat fillers

Peat fillers contain high calcareous peat and are mainly used for dry closets, but they can also be used for cesspools.

They actively absorb moisture, negatively affect the formation of insects, quickly and efficiently recycle waste, and besides, they fight against unpleasant odors.

In addition to peat, such means as are also used:

• Sawdust and ash - 1 cup is enough after each trip to the toilet.
• Freshly cut grass.
• Tomato tops and nettles - actively absorb ammonia, which causes an unpleasant odor.

By the way, if you do not use detergents and other chemicals, the cesspools can then be used to create compost.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Arrangement of the simplest ventilation in the country toilet:

So, we looked at how to make a high-quality hood in an outdoor toilet and made sure that everything is not as complicated as it seems at first glance. Almost any owner will cope with its installation. You just have to choose the option that suits you and proceed with the installation.

And after that, your closet will certainly not leave unpleasant impressions from visiting its owners.

Have you equipped yourself with ventilation in your country toilet? What difficulties did you face? Share your experience in the comments and ask questions about the topic.