sitting in privy

[Lilacpa]

I see alot of all your pictures privy digging and most of you are sitting in the hole digging. How safe is that? you all seem to be pretty comfy. I think thats why I didnt dig to far down because i was affraid to really get in there.
Also how big around should you make the hole?
lee

 

[bpk1]

It's safe generally, unless you have concrete overhead, or are going very very deep. If you have to go that deep, widen the hole you've dug into the ground. It also depends on what the layers are, wether it's clay or not, etc.. And to determine the size of the pit, just probe for walls.

Bren

 

[RICKJJ59W]

Dig a test hole, then start from there and dig it wider, find one wall then find the others, but dig it all out even, never tunnel (cave ins), then just dig down,untill you hit the use layer, near bottom, mabey some bottles will be in the fill, but the use layer is where the goodies are, its digging a hole that's all it is,when you dig to the clay walls where the original people who dug the pit in the first place dug, that's all you can do, it may cave in it may not, but chances are it will not because it is packed clay (regular ground) that's all around you, if its some thing other then clay, like gravel or sand type ground then the chances of cave ins are greater, we all ways have a rope in the hole, its better then nuttin.its the chance we take as privy diggers. Well I do any way. Rick oh I forgot then you fill it in, because its a hole.

 

[Lilacpa]

we have alot of clay here in clay township butler county. so i should be good...lol
now the priviy i want to dig at my camp the soil back there is more sandy , so i deff look at that hole different.
thanks

 

[diggerjeff]

WHEN YOU SIT IN A HOLE BE CAREFULL ! I HAVE A SCARE ON MY BACKSIDE . I DID NOT LOOK BEFORE I SAT DOWN.

 

[CALDIGR2]

I always probe to find the exact perimeter of the privy and dig the sides straight down along the original walls. No problems with caveins in most soils, no matter to what depth you dig. We have dug them over 20' without a single case of cracking or bulging walls.

Of course, all bets are off in a sandy situation. We use plywood for shoring in extremely loose, sandy soils. Safety first.

 

[epgorge]

Nothing worst than a cut from digging. Get antiseptic fast.[]
Joel

 

[CALDIGR2]

No cuts for me, I use Kevlar gloves that a bullet proof and can rip through the glass and metal without a worry.

 

[camron_poe]

I have a friend who is a nurse and she just told me about spors that can lay dormant for hundreds of years, ive never heard of a digger getting sick from a privy but she says it can happen so if ya get cut clean it right away especially from metal,

 

[cowseatmaize]

Yup, Tetanus is one of them. Fortunatly there's treatment and a vaccine. Always a good heads up and a warning. Thanks