Composting Toilet - Nature's Head

[oldragbaggers]

Some diatomaceous earth added to the compost bin should take care of any bug problems.

[Simply Sailing]

We have also found coco coir in pet supply stores in the reptile aisle and have had good luck with it. It's the same price as what we find online, but no shipping and sometimes easier to get to than trying to find a place to have your mail forwarded or a package sent if you're cruising.

[Laurie6t]

I've had mine over a year and I love it. More and more as I hear other sailor's crapper woes.
I have Zero smell, Zero trouble and almost Zero cost of use. Coconut coir costs about $10 for a full replacement. I live alone on my boat and I've only had to replace the coconut coir 2X. $20!!! How many pumpouts have I avoided @ $56???
I highly recommend a composting head and in particular the Airhead.
Here's a link and happy crapping!!

Air Head Dry Composting Toilet | For Boats, RVs & Cabins | Environmental Toilets with Compact Convenience:

Laurie
S/V Little Eddie
Alameda CA

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by Simply Sailing

We have also found coco coir in pet supply stores in the reptile aisle and have had good luck with it. It's the same price as what we find online, but no shipping and sometimes easier to get to than trying to find a place to have your mail forwarded or a package sent if you're cruising.

Pet stores in our part of the world are pretty few and far between. More likely to find recipes for Iguana than we are to find coco coir for them.

Hello Fed Ex.

[The Way]

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.

Me too, only I squirt cheap white vinegar instead of water. Also I cut the fiberglass between the two holes so it's a long oval shape to allow cleaning with a brush. (Why did NH put 2 holes, when people have only one?)

Jack

[Simply Sailing]

Originally Posted by Canibul

Pet stores in our part of the world are pretty few and far between. More likely to find recipes for Iguana than we are to find coco coir for them.

Hello Fed Ex.

You never have mail shipped in? We travel with a year's worth of cococoir (Still smaller than a holding tank) and we certainly have our mail shipped to us several times during that time. Amazon ships to our mail forwarding service who ships to us. There's always a way, even if you can't walk into the pet store to buy it.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Simply Sailing

You never have mail shipped in? We travel with a year's worth of cococoir (Still smaller than a holding tank) and we certainly have our mail shipped to us several times during that time. Amazon ships to our mail forwarding service who ships to us. There's always a way, even if you can't walk into the pet store to buy it.

I usually carry about 6 months of compressed coir in about the same space as a standard sized bucket. The bricks lay nicely against our hull under the head sink, and really take up very little room. I hear Amazon shipping is very easy just about everywhere, although I've yet to put that to the test.

Originally Posted by The Way

Me too, only I squirt cheap white vinegar instead of water. Also I cut the fiberglass between the two holes so it's a long oval shape to allow cleaning with a brush. (Why did NH put 2 holes, when people have only one?)

One thing I've done is add a bead of caulk arcing over the top end of the urine catchment zone. I found that sometimes I would get backwash up the oval during high volume discharges, usually after having a few beers . This addition solved that problem.

[ScubaTyke]

Just curious, anybody use biodegradable waste bags in the solid waste section?

[Copacabana]

I don't think it would work. The agitator would snag the bag when you turned it. You could use the bag when you dump the contents though.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

I don't think it would work. The agitator would snag the bag when you turned it. You could use the bag when you dump the contents though.

And I really doubt these bags would biodegrade fast enough. Besides … why would you want to do this ScubaTyke? I can’t think of a scenario where this would make any sense.

[JPA Cate]

In civilized (as opposed to wilderness) areas, how does one dispose of the desiccated fecal material in conformation with legal standards?

Ann

[Mike OReilly]

Assuming you can’t go out to sea, then it gets dumped into the normal municipal garbage system — the same way used diapers or feminine hygiene products or pet poop is dealt with. Except the end product of a composting head is at least partially processed, so it’s somewhat less problematic.

[Reiheld]

Ours is a calm weather boat, so no offshore solutions for us. We don’t live aboard, just two or three-day trips, so far, so the waste accumulation is less of a problem. We scoop the lumps out of the sawdust in our C-Head with a cat-litter scoop afte our return, into one of those ubiquitous plastic grocery bags, and flush the solid waste down the loo. The plastic bag, tied in a knot, goes into the nearest waste bin. The gallon jug of urine also gets poured down the shoreside toilet. Easy. Whe we get more adventuresome mariners, we will revert to the standard C-Head instructions.

[jkindredpdx]

Originally Posted by ScubaTyke

Just curious, anybody use biodegradable waste bags in the solid waste section?

I use them for my regular garbage... I did use them for my poo bucket, but now don't use any bag and just empty the mix from the bucket directly to the waste disposal receptacle.

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

In civilized (as opposed to wilderness) areas, how does one dispose of the desiccated fecal material in conformation with legal standards?

Ann

Our marina has a waste disposal machine for port-a-potties... I dump straight in there. I also have a second bucket (with gamma seal screw lid and screened vent) where I store poo mix from my toilet bucket for a few months before disposal. I have spread that mix in the beds where bushes/hedges grow.

[Miz Pea]

Has anyone tried the Aspen Bedding (recommended by the C-Head expert) as the poop bin medium?


Here is the link to his blog wherein he recommends it:


https://c-headsmartandsimple.com/201...6d#comment-530


It appears to be immediately usable right out of the bag, which might be expedient in some situations, considering the prep work that the coco coir requires.


Cheers,
Mrs. Trombley