What Happens If You Have Diarrhea in a Composting Toilet? (Solved!)

What happens if you have diarrhea in a composting toilet? Since diarrhea is more of a liquid texture than a regular bowel movement you will need to find a way to evaporate the liquid. This is a scenario that could happen to nearly anyone without any notice, and a composting toilet may be the only available option. In this case, run an exhaust fan to evaporate the liquid quicker. 

Can all composting toilets handle diarrhea?

Many people are worried that a composting toilet won’t be able to handle diarrhea if someone gets sick or eats something gone bad. Composting toilets are designed to handle the same bodily fluids as a regular toilet. This means that all composting toilets should be capable of handling diarrhea and even vomit. When it comes to your bathroom emergencies, they are designed to handle all of them.

Will this affect the smell?

Composting toilets typically do not smell bad. This means that if you have diarrhea and flush it into the chamber to be turned into a compostable matter, you will not smell it in your house.

However, one thing about composting toilets is that they can start to smell really bad if they aren’t cleaned regularly. Since diarrhea usually smells a lot worse than an average bowel movement, it’s highly likely that the composting toilet will start to smell putrid sooner than expected. If someone gets diarrhea in a composting toilet, it may need to be emptied ahead of schedule. 

Will it affect the compost bin out back?

A composting toilet is designed to turn human feces into a compostable matter, and this includes diarrhea. While a person shouldn’t put their diarrhea (or any type of human feces) directly into the household compost bin, the composting toilet works to turn the diarrhea into a substance with safe pathogen levels. This will ensure that it is safe to go into the compost bin without causing damage.

How do you know when to empty a composting toilet after diarrhea?

A composting toilet is usually ready to be emptied after 60 to 80 uses. Of course, you likely will not be counting everytime the toilet gets used (especially if  you have guests over frequently), so there’s an easier way to tell when your toilet’s chamber needs to be emptied. 

If the handle feels tight to turn, then your composting toilet is ready to be emptied. The average user notices their composting toilet needs to be emptied every 3 to 5 weeks.

How often do you clean a composting toilet after diarrhea?

Since diarrhea is messy, the composting toilet’s seat and bowl should be cleaned afterwards. This will ensure there is no mess left behind for the next person who needs to use the toilet. You should treat your composting toilet with the same etiquette that you would with any other toilet.

When you clean a composting toilet, you will have to be specific about which products you use. You don’t want to use heavy cleaning products that are made with a lot of chemicals. Always use natural cleaning products and detergents on a composting toilet because everything you put in that toilet will be put into your compost bin.

Do you have to clean a composting toilet after diarrhea?

One of the advantages to composting toilets is that they don’t need to be emptied as frequently. This means that you don’t have to rush to get the chamber emptied every time someone falls sick. Your composting toilet’s ventilation and the exhaust fan in your washroom will make sure everything stays breathable.

Out of courtesy to anyone else you share the toilet with, you should clean down the seat and bowl after getting diarrhea. However, you won’t need to clean out the tank every time. 

Can you put flushable wipes in a composting toilet after diarrhea?

It’s not recommended to put flushable wipes in a composting toilet because they may have traces of plastic and other non-organic ingredients. The only exception to this is if you are using flushable wipes that are made from 100 % natural ingredients. Look for flushable wipes that are made from ingredients like cotton, bamboo, and other safe ingredients.

Are composting toilets gross after diarrhea?

Many people assume that a composting toilet will be gross, especially after diarrhea, but that’s not the case at all. Composting toilets have a device called a “vent sack” that prevents them from releasing an odor into your home or RV. The vent sack helps direct the odor from the diarrhea outside and away from the building. Nobody will smell what happened in there.

Where does the toilet paper go in a composting toilet after diarrhea?

One thing that many people are confused about is whether or not they can flush toilet paper in a composting toilet after diarrhea. Toilet paper can go in a composting toilet, but it’s not exactly the same as a regular toilet. A composting toilet flushes urine and feces separately, so you will need to flush the toilet paper into the feces section because it is solid. 

Can you pee in a composting toilet after someone has diarrhea?

You won’t have to find an alternate bathroom to pees after someone has had diarrhea in a composting toilet (unless they forgot to use the room spray). When you flush the urine in a composting toilet, it will be sent to a different chamber than the diarrhea. This means you won’t have to wait around when you need to go.

How do you vent a composting toilet after diarrhea?

It’s very important to ventilate the composting toilet after diarrhea because it will eliminate the odor and dehydrate the fecal matter sooner. Many people use a vent hose or vent pipe to attach to the back of their toilet and run outside. This way, you will not smell any of the diarrhea that is in the composting toilet’s chamber.