True Review: Homebiogas WITH Biotoilet

[@mariofilippi3539]

No off-grid living here (except lots of composting) but thorougly enjoyed you review of the Homebiogas 2. Always had a great respect for rugged individualists like you. Thank you.

[@shalomtoday]

Thank you for sharing your HomeBiogas experiences. My family recently ordered one along with the tankless water heater, for an outdoor shower...waiting for it to arrive. Hopefully this setup will save us a bunch of $$ on home water heater and HVAC electric bills.

[@cacaokingdom3122]

We have ordered a system for our off grid property in Belize and are awaiting delivery. This was an excellent review with good info. We are exploring using several of these for rental cabins we are placing on our property as an off grid eco-resort. Sounds like they might be finicky but could also work well. We are intending to use these in place of a traditional septic system. They are permitted where we are at for this purpose.

[@GeorgiaWoodsHomesteading]

Finally a lagit review.. liked and subscribe.

[@alottalogic]

We have a HBG4(the large one) and when we first set it up we didn't think about shade to much but realized it wasn't gassing out as well, we moved it to a much sunnier spot and we halfed the amount of water it recommended it to have, 1 bucket of cow manure and we dump everything scrap wise, and although we don't use it excliver for fuel, we've never had the gas bag empty since then... In short will have to experiment but you shouldn't have that much water in the bottom at all, you're flooding your system.

[@frenchiepowell]

@@alottalogic did you do both things at the same time? If so how do you know the increased production was the lower water level and not just the extra sun?

[@fredericguerne2402]

Very good video ! I have also this device at home and ... I exactly made the same mistake when starting it 😂 I can tell you I have wonderful neighbors (yes it's possible even in Switzerland) because the odor was ... how to say... terrible when I had to drain it to restart. But anyway, I confirm it's a great product and it works very well. Just an advice if you leave in a cold country like me, insulate your system as much as possible when you install it, it's not a detail, it's very very important.

[@ashleyshrader6679]

What are duty and taxes to the US

[@33tarot]

Cooking food with the farts you made from the food you made from the farts you made.

[@neonnavajo]

Poop loop

[@Blxz]

Good review. Covering the negatives has been helpful as the positives have been done to death by sponsored videos already.

[@fahmiftahul]

Wow, I am interested in this product. By the way, do you need to frequently dispose the solid waste? what happened if you put too much waste into the tank (and then full)?

[@hazlox]

I build a foam, hotbox insulated and bury it with solar heated water lines underneath it. Keep it stable year round and producing optimal extra heat from the other areas.

[@jen.BarnesFamilyHomestead]

I've seen these before and seems really interesting! Probably not the most viable option for us here in Michigan with our winters, but... we have other really great sources for cooking - currently using our woodstove for the next SEVERAL months since it's already cranking out heat for our old farmhouse. I've looked at the possibility of a sun oven for something for us for summer cooking during summer months maybe. It's nice to see what everyone else is using in their different set ups.

[@frenchiepowell]

Yeah, I've even tried to consider ways to make it work in PA for my parents, but it always involves building a side structure like a garage that's kept above freezing to house the unit, and only being able to really use it during late spring to early fall... Woody biomass from coppice wood just makes more sense. The Gosun products we have though I have used in PA. And even though they do cook in winter just fine, I loathed going out to check on them 😆. But still, I highly recommend the units and here I use them nearly daily when it's sunny for free clean cooking. As for biogas, it's tough to bring it into the temperate regions for sure.

[@jen.BarnesFamilyHomestead]

@@frenchiepowell yah. The winter cooking is good on the wood stove inside and cozy in my wool socks 🧦 ... I have an area in my garden where a sun oven would be great during the seasons that I don't hate going outside 🌞 so the Go Sun is brand you would recommend? I have looked at them but also was checking out the All American solar oven for maybe larger capacity (we still have 4 children living at home - BIG meals )

[@frenchiepowell]

@@jen.BarnesFamilyHomestead I highly recommend the Gosun Fusion, but realistically speaking it serves a meal for 2 people. Or a side dish for 4. The tech, cooking temperature, quality, and robustness I consider the best in the industry. The Sport I use with the kettle insert for 1.5c of water (enough for 1 person) but it's too small for food. And the Gosun Go is just trash for many reasons. Perhaps a review for their products ought to be in the works 🤷

[@gregh9812]

This was excellent. Thank you!

