Installing a combustion toilet - for summer houses and mobile homes

What is it like to install a combustion toilet? In a summer cottage or in a motorhome? We've helped our friends install an incinerating toilet in their cottage, and we've also thought about the possibilities in a motorhome. We take this opportunity to share our experiences!

A weekend on Ringsö with our friends

This weekend we went with our friends Lennart and Beata to their country house on Ringsö in Lake Mälaren. To get there, we first take a car and then take their private little boat out to the island. There is no public boat traffic to Ringsö.

As usual, there is a lot of stuff to carry in the small boat. This time we also dragged a large box with an incinerating toilet from Cinderella.

A nice log house

It was really nice to get out on the lake in the fresh air, and then to arrive at our friends' nice log house on the island. They have built the house all by themselves, for many years, and sometimes we have helped them, for example with the ceiling, the floor, the kitchen and chimneys.

However, no real toilet has been installed yet, only a home-made seat, a bucket with a compostable waste bag, and the possibility to burn the waste. Now it would finally be upgraded!

Nice weekend with sunshine

Ringsö offered a nice weekend with sunshine and lovely views of the water. We have of course socialised and enjoyed the beautiful nature, but above all we have spent time ... installing an incinerating toilet!

Why a combustion toilet?

An incinerator toilet is a toilet where the waste products are incinerated at high temperature and turned into a minimal amount of biodegradable ash, which can then be used as garden fertiliser. There is no need for a water connection or expensive sewage system. In this case, when there is only summer water and no sewage, it was the best solution by far.

Installing a combustion toilet - making holes in the wall

Our friends had bought a "Cinderella Comfort" combustion toilet and brought it with them, along with the installation kit. We started by reading up on the installation, at Cinderella websiteand also looked at their instructional video for the model we have chosen. Toilets from different manufacturers, and even different models from the same manufacturer, should be installed in different ways, and it is important to look at the right instructions.

Then we decided where the toilet would be located, and measured for the two holes that will be on the back of the Comfort model, for supply and exhaust air.

To make the holes, we used an appropriately sized box cutter. Making these holes was probably the most challenging part of the whole installation. They had to be in the right place, of course, but above all we had a 25 centimetre thick timber wall to tackle...

It is probably much easier in a "normal" summer house, but our friends have built a log house with heavily timber from 150-year-old trees. Peter and Lennart had to work both inside and outside to get nice round holes, and also help with a chainsaw. But in the end we had two round holes straight through the wall!

Installing a combustion toilet - time for pipes

Once the holes were ready, it was time to install the supply and exhaust pipes, which was relatively quick. The Cinderella Comfort model has a separate supply air pipe that goes straight out through the wall.

We also installed the exhaust pipe through the wall, and then it was bent and continued straight up over the roof.

There you go, almost everything was in place!

The supply air pipe (at the bottom) got a small protection over it. For the exhaust pipe (top) we had to make a small ring in wood to make it tight around the large hole in the log wall.

What about on the inside? There, Peter cut the pipes as instructed and connected them to the toilet.

Incinerating toilet - installed and ready!

The incinerating toilet is now installed and ready, and it is also inaugurated by Peter! What a lift! There is still no running water in the taps in the cottage, but there is summer water in the tap on the plot, electricity, kitchen with stove and oven, TV, wifi and now ... a combustion toilet!

The combustion toilet (Cinderella Comfort) fits perfectly in the small toilet space. How does it work?

1. Connect the toilet to electricity - and check that the green light is lit.
2. Fold up toilet lid and seat ring
3. Put a toilet bag in the bowl
4. Fold down the seat ring - the toilet is ready to use!
5. Use the toilet (if there is only a small amount of waste, pour in some water for extra weight).
6. Close the toilet lid
7. Press the start button, so that the combustion starts
8. A yellow light will come on during combustion. The light may stay on for an hour or more, but the toilet can be used in the meantime.

The toilet must also be maintained:

• Once a week: Empty the bowl of ash
• After every 500th visit: Clean the toilet's exhaust connection
• Once a year: Rinse the catalytic converter with warm water and clean the tubes.

Installing a combustion toilet in a motorhome

You can also install a combustion toilet in a motorhome or caravan. There is another model, called Cinderella Travel, which we looked at when we were at the Elmia exhibition last year. We peeked into Cinderella's (cosy!) little motorhome.

The Cinderella Travel works in much the same way as the combustion toilet we installed in the summer house, but the installation is of course slightly different. Instead of large pipes on the outside of the house, smaller and softer pipes are run on the inside of the motorhome.

The advantage of an incinerating toilet in a motorhome is, of course, that you don't have to empty a heavy tub of unpleasant contents every few days. The only thing left is a tiny bit of ash, which can be thrown anywhere. In addition to the fact that it would feel good in general, it is also very convenient if you want to hitchhike often.

Cinderella Travel does not require 220 V, but only LPG (about 180 g/visit) and 12 V control current. Of course, we have been a little hungry at times ...

At least now we've been able to test it in our friends' summer cottage. Have you ever installed or used an incinerating toilet in a summer house, motorhome, caravan or elsewhere? What are your experiences?

Frequently asked questions about incinerating toilets

Can you pee in an incinerator toilet?

In an incinerator toilet, all toilet waste (urine, faeces and toilet paper) is incinerated at a high temperature, leaving only a small amount of ash.

How do you empty an incinerating toilet?

Remove the bowl (ash container) and empty out the ash. Pour hot water into the bowl, leave for half an hour and clean with a brush.

What does it cost to install an incinerating toilet?

The price of the combustion toilet plus installation kit can be found on the manufacturer's website. You can choose to install it yourself, based on the manufacturer's instructions, or hire an installer through the manufacturer.