HomeBiogas Toilet and Digester Summer Review

[@lux5579]

I just built a 1,320 gallon biogas digester for power generation. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zoiopnpmf62Epcksi=pqf5FMyQJz--9FQw

[@Wagohowardhanahou]

They are coming out with a 7.0 soon!!!!

[@OfficialLILV]

Do you use gray water intentionally? I was wondering with my well if I need gray water?

[@UtopiaLegend]

Would you please make a video on how to set up the system？Thanks！

[@adamtain7627]

1:42 u’re gonna use this on a multi fuel generator? Cool! I’m gonna use 2 of the newer HBG 7.0 system as fuel for things like fireplace/fire pit fuel🔥🔥

[@ezosoro]

Hey I love your video! I had an idea that you could hook a toilet up to those but never saw it done. I had a comment about your dish soap though, u may want to switch to a biodegradable dish soap if it’s going into the digester. Thanks for the videos! :)

[@lux5579]

That is important yes as well as strong chemicals like bleach. You cant have that going down the drain. My soap is very diluted and by the time it reaches the grey water tank, it is diluted even further with all the shower water, etc. When it is being used to flush, it gets diluted even further with bidet water and waste. It takes a day or so to reach the digester and it is a few days old in the grey water tank too. By the time it hits the system it is very very weak. Due to this it has worked fine but I may yet get some weaker soap still...

[@RT-pv2en]

Any problems with clogs at the outlet side with it only allowing a small diameter drain pipe? I am currently plumbing my system in but I am do it with a regular toilet and will have to reduce the drain pipe down to allow it to drain into the digester bag.

[@EventuallyAcres]

Hi! I know this video is several years old... Were about to invest and was just hoping uou are still loving it?

[@merlinsreturn]

Thank you so much for the honest review.

[@lostboy7191]

If you could compress and store the excess generated during the summer🤔, it may assist with the slower winter production.

[@TheXxxcodexxx]

I was thinking the same thing. I've seen a couple of videos of people using old propane tanks and an old air compressor.

[@laur-unstagenameactuallyca1587]

I really hope they come out with like a mini digester. just a little smaller than this but the same design

[@thomasjehnkins1986]

possible but may not be useable.. depending what your goals are, there may be better solutions

[@BrianJoyce-dk2sg]

Generating power sounds cool off grid baby!

[@tinkeringwithmark1186]

What about for hot water? Won't it pipe into your regular stove?

[@marketermagic4993]

hey thers a guy that compresses/stores the gas for further use and you can use a compost pile to heat the bio-gas and your home

[@thomasjehnkins1986]

yep its Jean Pain & he is God of sustainability

[@dakotak8437]

Be kinda Kool to see it hooked to a gas furnace and see how long that last bc a gas furnace only runs about half hr maybe a little longer depending

[@ragaashish33]

Methane water heater can consume the extra gas.

[@blairbushproject]

For the cold weather, why aren’t people recommending or trying the wind generator to the tank heater 12v option? That’s the resistive load application recommendation is a water heater element. You could use it as a tank heater for the winter.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

well when there's no wind and it's 20 below zero Fahrenheit then your battery is gonna drain overnight. Just saying.... Also that seems very capitol intensive when just a John Jenkins humanure composting system generates its own heat in the winter using Aerobic bacteria - not anaerobic.

[@blairbushproject]

@@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885 true. But even bacteria freeze. Our biogas becomes an ice cube in the winter. So the heat does succumb to freezing temps, but it is in the application of greenhouses. Or deep compost. Usually it’s a wind generator and solar combo that works.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

@@blairbushproject did you see the biogas toilet website uploaded a vid on what to do if the pipe blocks up? haha. Also this person said his pump broke. That blocked pipe vid says don't use toilet paper! So then you have to compost the toilet paper anyway. Probably a lot easier in a cold climate to just do a John Jenkins compost set up - as long as there's no discharge then it's not necessary to get a sewage permit. That's what my state pollution control agency told me when I called up. I wonder if anyone's gotten a sewage permit for a biogas toilet?

