"Composting" toilet questions

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Simply Sailing

With the Air Head you have the option of door open or closed. As a woman, I RARELY have the patience or skill to go with the door open. My husband almost always makes "direct deposits" without the filter with the door open. With the filter there is no aiming. Go, the liquids filter out into the correct liquids container, pull the lever, the filter and solids go into the solids container. No aiming. It's preferable offshore or anytime the boat is moving, even if you can normally aim.

I wonder if Nature’s Head has a larger trap door than Air Head? I can’t see the dimensions on either website, but filters are not suggested by NH. None of the users (female or male) of our head over six years have ever had a problem hitting the target (at least not that I’m aware of). You could use a filter with NH if you wanted, but it has never been necessary on our boat.

There’s really no aiming involved, even at high heel. But I guess that could be affected by the type of boat, and the positioning of the head.

The designs of these heads are aimed at standard sized adults, so I do wonder if small children, and perhaps very petit or large adults, would be challenged. I dunno … it’s just never come up as an issue for us.

[NRbar]

Davidhoy

I like your fittings. My space is tight and I used a 90 street elbow but have to reattach the hose when I change urine bottles.

To clarify, the Natures Head has a seat cover and a bomb door (hatch). Bomb door is closed all the time unless pooping. If a coffee filter is used when pooping the filter goes on top of the closed hatch until job is complete. Then lever is moved, hatch opens and filter, poop and TP disappears. If you are squeamish you do not to see any more than a regular toilet. We haven’t used the filter since the first couple of weeks.

When I poop with the hatch open the only odor is like garden dirt except what I vented during the job, again just like a regular toilet.

[Davidhoy]

Just a quick shout-out to the folks at Nature's Head for outstanding customer service. I needed a longer vent hose, and the guy I spoke with was extremely helpful, explaining why it's a good idea to add a fan about halfway along a longer hose to keep the air moving. Then he turned around and added two fans and some other extra bits to my order at no extra charge. Customer service like that deserves recognition!

-David

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Just a quick shout-out to the folks at Nature's Head for outstanding customer service. I needed a longer vent hose, and the guy I spoke with was extremely helpful, explaining why it's a good idea to add a fan about halfway along a longer hose to keep the air moving. Then he turned around and added two fans and some other extra bits to my order at no extra charge. Customer service like that deserves recognition!

-David

Ditto on that. A few years ago I had a problem with the little fan. Got buggered up from dust (the head was too dry). I sent NH a note, simply inquiring about the issue.

Before I even had a chance to request anything they sent me TWO complete fan housings at ZERO cost. I hadn’t even asked for the part, and would have been fully prepared to pay for the items.

Great customer service.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Just a quick shout-out to the folks at Nature's Head for outstanding customer service. I needed a longer vent hose, and the guy I spoke with was extremely helpful, explaining why it's a good idea to add a fan about halfway along a longer hose to keep the air moving. Then he turned around and added two fans and some other extra bits to my order at no extra charge. Customer service like that deserves recognition!

-David

Absolutely! Larry, the owner, answered all my emails personally when I was purchasing and bent over backwards to help me get the product into Brazil the fastest and cheapest way. The company is outstanding and their composter is, in my opinion, the best. One of the very few things in the marine market that "works as advertised."

[smj]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Just a quick shout-out to the folks at Nature's Head for outstanding customer service. I needed a longer vent hose, and the guy I spoke with was extremely helpful, explaining why it's a good idea to add a fan about halfway along a longer hose to keep the air moving. Then he turned around and added two fans and some other extra bits to my order at no extra charge. Customer service like that deserves recognition!

-David

I agree, great customer service and he has a good sense of humor as well!

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by smj

I agree, great customer service and he has a good sense of humor as well!

Speaking of humor, I bought my NH unit new in-the-box from a guy who is now running for political office. Seems appropriate to buy something to s#!t in from a politician ;-)

-David

[SVRocinante]

Originally Posted by Simply Sailing

With the Air Head you have the option of door open or closed. As a woman, I RARELY have the patience or skill to go with the door open. My husband almost always makes "direct deposits" without the filter with the door open. With the filter there is no aiming. Go, the liquids filter out into the correct liquids container, pull the lever, the filter and solids go into the solids container. No aiming. It's preferable offshore or anytime the boat is moving, even if you can normally aim.

Thanks for the clarification!

[SVRocinante]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Just a quick shout-out to the folks at Nature's Head for outstanding customer service. I needed a longer vent hose, and the guy I spoke with was extremely helpful, explaining why it's a good idea to add a fan about halfway along a longer hose to keep the air moving. Then he turned around and added two fans and some other extra bits to my order at no extra charge. Customer service like that deserves recognition!

-David

Always good to hear!
We hear & experience such horror stories when it comes to customer service, that it's great to hear when a particular company understands what a difference it makes!

Thanks,

[Amihan59]

We are considering replacing our current holding tank system with Nature's Head. Your posts have been helpful in our decision to go with NH.

Our question is about the vent hose which is 1.5". We would like to vent the NH hose through the same vent opening as the holding tank vent which measures 5/8". Any suggestions/issues? Thanks.

[Antilag]

Did the same thing initially with a reducer, but we had humidity issues so we removed the pump out fitting on the deck and installed a vetus mushroom vent in it's place to have more air flow

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Amihan59

We are considering replacing our current holding tank system with Nature's Head. Your posts have been helpful in our decision to go with NH.

Our question is about the vent hose which is 1.5". We would like to vent the NH hose through the same vent opening as the holding tank vent which measures 5/8". Any suggestions/issues? Thanks.

Also have a NH. Good choice .

My sense is the vent hole is too small. I don’t think it will give you enough air flow. Maybe if unless you significantly upgrade the fan, but even then I’d be concerned.

I too did as Antilag; just use the pump out fitting with a mushroom vent. Works great.

[Davidhoy]

Depending upon the length of the vent hose, you may need to add another fan in the middle of the run to ensure good flow. I got this advice directly from NH customer support when I ordered longer hose.

-David

[DeValency]

What do you think of this innovation supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bill-ga...to-save-lives/

Although planned first for poor countries sanitation where water and treatment are problematic we perfectly fit this population - only that we are so rich to travel on our own 40’ sail yachts...

[sdutton]

Thanks for all the information on the composting heads. I would like to convert the forward head on our Hunter 420 to a composting head since the macerator pump needs to be changed and since I will have some hoses disconnected anyway...
But my beautiful partner is nervous about the stirring of "Satan's brownie batter" every time she goes (I'm sure she will realize it is not that bad), and I am nervous about installing a composting toilet in a "wet head". We don't have a separate shower so both of our heads are "wet" and we do shower onboard most of the time. Would the additional humidity be an issue with a composting head?