Incinerating toilets and mini-split air conditioners on solar?
Incinerating toilets and mini-split air conditioners on solar?
Has anyone here ever had success running either of these in a solar-powered off-grid structure?
I've seen and read several sources/product reviews that advise against using each of these (especially incinerating toilets) with a solar setup, but I've heard anecdotes from a couple of people who used a dedicated solar panel for a mini-split and had no problem.
I think an incinerating toilet is the best option for my location, but I'm not sure if I can swing it off-grid.
(Cross posted in !off_grid)
Wouldn’t a composting toilet be a better option in almost any circumstance? Incineration only adds to the carbon problem.
My (limited) understanding is that they release only a small amount of CO2, using only solar electricity--no propane in my situation. What's left is a tiny bit of sterile ash that can be emptied outside or sprinkled in the trash. And composting toilets sounded promising until I really started researching them. Ultimately, dumping out solids all the time was too much of a gross-out factor for me, and dedicating a space for dumping them out was a big issue. I was really set on the Envirolet or SunMar central composting systems for a while, but even they were a much bigger hassle to clean and maintain, and the outdoor tank takes up too much space to be practical for my setting.
Interesting. From a quick internet search, no one even mentions CO2 for any type of waste management.
If you’re looking at a permanent fixture with an external tank anyway, why not a traditional septic system? Properly installed and colonized, they’re just a longer term composting solution that’s easier to maintain.
In the Ambition Strikes YouTube channel, they've installed several mini splits and an incinerating toilet. Their entire property runs off solar + batteries.
2 caviouts though:
- they're not professionals, often times they don't really know what they're doing
- their solar setup is massive, so can probably absorb the issues with high surge devices by the sheer scale of it.
Folks with money and DIY skills have made mini-splits work in campervans, so it should be possible. There's a lot more mounting area for panels on the ground than on a van roof. :-)
My mini-split uses around 400 watts when it is on and it is several years old and not a particularly energy efficient model, so running a newer more efficient model is no problem.
As far as an incinerating toilet, I can't comment on that specifically, but I could recommend a maceration sewage pump which would allow you to move the waste practically anywhere you wanted for storage, disposal, or even incineration. I have been using one of these for a couple of years with no problems.
Just out of curiosity, why is a septic system not an option? There may be other similar systems that would work.
The ground is so rocky that digging to that extent is prohibitively expensive, unfortunately.