[@blairbushproject]

@@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885 since when has off grid been easy? Yah toilet paper is a problem even in water toilets tho. And with reduced water usage because you aren’t using as many gallons as a water toilet it can’t take the paper. As terrible as it is to use water in the first place, using toilet paper is even worse. You gotta adjust the mindset. We separate our toilet paper and when we burn it we use the ash for the outhouse to tamper down the smells and bugs. I wouldn’t put daily toilet paper in basically a small compost bag, much smaller than a typical septic system. Septics start at 2-300 gallons. However you don’t get to use the methane for cooking fuel. I imagine one person could use the biogas for humanure. And two for the coop restaurant size. So the toilet is one way to get the biomass into the biogas cleanly without the mess and labor of pouring it by the bucket. I imagine a dump of the bag would occur every so often. You definitely couldn’t take advantage of gravity in a toilet system. It seems like a lot of maintenance in general so I would have to agree with you but for different reasons. Since I think the usage of toilet paper in a water system is s problem. And most sewer utility companies advise not to put anything into the toilet because they cannot treat the water without costly side effects even in piped systems. Definitely recommend that you practice separating toilet paper always. I think the permit would hang on disposal of the biogas bag contents on whatever timeline it would fill depending on the usage. But it would make a great deal of cooking fuel.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

@@blairbushproject Sure - I don't live off the land - and not sure anyone does anymore with no dependence on the infrastructure of destructive apocalyptic modern technology. Just search "biological annhilation" into google scholar for details. If you check out John Jenkin's humanure composting - he relies on aerobic bacteria and yes he uses toilet paper - because you NEED carbon to properly compost the nitrogen. He does not separate out the urine. One of the big problems for the typical composting toilet is the ammonia killing off the bacteria and so then yes you get just methane release. So that's why Jenkins really uses a lot of carbon to counteract the ammonia from the urine nitrogen breaking down. If the compost pile is mixed well so it's properly aerated - I need to watch his vids again. I'm not sure if he "turns the pile" each time he fills it? He definitely covers it with a lot of carbon but the carbon has to be broken down already - like saw dust or shredded leaves. If the toilet paper is recycled paper then it will break down fast enough. I have down the John Jenkins humanure composting only I didn't compost it for two years - it HAS to be a two year minimum. haha. Still if you have two big piles with one year turn over for each pile - then you generate enough thermal mass for the heat to even keep up in the winter. It's pretty impressive to be honest - just the amount of heat generated. I have felt this heat before from a compost pile - it's pretty awesome. There is the BioReactor compost pile system now with PVC tubes with holes in them in the middle of the pile and then NO turning of the pile - this makes sure the mycelium don't get killed when turning the compost. If you want really good soil compost then you want the mycelium to stay alive. But I don't think Jenkins is that picky about the mycelium. Right now I use the separating toilet compost and this indeed cuts down on the odor. I was combining back the urine with the feces in the compost pile and immediately the smell kicks in fast from the ammonia. So the separating toilet is based on NEVER adding the urine back into the feces compost and thus avoiding any ammonia death of the aerobic bacteria. This means the composting process is much slower since there's much less nitrogen. Jenkins WANTS the nitrogen to then activate more heat in the winter time but again that requires more carbon. So a kind of fascinating dynamic. Let me know what your feedback is but I think the whole "no toilet paper" thing is kind of silly. Sure methane gas is nice if someone wants the technology of a gas stove but compost is just as valuable as an energy source to grow food and even to heat a greenhouse! So for a bigger system I suppose the two could be combined together. I would say put the compost around the inside of the greenhouse to heat the greenhouse - but probably NOT directly around the plastic of the Biogas Bag - I would think that could deteriorate the plastic too much. I don't know if that plastic can hold that kind of heat overtime as well - not sure what the tolerances is. Still that would require a LOT of compost for both systems to get the methane gas AND to keep it heated over the winter. Because to keep the compost heated up over the winter requires the nitrogen from the urine also. ... hahah. So if you had a farm with manure from cattle - or whatever - chickens or pigs or something - plus the humanure compost - I know in India they do biogas also. But again if you are not in a cold climate then it makes the biogas much easier to manage. To use an external energy source for electrical heating of the biogas seems kind of silly - much worse than not being able to use toilet paper. People in the north have hairy backsides - to have to BURN toilet paper doesn't seem very fun. That's gotta smell really good . hahaha. I'm sure it smells like money!!

