Composting Toilet - Nature's Head

[jaybird1111]

Solution for flies in the composter is a couple handfuls of diatomaceous earth into the composting medium. Also helps to aerate the media as much as possible, however you care to achieve that

[The Way]

Originally Posted by tjvanginkel

I think you should avoid putting vegetable waste into your composting toilets, it would be an attraction to fruit flies.......which we have had several infestations of. Not high on the fun list!
We were also using a vinegar solution to spray the urine separator portion of our C-Head composter but it turns out that is also an attraction for fruit flies.....so now it is just a spritz with water and hopefully that will work to avoid the build up of minerals.

That being said, after nine months of full time live aboard cruising the fruit flies were the only issues we had.

Vinegar attracts flies? I thought you caught more with honey!

Seriously, how do you know that? Or is it common knowledge to everyone but me?

Thanks,
Jack

[The Way]

Originally Posted by jaybird1111

Solution for flies in the composter is a couple handfuls of diatomaceous earth into the composting medium. Also helps to aerate the media as much as possible, however you care to achieve that

That did no good at all in my NH. Maybe a different kind of fly?

Jack

[rgesner]

Originally Posted by 123jashe

I used to sell composters and ran one in the company shop for many years.
I found peat moss to be a little messy because it produced a fine powder when we scooped it from its storage container to the composter. This powder settled on the floor, wood trim etc. and had to be sponged off. As a result I switched to pine wood shavings of the type used for animal bedding. Very cheap and easy to source. Don't use cedar shavings as they don't decay.

Technically, what we call composting toilets (a misnomer) on boats are really desiccating toilets, so whether or not the material decomposes quickly is irrelevant (unless you compost it after removing it from the boat.) It just isn't going to be onboard long enough to compost, and keeping it as dry as possible is paramount to eliminating odor, whereas composting requires more moisture.

- Rusty

[BlueMaxx]

A tip for the urine jugs is add just a touch of liquid dish-washing soap...it doesn't take much.

M

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by BlueMaxx

A tip for the urine jugs is add just a touch of liquid dish-washing soap...it doesn't take much.

M

What does that do? make it easier to clean or is this also a bug issue?

[BlueMaxx]

Takes away the urine smell.....

[Cthoops]

We also add a touch of liquid dish soap to the urine jug after it's emptied. It doesn't take away the smell while dumping, but there's zero smell at all other times which is more important IMO.

[Mike OReilly]

All we do is squirt a little water (via fine-mist spray bottle) down the urine track after every use. So far this has left us smelling pretty through normal use. I only notice the smell when I empty the bottle. Every once in a while we do a vinegar cleaning of the bottle. Seems to keep things palatable, but I may try adding a bit of dish soap to the squirt bottle.

[Canibul]

Palatable? What a wordsmith.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

All we do is squirt a little water (via fine-mist spray bottle) down the urine track after every use. So far this has left us smelling pretty through normal use. I only notice the smell when I empty the bottle. Every once in a while we do a vinegar cleaning of the bottle. Seems to keep things palatable, but I may try adding a bit of dish soap to the squirt bottle.

When are you leaving Mike? I know you have a delay or two...

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Palatable? What a wordsmith.

Hmm, OK, perhaps "palatable" is the wrong term here. I panicked . How about pleasant? Pleasing? Peachy?

What I'm saying is that a spray of water keeps it from smelling like stinky yuck yuck .

Originally Posted by weavis

When are you leaving Mike? I know you have a delay or two...

Ah Weavis, 'tis a complicated tale. I don't want to drift too far, so I'll PM you, but the short answer is, we're not leaving this season. Next Spring is our new target for the St. Lawrence.

[Myztyk]

Originally Posted by Tony_Owen

The only thing that I have had a problem with is tiny fungus gnats...I use store bought peat moss? The toilet has all the proper air filters in place...anyone else have any bug problems...just cleaned out the big chamber and there was a few extra flies in the cabin, now this am all is fine...I am wondering if the eggs are in the peat moss?

I can't remember where I read it or what the different peat mosses were called but YES ... it does matter what peat moss you use. One version is "sanitized" I think and therefor has no bugs or eggs in it, but the other is RAW peat moss with all the bugs, eggs, and other things nature collected with the peat moss. I'll see if I can find the reference and post here later if I find it.

UPDATE: From Natures Head manual: The peat moss should be
regular sphagnum peat, no additives. DO NOT use MIRACLE-GRO peat
moss.

So just make sure it is SPHAGNUM PEAT MOSS without any additives and such.

[bletso]

Better yet is to use coconut coir. Peat moss is a non renewable product. Coir comes in small compressed bricks and stores very compactly.

[Reiheld]

We use cypress sawdust/shavings in our C-Head, because we have lots of it, free, left over from our paneling project, but have also been pleased with Coir, the coco fiber, readily available from Amazon.com, among others. $20 worth keeps us well-supplied for a year. I suggest you go for the easily-stored smaller bricks rather than the bulk 10-pound size. I put one brick in a large (2 gal) zip-lock bag, add some very warm water, let it soften, crumble it well, and then pour the peat-like stuff in the now-empty solid waste container. I often have enough left over for adding as necessary, but I'm unfamiliar with the NH capacity. BTW, you want to make sure you have not left any viable bug eggs in crannies before you start.
Good luck!
PS: ignore any suggestions on the package to add potting soil. You don't want to do that.