[@linc5280]

Dope vid im on Big Island about to buy one you just confirmed it! Was thinking about pouring a pad for it to sit on. Do you have issue with plants growing up into it?

[@frenchiepowell]

@@linc5280 nice! No, we haven't had issues with plants growing into it at all

[@V1P3RSlab]

bottom part is all water? ... mhhhh strange ... how do you startup the batterial colture?

[@frenchiepowell]

@@V1P3RSlab by adding to the water cow manure, or in our case horse manure. So the bottom portion isn't 100% water of course, but a mix of water and feedstock

[@DaleWest-um9mz]

Good video mate

[@akshaykulkarni1222]

Can methane produced only by mannure or food scraps are necessary to balance pH?

[@scottc8152]

Great review, thanks! Would it work for you to put up a kitchen tent to better house the burner away from wind and weather?

[@frenchiepowell]

Perhaps, but in the tropical sun I'd be throwing away and buying a brand new kitchen tent every year. In the future when I've built more of our house I'll integrate an outdoor kitchen into it, and that'll help, but until then it's cheaper and easier to let giant grass and trees grow up around the kitchen area to shelter it.

[@blueskies6475]

You can help your eye to rub flax oil on it or any Vitamin E oil.

[@frenchiepowell]

I'll look into that, thanks for the recommendation👍

[@lewishutchins5776]

I love it! "Chester the digester...LOL:)"

[@Evan-bc6nb]

If you're going to use one of these be sure to educate yourself on H2s and exposure to it.

[@johnknight9150]

I don't know how all the tubing and connectors work, but do you think you could use the outputted gas with a portable camping gas heater?

[@frenchiepowell]

@@johnknight9150 it'd be tricky. The gas heaters are meant to rely on pressurized gas, which this isn't (or not nearly so). So you'd have to switch the nozzles the gas comes out from, or some other diy way of doing it

[@cacaokingdom3122]

TBH if you are in an area where a heater is needed, chances are good that these units won't do great. The bag really needs to stay 75+F in order to maintain effective production. Their new enclosure can help but it really needs to stay warm.

[@johnknight9150]

@@cacaokingdom3122 More just for night time and winter.

[@ashleyshrader6679]

Maybe plant comfrey to feed Chester

[@frenchiepowell]

@@ashleyshrader6679 probably too fibrous and not enough calories

[@ronaldch7365]

How much did you pay for in usd?

[@frenchiepowell]

@@ronaldch7365 if I recall correctly it was something around 700-800 usd

[@sinorlando]

What kind of pipe did you use to connect to the effluent out? I think I see a PVC pipe connected ? What size pipe did you use?

[@frenchiepowell]

Yep, it was PVC, just what I had lying around from another project. I'm on vacation at the moment, so I'll have to measure it for ya when I return

[@sinorlando]

@@frenchiepowell thank you and I appreciate your help. I’m having an issue with mine. Instructions say 2” but that’s not right.

[@frenchiepowell]

@@sinorlando for sure, when connecting the toilet I had to take the pipe with me to the store to physically measure it against the pipes there. I'm no expert, but what I bought was a 2" pipe, but some pipes that were labeled 2"s didn't fit. No idea why, but I'm not a professional

[@kaleyeahitsaustin6026]

Do you not use toilet paper with it?

[@frenchiepowell]

We have that option, but then the toilet paper gets binned and composted properly. It doesn't go into Chester

[@thespacecowboy420]

what about winter

[@frenchiepowell]

@@thespacecowboy420 in Puerto Rico we don't have winter. There are some cold weather protection things the company now sells, but they won't work super far north. Depending on where you are

[@KevinCollins-t4q]

Thinking about getting one. How are you able to connect the toilet to the Home biogas 2 unit? I was told that only manuer can go there and I would have to buy a separate one. Or can you just connect the toilet to with the manure one? Please help!

[@frenchiepowell]

Since technically you're adding human manure with the toilet, it's all fine. The bio toilet does work with the homebiogas 2 unit

[@KevinCollins-t4q]

@@frenchiepowell Awesome man thank you so much! Is this compatible with the Homebiogas 6? All you need is the tpipe correct?

[@frenchiepowell]

@@KevinCollins-t4q my assumption is that this does work with the 6, but I've never tried it. If you email customer support they're generally pretty responsive 👍

[@brandonskiv5907]

I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF GETTING A HOME BIOGAS UNIT.