[@sjf67gto]

The affluent bucket when full of fluid it is stinky ? What does the affluent look like?

[@lux5579]

It smells a bit like stale water with a small hit of stink but really not to bad. It’s a clear dark colored liquid

[@Meleeman011]

does this scrub hydrogen sulphide gas?

[@lux5579]

The filter between the system and the burner

[@beeee4249]

Hello, great video. Can you do an update on this? I think the system is awesome but is over my budget. I want to make sure it last so the investment can pay for itself. Thank you

[@thomasjehnkins1986]

look up Jean Paine methods for a inexpensive diy solution

[@beeee4249]

@@thomasjehnkins1986 Will do. Thank you

[@Wagohowardhanahou]

1:50-So. I was advised to not change unit as it would void warranty. I also thought having a feed to a water heater rather than propane... 2:50 spray the new toilet down twice this NEVER WET.. won’t need to wash again besides a vinegar water spray.. 4:20 thought of changing piping?.. what is it made of.

[@lux5579]

I might try that. The pipe is a standard poly from Lowes.

[@martin_minds]

do you think that this would be a good heating device. as you maybe have heard, russia is cutting of our gas supply in europe, so thats why i am asking. do you think that it would be possible to position the whole system in an apartment? i mean the tend-system. thank you.

[@lux5579]

It would be kind of smelly and dirty to put it inside if I’m being honest. Especially with how it vents

[@selinamullins8241]

Do you have to use grey water? Can you use clean well water? Is there a converter for the gas for the excess methane to use on a propane hybrid generator?

[@adamtain7627]

8:42 could u specify those options u mentioned regarding good ways to "donate the fertilizer?

[@lux5579]

As far as the effluent? I was talking about the toilets options at 8:42?

[@rlm9093]

Are there storage tanks for extra methane gas? That way you could store the extra in peak season and use it over the cooker months....?

[@lux5579]

Yes you can buy 100 gallon tanks and thousand gallon tanks if you so desire. This was an option I was looking into actually

[@rlm9093]

@@lux5579 thanks!

[@DParrish911]

Why does the system come with the burner? Can you not hook it up to a standard gas range?

[@wiezyczkowata]

that would be awsome, you could heat up your house with this

[@lux5579]

You can but the air mixing ratio is a little different than other gases. It can cause your gas stove to not work as efficient or choke out entirely as you need adjustable flues on the bottom

[@ANGRY_AMERICAN]

If you buy a air compressor for recharging pellet rifle witch can do up to 4k psi. Keep in mind when you fill a CNG tank it's full pressure is 3K-3600K psi. A standard natural gas home regulator is set at 4-6psi so that's all you would need to reduce from high to low pressure. you could even set up a 2 stage system. Stage 1 standard 50-100 gallon compressor, use it to draw down gas chamber daily. Most standard compressor will do 175psi. with high enough pressure and regulator you can run a whole house as far as major appliances go. Stage 2 would be the compressor for air rifles. So if you fill the stage 1 tank you feed its 175psi to the little compressor and start filling a CNG tank up witch is rated up to 3600psi. So if done properly your poop and table waste could power your house the whole house year round cooking and heating maybe even a hot water and clothes dryer

[@ChristyTClay]

What generator did you purchase?

[@81crispy]

Can you hook a gas boiler onto it?

