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

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

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

We will tell you in detail how to properly arrange air exchange and enjoy an outdoor vacation without such small, but still unpleasant nuances.

The need for 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, a terrible smell appears - the result of the decomposition of organic matter with the participation of bacteria.

The smell is terrible and long-lasting, it is extremely annoying to others, but if it can still be tolerated by those who are not too impressionable, then the methane released is toxic for humans, it causes dizziness and nausea even with short-term contact

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

Fortunately, the design of the cesspool, which is how outdoor latrines are most often constructed, allows accumulated feces to be promptly removed through an opening in the building, and in addition, it is possible to actually install functioning ventilation in the building.

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

We will tell you what types of ventilation of 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 a simple 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 standard air circulation in the booth. For this purpose, the structure is most often built with gaps - in the lower part between the floor and walls and in the upper part - between the walls and the roof.

Many street toilets are either equipped with the simplest natural ventilation, or there is no ventilation at all, as evidenced even from afar by the unpleasant odor and rapidly collapsing structures

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

In villages, such toilets are found quite often and, most likely, this is why latrines in such areas have a bad reputation for “smell”.

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

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

Freestanding sump in the toilet

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

One of the most effective ways to get rid of odor is to install a flush toilet with a free-standing cesspool. However, this is an expensive design and takes up a lot of space on the site.

This is a free-standing toilet house with a toilet located at a distance from it. cesspool. On the plus side, you don’t have to fight stench and flies, everything is clean and comfortable.

Of the minuses:

• the entire structure takes up a lot of space on the site;
• the pit will still smell;
• water supply required for flushing;
• faster filling, just because of flushing;
• it is necessary to construct a pipeline through which the fecal mass sent into 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 will move on to more rational ones.

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

1. Toilet with shower.
2. Popular schemes of country closets.
3. Toilet type hut.

Natural supply and exhaust ventilation

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

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

Ventilation occurs on a double principle. The cesspool and the cabin itself are ventilated. The principle is supply and exhaust.

When designing natural ventilation, care should be taken to arrange it both in the cabin itself and in the cesspool

The disadvantage of the design is that ventilation is less effective than with a forced system, which we will look at 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 installed even with a standard toilet already in use.

What to prepare for natural ventilation?

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

Prepare the following tools:

• drill for wooden structures, hammer drill for brick walls;
• crowns;
• tape measure, level;
• 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.

Materials for ventilation must be selected taking into account their good quality. They are more convenient to install, and in addition, only in this case can they guarantee the durability of the structure you have built

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

Required materials:

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

If you have everything ready, it's time to start installation.

Installation of natural exhaust ventilation

First, we will arrange the ventilation of the cabin. An exhaust duct should be constructed. The ideal height for its installation is 15 cm from the ceiling. In general, it should be as close to it as possible, but no closer than the stated 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 inlet, as close as possible to the floor, but maintaining a minimum distance of the same 15 cm.

A pipe is inserted into the hole, and the cracks around it are filled with foam. It is also necessary to provide a ventilation grille that you will put on the pipe sections in the booth to prevent debris from getting into it

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

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

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

Thus, we provided exhaust in the toilet into ducted air pipes inside the toilet stall. After this, you can begin arranging the cesspool.

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

To make 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 element and then connect it to the vertical section.

The classic cesspool ventilation scheme looks something like this. If your toilet is still at the design stage, you can download a ready-made diagram of a street toilet with designated vent holes and build a toilet based on it

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

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

This way you will have effective air exchange quickly and inexpensively.

Forced ventilation of a country bathroom

The successful combination of natural draft and auxiliary means makes forced ventilation a leader in the quality of extracting toilet amber. In addition, it is not so difficult to equip it. The only negative 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 and this means that you will have to run a cable into the toilet (if you don’t have one as an element for organizing artificial lighting).

Since you are installing an electrically dependent installation in the toilet anyway, you can also take care of the artificial lighting of the toilet using the supplied wiring

These are energy 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 the previous version. The only exception is the fan and wires.

You need to prepare:

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

Please note that buying the cheapest fan is not always advisable. Consult the store which device is suitable for use in almost outdoor conditions.

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

If the toilet has a comprehensive ventilation system, the windows can be glazed. However, to improve air exchange, it is still advisable to leave one uncovered.

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, the ventilation holes are arranged in a similar way to the previous option, and then they begin to install the fan.

Electrical wiring usually comes from the attic of the house. Remember about safety - insulation must be of high quality.

N - zero, L - phase. When choosing a fan, you should not focus on powerful models. Typically, for a room area of ​​no more than 2 square meters. m a device with a power of 30 W is enough

The fan is usually installed in a window; when choosing a device, they are guided by the dimensions of the frame. After installation, you need to connect it to the switch and put a ventilation grill over it.

Other odor control options

We looked at everything about installing a hood in a country toilet and how to make it correctly. High-quality ventilation is the key to comfortable use of the closet. Do not forget to regularly clean the ventilation grilles with warm water and soap and check the draft. And then you will no longer have to suffer with toilet amber.

But there are other ways to destroy or mask unpleasant odors. We do not recommend abandoning the installation of specialized systems, but as auxiliary means, we can offer you several options.

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

Option 1 - chemicals

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

There are drugs:

• nitrate;
• ammonium;
• bleaching powder.

Nitrates are the safest in environmental terms.They contain surfactants, help get rid of odor and even have some cleaning effect.

Ammonium preparations are also effective, but keep in mind that if you are pouring soap solutions into a cesspool, they cannot be used.

Please note that when using this option, waste from the cesspool must be disposed of. The use of composting products is strictly prohibited.

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

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

Option 2 - bioactivators for the toilet

Summer residents are increasingly 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 helps eliminate odors.

Please note that despite the environmental friendliness of the choice of bioactivators, it is recommended to use them only according to the instructions on the packaging and keep them away from children.

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

Disadvantages of use include:

• Unviable at sub-zero temperatures.
• 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, the bacteria will die or simply cannot cope with the volume of sewage.
• Slow results - about a week from the start of use.

Just like with chemicals, when using a bioactivator it is very important to strictly follow the instructions on the packaging.

Option 3 - peat fillers

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

They actively absorb moisture, negatively affect the formation of insects, quickly and efficiently process waste, and in addition, fight unpleasant odors.

Owners of summer cottages resort to various methods of eliminating unpleasant odors from latrines. Unfortunately, these methods cannot be more effective than installing real ventilation. But how can additional means be suitable and enhance the effect of fresh air?

In addition to peat, the following products 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 simple ventilation in a 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 can handle its installation. All you have to do is choose the option that suits you and begin installation.

And after that, your closet will certainly not leave an unpleasant impression on its owners.

Have you installed ventilation in your country toilet yourself? What difficulties did you have to face? Share your experience in the comments and ask questions on the topic.