[@frenchiepowell]

Do it 👍

[@solarandgardeningdjgear2073]

which is the best manure to use?

[@frenchiepowell]

Ideally cow manure

[@gerrie720]

About how much area do you need for what you're doing?

[@frenchiepowell]

For the totality of what we're doing, forest gardening, biogas, solar, and natural structure building, I'd be content anywhere from 3/4 of an acre to 4 acres. We're technically on 11 acres here, but the vast majority is mountain that's difficult to access. So then, we only integrate with a fraction of it and let the rest be wild.

[@atlasboucher543]

You think I can get a small camping oven on it

[@frenchiepowell]

Maybe, I've never tried, and it'll depend on how the camping oven works. Do you attach a gas hose to the oven? Or do you attach the oven to a gas stove burner?

[@Jamazing09]

How do you provide water for the toilet to flush?

[@frenchiepowell]

@@Jamazing09 I have a hose that goes from a rainwater barrel to the toilet, and use it to refill after flushing

[@Jamazing09]

@@frenchiepowell thanks! I am planning on buying one. I just need to figure out my water supply now. Your review is very helpful.

[@frenchiepowell]

@@Jamazing09 glad it helped! In a pinch you can have a bucket of water next to the toilet and it has a hose you can put in it to draw water from. That way you don't need running water, just a 5 gallon bucket or something you can fill occasionally

[@SK-rs1hu]

I've been doing the research for a while but I still have one question - how the hell do i keep my kids from thinking it's a bouncy castle 🏰😂😂😂

[@frenchiepowell]

@@SK-rs1hu 😆 Maybe either an electrified fence surrounding it 🤔😆 Or have them smell the liquid and get them thinking it's disgusting and if they play with it it could all burst out and soak them. Really I don't have kids yet so these are all shots in the dark lol

[@atleandersen1924]

It's not about the setup or model, it's about the methane potential of your biomass. Even if you don't have access to a lab, you can still guesstimate COD based on macro nutrients. Since there are no scrubbers, you can expect 50% of your raw gas to be co2, as well as 500-1500ppm sulphur - it will corrode everything regardless! Human poo, absolutely not. We simply do not have the enzymes and microbiome to deal with lignin and tough fiber. Sodium Bicarbonate is good at adjusting pH, but its even better at killing your biological processes. pH varies a lot through a plug feed digestor, depending on weather you are measuring in the acedogenic or methanogenic zone. A VFA is the best way to assess reactor health. Sidenote. Be humble. As someone that works in the biogas industry, it's often painful to listen to backyard experts, that have yet to scratch the surface.

[@frenchiepowell]

Thank you so much for your input! Definitely wish I had someone like you to guide me through when I started! You're totally right, I'm nowhere near your level. But to be fair, I know more than the average person looking into these things for the first time. So if I'm a stepping stone on their way to expertise, I'm okay with that. The unit works regardless of not being perfect, and that's what I ultimately care about. If you could make one diy modification to the unit, something I might be able to add on, or do, any idea what you might do?

[@atleandersen1924]

Well, the industry secret is, that we all need to be humble. On the biological side, there are still plenty of processes we don't understand, especially when reactor health starts to fail. My first suggestion is to inoculate your digester with cow manure from healthy non GMO and preferably grass fed cows.. It's very important, as its the only way to get the right mix of bacteria and enzymes. Secondly look into locally sourced "booster" biomass. This could be materials with sugar or oil residue. Molasses and glycerine have a methane potential op up to 700m3/ton while manure is about 45m3/ton. These potent biomasses are off course fed in small amounts. Entrails from fish and other domestic animals are also a surprisingly high methane producer. Thirdly i would look into a diy scrubber system. There are a lot of steel wool and water bubbler designs floating around on KZbin. Dissolving co2 improves gas quality and reducing sulphur protects your gas consuming appliances.

[@christinebaker3293]

@@atleandersen1924 Thanks, most informative. I suppose dead mice would also work well. Been told to put them in my septic too.

[@dannybrooking6886]

I think he is pretty humble dude Thanks for the info!

[@cacaokingdom3122]

@@atleandersen1924 Those are some great tips! We are getting ready to setup a system that, if all goes well, will be the first of several. The area we are using it in happens to also be an area where sugar cane is farmed so sugar cane and sugar byproducts are readily available. Fish and similar biomaterials are also plentiful. The info on the gas scrubber is also valuable info. Will have to look deeper into them.