[@lux5579]

You can run a generator on it

[@jacobpetersen9430]

What would happen if you dehydrated the sludge, could that maybe also be burned for energy, not sure how liquid the sludge is if it can be separate into solid and water somewhat before the dehydration Ive seen most gas engine generator can be converted to gas engines but there is a concern with some of the by products in the gas that is create that can corode engine parts but I think they have a gas filter on the unit not sure what it filters is it just the small maybe?

[@jacobpetersen9430]

But you could also experiement with a Sterling engine

[@lux5579]

Well, you can't get it out. What goes in stays in and there is no retrieval. The bacteria is anaerobic which means you can't have any air. It's all submerged

[@Wagohowardhanahou]

5:55- END... smaller one? Strike flint.. please explain... size, replace rate?... for the run off... 10/1. Ten buckets of water to one bucket of run off.. it is way to potent for direct dump... ! Great review! Looking forward to seeing the next vid. I will be setting this up next month .. fingers crossed!

[@lux5579]

They offer 2 burner units. One is smaller. Im thinking on switching burners and countersink it into my counter so I have more space. I typically empty that bucket once a week for my normal use.

[@sspence65]

It's piezo electric, there is no flint.

[@michelleoverby5738]

Hello, can you tell me what you think of this system now? Are you still using it? Would a family of 3 be able to use something like this on a regular basis? How does the digester work exactly? Thanks

[@christygibson4257]

I'd like to see how you plumbed the toilet. How hard was that?

[@jonb6364]

Hello. How long (approximately) will two gallons of methane last using a one burner stove on medium heat last on average OR how many gallons would be needed for 30 minutes of cooking under the same stipulations? Thanks.

[@12vLife]

Amazing. If I do this in Florida the Health Department, Zoning and Florida-Man would take me down hard. Can you put in sawdust? animal bedding? wood pellets? Urine? How much monitoring? maintenance? internal cleaning? I wonder how long a system like this would last in the Florida sun? Would be pure genius if one person could cook 2x a day and run an air condition from 11am-7pm in the summer in Florida.

[@martin_minds]

do you think that this is financial interesting, or was this more a decicion of comfort? thank you. did you dad to empy the diagester?

[@lux5579]

Both

[@Illustyler]

Hey man thanks for the video, I've just set mine up a week or so ago and already getting some gas build up. I'm just wondering what bidet attachment you would recommend?

[@marknadon1237]

Great video , keep them coming

[@iulia487]

Are there systems that you can attach a pressure pump, so maybe the gas can be compressed into a tank?

[@lux5579]

You can, currently the way their gas tank works is fine for the little bit of pressure I need to burn fuel on the inside. I'm planning on buying a couple hundred gallon balloons in a little bit. This will serve as an extension so I can capture more gas and use gas all winter when the gas production slows down due to the temp dropping off in the winter time. I'm really satisfied with the weight bass pressure system and I think I will copy it as thete is an increased risk factor and additional cost to pressurize a tank when you really don't need to from the stand point of my needs.

[@Wagohowardhanahou]

So....? Is the toilet seat level or did the bidet make it slanted? If it is flat what model bidet is that?.. mahalo

[@lux5579]

It's not quite level. It has a slight slant to it but it works for me. You could add something to the front of the seat if you really want to make it level

[@rory6804]

Isn't the venting of the methane worse for nature?

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

That's why you burn the methane - so it doesn't have to vent. Still this system has a lot of hang ups it appears - I just watched a vid on the pipe getting clogged. haha

[@ReptilianLaserbeam]

is there a way to use your own gas oven or stove and not the one provided by HomeBiogas? like, is there an adapter to plug it into an existing gas connection?

