Ingenious DIY Throne in a camper

Daniel build his beautiful and DIY Throne composting toilet for his camper, and it has all kinds of brilliant, hidden features. Check out his video, and read more about his experience building his composting toilet.

Why did you choose a composting toilet, and, more specifically, a DIY THRONE composting toilet?

Our minimalist philosophy for traveling shied us away from all the grey and black tank builds and having to use dumping stations. Also, living in Maine I wanted minimal winterizing. A composting unit looked like our best go to ‘step up’. I chose the Throne brand after searching around because of the way it was made (diverter size, divider location) and the thicker, stiffer material. I could have gotten something much less expensive but felt I would eventually be disappointed with that decision. I put a lot of effort into my ‘throne’ build and didn’t want to go cheap on the most important part and regret it later.

Have you had any experiences with composting toilets before building the Throne and how has it been for you?

I do not. Just a luggable loo that is a plastic seat on a bucket. The mixing of solids and urine is not a good thing at all.

Ah… after a bucket with a toilet seat on it this IS a throne.

We’re still in the shakeout faze but so far it’s working well. I have the option of dropping the liquids on the ground as I have ball valve with outside drainage to a bottle or directly on the ground. We sometimes do this when we’re completely off grid, when we pack up to leave, as I’d pour it in the woods anyway. The diverter itself works well. I have a self cleaning system and check valve for the urine funnel odor so that’s made a big difference. I make a lot of sawdust in my shop so that’s my mulch for the solid waste.

How was your experience building your DIY toilet?

I used the pattern as that would have been a long process to get it right. After that I used the general build description and the 18 1/2″ hight recommendation. Beyond that I like to design things myself. I am a woodworking hobbyist but have a decently outfitted shop that makes things a lot easier.

What’s your routine for managing your toilet?

Sawdust/waste/sawdust/repeat until about 3/4 full. We’re often out traveling for a long time. I use double trash bags, just in case, in the bucket. If I can dispose of the waste/mulch I do. If not, I tie it up good and place it in a large rubber maid tub in the back of the truck until the option for disposal presents itself. On a short trip I’ve actually brought some home home. The urine diverter I have to empty about every 2-3 days.

What do you do with your solids and liquids?

For really “out there” boondocking I spread the solids in the forest. Sometimes I can dump it in certain accommodations found at a campground facility. Sometimes I bag and bring it home. Liquids are often dropped in the woods in rural areas and walked to the facilities in places like state park campgrounds.

What do you like most about your DIY THRONE?

Ha… It’s better than the luggable loo that we had! It’s a standard sized toilet. It’s fairly easy to manage. Waste tanks are okay until the day you have to stop at the dump station and start running hoses with rubber gloves. The diverter itself has a design that couldn’t be much better in terms of the shape and quality.