Compost Head Owners: Would you do it again?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by SuW

...Previously we used the NH into the late fall but composting seems to stop below 10C (50F). That made cleaning it out at season end a bit gross, but there wasn't any smell in the boat interior. ...

Just to reiterate, I have spent most of my cruising time in cooler climes where temperatures routinely go below 10C. Heck, my forecast is calling for 5C and 3C over the coming couple of days.

My Nature’s Head will continue to function just fine through this. Perhaps it’s due to the active venting, but as long as the boat is kept at a livable temperature, these toilets do just fine.

[Fi2010]

SuW,

Like your poopy story! Anyone who cleans or uses a head will eventually have someone else's poopy stuff on them. That's what soap is for.

[susgal]

Perhaps I'm not your typical liveaboard as I'm mostly "stationary" in the Sacramento Delta... no ocean cruising, etc. But I use toilets...and I recently installed a Nature's Head composting toilet in my small pontoon houseboat. I'd do it again in a heart beat. No pump out headaches, in control of the process, no smell, no hassle. In fact, I wrote a blog post about the process of deciding to go compost, and the installation. Read that post, see the photos.... (https://deltahand.blogspot.com/2019/...-headache.html)

[Olmoose]

Hi y'all, long time lurker new member. I have been following this thread closely as I too am looking at alternatives to the marine head. After several decades of experiences (good and bad as it goes) I have come up with my own version of a marine head/holding tank compromise. Far from perfect, but better than most I have seen/smelled. Hence this discussion is of significant interest and with an open mind.

What seems to me to be the Elephant in the room and only briefly (very) mentioned was the TP disposal. Trash on our modest sloop is a major consideration. So, with the added burden and smell associated with this nasty subject, what are the realities to be dealt with?
Thanks all for the thoughtful insights!
The Very OlMoose

[susgal]

Believe it or not, my composting toilet has no smell. I’m religious about keeping the poop trap shut when no being used. And the lid down all the time too. And I spritz w vinegar water fairly regularly. I turn over the “compost” , especially when I’ve not been aboard for couple of days. Recently some small black fly-like bugs have shown up in the compost chamber. Diatomaceous earth sprinkled into compost /coir has cut down on that. But smell? Nope. Nothing obnoxious. My living space is small. And head is about in middle of that space. Odor would be very noticeable... and disturbing. But not so far, anyway.

[westsailwill]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

Peter, I recommend you read the threads here on CF about composting toilets. They pretty much cover the pros and cons. You'll find that people with them are almost always very satisfied and would never go back to a regular marine toilet. A lot of people who have never used them seem to have opinions though... usually along the lines of not wanting to handle to emptying part. It's not an issue. I've had my Nature's Head for about 6 years and I love it- no smell, no problems, easy to maintain, reliable, nothing to break or leak and you gain a ton of storage when you rip out the old system.

To answer your questions:

1) Works great for 2 people full time. 3 people full time starts to strain the system and you have to dump more frequently. 4 or more is probably not a good idea.
2) They work great in the tropics. No issues.
3) Coconut coir bricks are small and easy to store. Carry a supply and replenish when you find more. Pretty common everywhere in gardening stores. In a pinch, you can always use sawdust, peat or something else until you locate coir.
4) (see above).
5) I would never go back to a regular marine head (of any brand). I love the simplicity, reliability and zero-smell of my composting toilet. No regrets whatsoever.

👍👍👍 Couldn’t have said it better. For us, after 5 years, would never consider goind back.

[Cthoops]

Originally Posted by Olmoose

What seems to me to be the Elephant in the room and only briefly (very) mentioned was the TP disposal. Trash on our modest sloop is a major consideration. So, with the added burden and smell associated with this nasty subject, what are the realities to be dealt with?
Thanks all for the thoughtful insights!
The Very OlMoose

We’ve been cruising full-time for just over a year. We installed our Nature’s Head around four years ago on our previous boat, and brought it with us to our current boat.

For us, TP after peeing goes in a Tupperware-style container with an air tight lid. It gets emptied when we take out the trash. TP for poop goes in the Nature’s Head.

I have read that some people don’t put any TP in their composting toilet, because it fills the head up faster so you need to empty the bin more frequently. Frankly, that’s a sacrifice we can live with as opposed to bagging ALL of our TP.

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by susgal

Believe it or not, my composting toilet has no smell. I’m religious about keeping the poop trap shut when no being used. And the lid down all the time too. And I spritz w vinegar water fairly regularly. I turn over the “compost” , especially when I’ve not been aboard for couple of days. Recently some small black fly-like bugs have shown up in the compost chamber. Diatomaceous earth sprinkled into compost /coir has cut down on that. But smell? Nope. Nothing obnoxious. My living space is small. And head is about in middle of that space. Odor would be very noticeable... and disturbing. But not so far, anyway.

There are different ways of maintaining these heads. When I first got my C Head, I used the little lid over the bin. I noticed significant condensation on the underside each time. Quite using it. I now strictly use it to desiccate, rather than compost. In 5 years, I have yet to install the tiny fan I bought, and will never justify a vent hose.

Air drying works for dishes and clothes and solids bin contents. The drying media instantly eliminates odors. You know that you’ve got a moisture removal issue when the little black mold gnats show up.