[@ezosoro]

ReptilianLaserbeam there’s videos on that on KZbin too

[@lux5579]

So I have been getting this question a lot. In short, the answer is yes. You can modify a burner for biogas use. There is a few things you need to take into consideration. Biogas burners need an adjustment on the air intake. The bio burner has adjustable flues on the bottom to allow for maximum function. Most regular gas burners are set and you would need to drill out a larger opening or install a small flue for biogas. Here is a video on that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3a2aa2CiraIa8k Biogas also burns hotter. This isn't that much of a factor for most but something to consider and check to make sure your burner would be comparable heat wise. I like having different ways to cook with different fuel sources, I also don't want to permanently modify my gas burners, so I am content to have different burners for each fuel. I do wish their burner was smaller and I may order a unit that can be sunk into the counter to maximize counter space.

[@geoyoshinaka5251]

Hi, it has been awhile since we last heard from you... How are you and your dog doing, your home projects coming along?

[@lux5579]

It has been a while! I've been making steady progress on everything. I'll be making another video on the house soon. I just recently uploaded a video for the winter months of the biosystem. I decided not to heat it as a baseline. Next winter I plan to heat it and compare the results.

[@MusikCassette]

What I think you should do, is invest into a compressor and two or three gas bottles. that way you have near endless capacity and can storage some gas for the cold month. Also it helps to purify the methane. which you would need if you want to run a generator with it. Tell me if you want an explanation, on how this works.

[@eeuunniiccee]

Will vinegar with water spray be helpful to clean the toilet bowl since graywater is used?

[@blairbushproject]

eeuu nniiccee grey water is like sink water. It’s commonly contained in motor homes as it’s own tank. It’s all about bacteria. A tiny chip of pool shock or a toilet freshener will work fine. But too much and you will impact the system. It’s a bloom effect. It’s if you hold the grey water for long periods. If you cycle it through and earth filter process it will likely help.

[@carrieharris4812]

Vinigar would kill the bacteria in the system

[@sma_fitness]

HomeBioGas 2.0 system. how can I get it will you send me the contact I would like to try one

[@thomasjehnkins1986]

waste of $ do a diy Jean Pain method/system

[@igaraider]

Follow up video?

[@lux5579]

Just posted! I decided to not heat it at all as a baseline to measure against for next winer.

[@thomasjehnkins1986]

FYI Jean Pain method is HEAT, HOT WATER & METHANE (to run generators) from a green woodchip compost pile

[@thomasjehnkins1986]

it works for 6 - 8 months or longer

[@johnmcgrew7128]

Why didn't you convert your stove instead of buying the biogas stove?

[@lux5579]

You have to adjust the flues slightly different for each gas. I wanted the option of being able to cook with both gases. I might integrate the methane burner into the countertop in the future but for now I'm just using the stove that came with the system.

[@PerlinEarth]

Did you try to hook it up to your 4 burner cooktop? Is there any reason you couldn't do that instead of using the burner they gave you.

[@lux5579]

Their burner has 2 flues on the bottom of it that you can adjust to allow more or less oxygen. This functions to adjust the quality of the flame. Methane also Burns hotter and nothing on their burner is painted. My 4 burner cooktop does not have adjustable flues on the bottom so I would not be able to adjust the flame's oxygen intake. It would also melt the paint due to the Heat. I have not tried to use it due to these facts but you could make it work if you really wanted to. You would need to modify to allow air intake. I enjoy having the option of also using propane if I wanted to cook something else so I have not turned off my propane with the four burners. Because of this I leave both setups as they are.

[@PerlinEarth]

@@lux5579 Ok, this is very helpful! Thanks for writing back.

[@blairbushproject]

Perlin's Adventure Blog well depends on your range. If you want to void your warranties. You can. But why do that when you can get a manufactured product that is rated for this and stands alone on its safety policies. There’s a test period for everyone and a production outcome that you can’t estimate really unless you use someone else’s data expectations. So once you know how much you have to use then you can decide what appliances you want to run with it and modify the system to your home as you can. It’s like having a crock pot. Until you cook and do everything with methane that you did with your gas then replacing appliances makes sense.

[@yawnaisian]

Can't wait for the follow up! Wonder if you could sell back to the grid with the generator?

