InspectAPedia ^®

Chemical Toilets - Are They A Septic System Design Alternative for Difficult Sites? InspectAPedia®  -     How to use chemical toilets Chemical toilets as components of alternative septic systems Chemical toilet product sources & product comparisons Can I dump my RV toilet or chemical port-a-potty into my septic system?

This web page describes use of chemical toilets, how they work, and how they reduce wastewater consumption. The photograph at page top is of the Thetford PortaPotti, a portable toilet which uses chemicals. Other common portable toilets include models from Sears, the Coleman, and Reliance toilets who provide a hassock model portable chemical toilet. Also see How to Use & Maintain a Chemical Toilet where we provide step by step details on use, emptying, cleaning, and maintenance of a porta potty.

Chemical toilets with larger waste reservoirs are used in RV's and campers as well as for full-sized portable toilets or Porta-Johns used at construction sites and at outdoor festivals. Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical reviewers welcomed and are listed at Reviewers.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Chemical Toilets: use a chemically treated reservoir located directly below the toilet seat. The chemicals reduce odors and perform partial (incomplete) disinfection of the waste. Chemical toilets have limited storage capacity and must be pumped and periodically cleaned by a septic company. Similar to simple chemical toilets but more sophisticated in design are recirculating toilets which separate the waste from the chemical and then recirculated the fluid through the toilet tank.

The following is from: New York State Appendix 75-A.10 Other systems

(i) Chemical toilets provide a toilet seat located directly above a vault containing a chemical to disinfect and remove odors from the wastewater. Recirculating toilets use chemicals as the toilet flush fluid. The wastes are separated from the fluid, wastes discharged to an internal holding tank, and the fluid reused.

(ii) The liquids used in these types of toilets do not completely disinfect the wastes; therefore, waste products from these units shall not be discharged to surface waters or to the ground surface.

(iii) The reduced volume wastewater from recirculating toilets may be discharged to a larger holding tank but not to a subsurface absorption system.

So are chemical toilets useful as a septic system design alternative or not?

While at least some manufacturers of the chemicals used in chemical toilets (to deodorize and to stop bacterial action in order to prevent dangerous production of potentially explosive methane gas inside the toilet) inform us that their products are environmentally friendly, New York State, as an example, does not want homeowners discharging chemical toilets into the environment. Further, as we have advised elsewhere about dumping RV toilets into the septic system, there is some risk that discharging these chemicals into a conventional septic system could cause it to stop working, depending on the frequency and volume of chemical waste to be disposed-of.

With this in mind, we use chemical toilets where there is no onsite waste disposal system at all such as in a weekend cabin without plumbing, or in RV's, but not as a permanent toilet facility in a permanently occupied building. Chemical toilets are suitable for the "pack it in, pack it out" environment in which waste is removed from the site and dumped at an approved RV dumping facility.

Is it acceptable to ever dump an RV toilet into a home septic system tank?

The answer is, ... it depends.

See our detailed article explaining when it is probably ok and when it is probably not ok to dump a chemical toilet, a porta-potty, or an RV waste holding tank into a septic tank (rather than dumping these at a sanitary waste disposal station, for example, at a campground or marina). Dump into Septic Tank? discusses this topic.

Share this Article      

...

Technical Reviewers & References

Search InspectAPedia

• Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia^® Website
• InspectAPedia Bookstore lists recommended books, organized by topic & available for purchase. Most of our articles also include a list of recommended books for the specific article topic as well as other references, and information sources.
• Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
• Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.

Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SEPTIC SYSTEMS HOME
SEPTIC INFO ARTICLES
HOME BUYERS GUIDE to SEPTIC SYSTEMS
SEPTIC SYSTEMS ONLINE BOOK
SEPTIC PUMPING REPAIR
SEPTIC TREATMENTS
SEPTIC CONSULTANTS
SEPTIC AUTHORITIES
SEPTIC SYSTEM BOOKS REFS CODES
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN MANUAL - Online
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN BASICS
SEPTIC SYSTEM DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
TOILET ALTERNATIVES
  General Categories of Waterless
  Chemical Toilets
    How to Use & Maintain a Chemical Toilet
    Dump into Septic Tank?
  Composting Toilets
  Greywater Septic Systems
  Holding Tank Septic Systems
  Incinerator Toilet Systems
List Your Service/Product

• Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. (727) 595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com 11/06
• Hankey and Brown home inspectors, Eden Prairie, MN, technical review by Roger Hankey, prior chairman, Standards Committee, American Society of Home Inspectors - ASHI. 952 829-0044 - hankeyandbrown.com 11/06
• Arlene Puentes, a licensed home inspector, educator, and building failures researcher in Kingston, NY. 11/29/06
• Products - for Alternative Septic System Designs aerobic system pumps, media filters, gravelless systems, other advanced wastewater treatment products including waterless, low water, chemical, and incinerating toilets.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
• Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-161, Septic System Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-162, The Soil Media and the Percolation Test
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-l64, Mound Systems for Wastewater Treatment
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-165, Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems
• Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)
• ...

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• ...

InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.

The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems

Use this simple, economical mold test kit by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to our lab

Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.

Building Inspection, Problem Diagnosis, Forensic Investigation & Testing, Repair Consulting

Contact Daniel Friedman for website content suggestions or for fee-paid consulting