For TP, a box of Kleenex last 2-4 months. A roll of TP last a week.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by Olmoose

What seems to me to be the Elephant in the room and only briefly (very) mentioned was the TP disposal. Trash on our modest sloop is a major consideration. So, with the added burden and smell associated with this nasty subject, what are the realities to be dealt with?
Thanks all for the thoughtful insights!
The Very OlMoose

Olmoose, some people put the TP in the bin, but it does tend to fill the bin quicker. I don't put it in the bin for a few reasons. I have a small plastic waste bin with a lid in the head. It's lined with a plastic bag (the air-tight kind that comes in rolls used in supermarkets). All TP goes into the bin. If you fold it up after use (with the dirty part inside), there is no smell at all. I prefer not to add TP to the bin as I usually dump the composting bin on land (in the jungle, off the path) or at sea (a few miles out). I don't like the idea of adding paper to either environment. When the bin is full, I just tie the bag and it goes in the garbage.

[Mike OReilly]

The soiled TP goes in our Nature’s Head. My spouse's urine wipes gets diverted into a sealable bin. I haven’t experimented to see what the impact of putting TP is into our head. We average 4 weeks between dumps, so pretty much on par.

My theory is that the modest amount of TP placed in the bin actually assists with the drying process. When I dump it out almost none of the TP remains as identifiable. It has become one with the compost pile.

Of course, coming from a canoe tripping background, we know how to use a modest amount of TP. Lets just say I can typically get the job done with three sheets (and not to the wind ). I’m constantly amazed at the amount of paper product people use in public toilets. Some people insist on reams of the stuff to wipe their @ss or dry their hands. If you do that, you will definitely overwhelm a typical composter.

[susgal]

“You know that you’ve got a moisture removal issue when the little black mold gnats show up.”
Thanks for this advice. A few of those bugs showed up recently. Diatomaceous earth helps so that - moisture- makes sense now. I don’t use the fan but I do have a venting pipe since there was already a hole there to use. I figured the bugs used the venting pipe to access. Anyway, no smell. Less hassle than carrying around a ��-filled tank and a pump out station. I’m a happy composter. This also aligns with my ... worldview: one must know what happens to ALL the waste one generates, from one use plastic bags and plastic water bottles etc to one’s ��. And be responsible for our piece of responsible planetary care. ��

[ejjawhite]

My Airhead is one of the best investments I’ve ever made to my boat.
We weekend and do weeklong cruises. Never have to worry about pumpouts, much more environmentally friendly, no smells, freed up a locker, freed myself of disgusting hoses and 18 hose clamps. I have 2 urine tanks which enables me to empty ashore when possible. Yes an electroSan would also be a nice non polluting option.
No gnat problems for me as I microwave my composting coir before using it. I have not had a problem with them
Since I started doing that.

[senormechanico]

ElectroScan is a great option until you get run over by stupid politicians without a clue.

These politicians are simply trolling for votes from eco freaks by deciding it's a great idea to ban them without doing any research into the subject.

[GeorgeW]

A few comments to some of the previous posts:

My wife and I have had a Natures Head on our 39' sailboat since 2008.

We spend one to two months on-board full-time each year. I spent a full winter living on-board all-day every-day one year. My experience during winter, with temperatures hovering around freezing, was similar to Mike O'Reilly's as he described in previous posts in this discussion.

One jug is good for about 2 1/2 days for two people on-board full-time. We have a second jug to avoid having to empty at inconvenient times.

The jugs have screw-on caps for transport and one flat side that allows pouring without splashing. A re-useable grocery bag "disguises" the jug when carrying it to a marina toilet.

We keep a small flashlight in the head to accurately check how full the jug is.

"CampaChem Natural" works extremely well to prevent urine odour. We add a few tablespoons to the empty jug before putting it in use. "CampaChem Natural" is available at most WalMart stores in the RV sports department. It's labelled as "bio-degradable in seven days". We found it to be much more effective than vinegar, sugar, and other products we tried in the first few years. A spray bottle filled with water and a few drops of CampaChem is used to rinse the bowl after each use. A bicycle water bottle holder mounted in a convenient location holds the spray bottle securely when it is not in use.

Use minimal water when hydrating coir bricks. A method that works well is to place a brick in a bucket, pour in one cup of boiling water, cover the bucket with plastic, let it sit overnight then break up the coir the next day.

A very noticeable benefit of having a fan ventilate the toilet is that during active use no odour escapes into the head compartment nor into the other parts of the boat.

Due to a narrow passageway, I am unable to remove the bin from the boat without tipping it on its side. Consequently, I change the coir in the (small) head compartment. To help the operation go smoothly I place a couple of small polyethylene bottles, with their tops cut off, over the toilet hold-down brackets to prevent cutting the garbage bag that will receive the old coir. I also secure the bag to the bin using a loop of 1/8" or 3/16" bungee cord placed over the bag and around the lip of the bin, allowing just enough of the bag outside the top of the bin to receive the coir. The only thing that can go wrong is that I lose control of the bag and spill some coir onto the floor. That is not nearly as bad as it sounds, happened only once, and has not happened since I started using the bungee cord to secure the bag.

I had very bad experience with conventional holding tank systems over 19 years and three boats. I would not consider going back to such a setup. The routine maintenance of the composting toilet takes less than 30 minutes every few weeks and includes general cleaning of the head compartment. While I stressed a bit before doing the first coir change years ago the actual operation was anti-climatic to an extreme. Way easier than an engine oil change and no environmentally unfriendly mess to dispose of.

The composting toilet is the single best upgrade we have made to our boat.

[Mike OReilly]

Thanks GeorgeW, sounds like our approach is very similar to yours. To dump our main bin I just fit the garbage bag around the lip, and tip it over. I’ve never spilled things — yet, but I like your bungee cord idea. I may try that next time.

For the urine bottle, we’ve tried various vinegar, baking soda and sugar applications. None really seem to make much difference. All we do now (and have done for years) is have a spray bottle of water beside the head. We spritz the urine track after use. There is no odour, except when it is being dumped. But I like your recommendation of “CampaChem Natural”. I may give that a try.