[@lux5579]

I just posted a winter review follow-up video. I would consume all the electricity I would use from a generator. I won't be doing that video until the summer time.

[@yawnaisian]

@@lux5579 I see. Thanks for the update! I know for industrial and vehicle applications, biogas is run through a scrubber to remove things like H2S and to concentrate the methane into "biomethane". I wonder if a home-scale scrubber exists? I also wonder if a micro CCGT plant is possible. Seems you'd need lots of methane and a more consistent process of power generation to make that worthwhile. But who knows. It would be neat if you could have a biogas digester, a scrubber, and a CCGT plant with some form of biosequestration. I know I personally don't generate enough waste for such a project. But on a community scale, perhaps such a project along with a solar farm could be even carbon negative.

[@lux5579]

@1000 You would need a large scale for that. You are talking about a development at that point. I am looking into that as I have a friend who owns property and wants to set one up.

[@lux5579]

As far as a scrubber, it comes with a filter that does what you are describing. You just have to change it every 6 months.

[@yawnaisian]

@@lux5579 Interesting! 👍 Thanks for the replies! I thought this industrial scrubber process was pretty interesting: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mV7baKmJj9yGhdU .

[@dvdrwsor]

Did you have any PH problems?

[@lux5579]

No

[@thomasjehnkins1986]

IF you keep it at higher temp (ala JEAN PAIN method) you will get more gas/less input...also more storage with (weighted) truck inner tubes piped up

[@thomasjehnkins1986]

PLUS HEAT & HOT WATER from your GREEN compost pile

[@iainsp1858]

So how has it been over the winter? Have been considering one of these but I live in Denmark (not so well known for high temperatures!), so I’m more than curious about the whole aquarium heater set up etc 🤪

[@lux5579]

So, I just made a video today on the winter review. I decided not to do anything except for build a greenhouse around it. I wanted to have a baseline to measure against for next winter when I would employ more active heating measures. I wanted to see how it would fare without any additional energy being spent on it and how much gas it would produce. You can watch my latest video as I just released it today. Next winter, I plan on changing some things up to see how much Optimal gas I can get when it's cold. A lot of people who live in colder areas will build different tanks and bury them in the ground because the ground is a great insulator.

[@thomasjehnkins1986]

Jean Pain Method...do some research & you WILL be pleased

[@esthereigobhor8033]

Amazing

[@glennlockey1012]

Get the ph neutral and compress the excess gas into a propane bottle and you'll have spare to get you through the colder months and stop all the venting/waste issues. Great video, keep up the good work!

[@lux5579]

I'm planning on buying about 10 extra tanks for this summer. I'm going to link them together so I won't waste any more gas

[@dwicks6912]

Awesome

[@barnmonster888]

HI AGAIN WHAT KIND OF TOOLS WILL I NEED ALSO WHEN YOU CONTACT ME OK

[@baptistechtn9762]

Oooooh Vraiment dommage que ce ne soit pas en Français 😢😢😢

[@azazelone905]

Bin la... apprends l’anglais tata!

[@baptistechtn9762]

@@azazelone905 c'est toi Tata.... Trace ta route si c'est pour écrire ca

[@Clarice-rp7mh]

I do not think that “balloon” would survive a hail storm here or our windstorms. Hail several times a year and wind sometimes up to 70mph.

[@lux5579]

Welcome to North Carolina, land of the hurricanes and 70 mile an hour winds that hit every time hurricane season come around. ;)

[@wassambinisrarulhaque6616]

Just asking does it taste like shit

[@lux5579]

No

[@rogaineablar5608]

Again theme music is way too loud.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

It says the pump pipe gets clogged if you use toilet paper? Dang!! Hairy butts better not be using this thing.

[@lux5579]

The pump does not get clogged if you use toilet paper. I just prefer the bidet

[@chadwolfeschledgelsteinhau9697]

Compress the gas

[@mayamachine]

So it's always leaking greenhouse gas. At least burn off the gas.

[@Wagohowardhanahou]

;)