Disposing of Solid Waste From a Dessicating Toilet

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by MikeHoncho

I just used my OGO for the first time last week on a 4 day trip with 3 adults. It was raining and very humid. I followed the video directions about adding water and got a poor idea of spraying the used TP with a little bit of water to get it to mix with the coir. Worked great for about two days then it was obvious there was too much moisture and it started to stink. The inner walls of the toilet was covered with condensation. I also learned that you can’t just break up the bricks of coir by has. They have to be prepared. For my next trip I’m preparing coir by adding 3 cups of hot water to a brick. Letting it soften, breaking it up then drying in the sun. It’s super fine and dry. I’m going to go with adding no water and placing the TP in a separate bin. The TP filled the auger bin faster than the other “deposits”

Hi Mike, sounds like you’re getting things figured out. Moisture balance is key to successful operation of these heads. Basically, you want it as dry as possible. But the coir does require some moisture, especially initially, so finding the right balance is key.

When I prepare our coir brick I usually place it in a large ziplock, pour in a cup or two of water (I just eye ball it). Then I put the bag in the sun. After a couple of hours its usually ready. I break it up by hand, using a wedge to tear some pieces apart. Occasionally I add a bit more water if it’s still too hard. But the aim is to keep it as dry as possible.

A couple of additional thoughts:

These heads are designed with small crews in mind; ideally two. Three adults is pushing the edge., especially considering that the OGO is smaller than others like Nature’s or Air Head.

Is the OGO actively vented (I forget). If not, I’d certainly recommend this. If yours already is, then perhaps a bigger fan might help.

Paper use is OK in these heads, but it should be kept to a minimum. I’m talking four to six sheets to get the job done (single or double-ply, not the not the thick quilt stuff). With three adults using it, I might consider diverting some or all.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Is there a link of where to buy the parts used for the CH ?

If you scroll down this link, all parts for Natures Head are listed. Most folks buy a handful of replacement fans off Amazon. I recently purchased four 40mm fans for $15 delivered.

https://store.natureshead.net/

[dlj]

When I installed my first OGO, putting in a vent to outside was very problematic. I spoke to OGO and at that time they had a carbon filter that you can put on the end of the vent hose and vent inside. I tired that and it has worked very well. That was one of the aspects that led me to put in the aft head as putting a vent to the outside for that head would have been a real problem.

The forward head has now been running for over a year without problems or smells. I did buy additional carbon filters to be able to change it out but so far I've not needed to.

I am very aware of the many different systems out there, but know of none that provide such a small interior footprint as a CH. Others may not care about that but in my boat, reclaiming an entire aft locker was significant. Not having to do an entire forward head marine head installation was also a major consideration. That would have been a major undertaking.

The "composting" aspects - or the "green" aspects were not even a consideration for me. It is a nice benefit, and I really like the added flexibility but was never part of my decision making.

At this point, both forward and aft heads vent inside the boat through carbon filters and so far I've no odors that are detectable.

dj

[newhaul]

Thought about it for a while but decided to post my build.
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ad-172196.html
Several years old but prices have not changed much . Likely $10 bucks today.

[Chotu]

Here’s the one I built.

You can see the vent hose is a little bigger on this one. There was already a ventilation hose in that area so I used it.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-221471-3.html

If you go back a page on that thread from the link, it talks about how I built it in text form.

It’s a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot and a 1 gallon urine container. That’s just too small for the urine container. I would like to have a bigger one next time if I do this.

Also a unrine level indicator or window would be VERY welcome. Neither of us ever peed it to overflow, but it was terrifying when you were close to the end of capacity and still had a lot to go before the pressure was relieved.

This was put together just to try out the concepts. I did it as cheaply as possible. Cheapest Home Depot plywood. No finishing the wood. Home Depot 5 gallon bucket. Used water bottle for urine. Standard funnel for the diverter. Plastic trash bags for the liner. Computer fan. And the toilet seat is right off the Raritan marine elegance piece of garbage, so it was “free”

I think I probably listed the total price in the original thread in the link.

You can see we use a bag of PeatMoss. (Home Depot garden center) One bag would last about 6 to 8 months with two people. If I recall.

The spray bottle to the side is to give a little spritzing to the urine diverter so that it doesn’t have any odor. It’s a water/vinegar mix

We didn’t have a specific amount of peat moss to put it in. You just put in enough to dry out whatever you did. So sometimes when things were a little more wet, you would put a little more in. Other times if things were more dry, you wouldn’t need as much as long as it was covered. Not so different from a cat litter box.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Do you have links of where you bought the parts?

I think ours is this one:

https://we-pee.com/de/products/copy-...posting-toilet

Apart from that any cheap standart 12v computerfan, any cheap plastic jerrycan fitting, any cheap plastic bucket with lid, some scraps of plywood, screws, ducting and a mushroom vent. It's DIY.

That's all.

Btw. I glued the funnel on the underside of the seat and remove the seat with it when emptying.
The toilet seat cover is separately screwed on.

[Chotu]

By the way, I’m going to put in the specific complaint about why I switched away from the standard marine heads.

First, I had been up to my elbows in other peoples stuff during charters when a pipe exploded and filled the bilge. Second, the pumps break a lot and you have to take them apart and they smell bad. Third, you have to replace parts of the system all the time.

But the big final issue that made me switch was the Raritan Marine elegance electric head. Push button. Wonderful stuff. Right? No. Complete garbage. Worst design imaginable. We had to keep a knife in the bathroom for it to work. Why? No one could understand this before when I posted about it but I whipped up a quick diagram to demonstrate. Using Mr. hanky from South Park.

This is why that particular head is such a piece of junk. It has a complete 90° at the bottom of the bowl. You have to cut things up with a knife to get them around the 90. Not pleasant. Much much worse than emptying a composter.

The Raritan Marine elegance also cost $1249. Just to be designed improperly.

[Mike OReilly]

Just a note on smell; there should be nothing offensive coming out of a properly functioning composter head. If there is, then something is off. Either it’s past time to change the bin, or there is too much moisture getting in.

Even at the end, the only smell should be a rich organic earthy one. The end product looks, smells, and feels like rich potting soil. There is nothing ugly or offensive about it.

The vent’s main purpose is not to remove bad odours, but to provide air circulation. This is what helps dry the material, and promotes the early stages of actual composting.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Chotu

With a catamaran, I believe the absolute best option is simply a hole in the bridge deck with a toilet seat and plug to close it. No tank. No compost. I’ve only seen one of these before. Debatable about legality. Reliability 100%. Stink factor 0, ick factor 0. Maintenance 0.

We saw one back in the'90's in Mexico.
We met Jim Brown while anchored in the bay of Isla San Francisco.

His trimaran "Windwalker" was plywood and totally old school.
He was quite a guy.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Chotu

More questions because you have such a great design and execution.

Did you buy or build the separator?

It looks very professional and nice.

And Jedi: I agree it is a difficult problem to solve. I’ve tried them all, including vacuuflush.

With a catamaran, I believe the absolute best option is simply a hole in the bridge deck with a toilet seat and plug to close it. No tank. No compost. I’ve only seen one of these before. Debatable about legality. Reliability 100%. Stink factor 0, ick factor 0. Maintenance 0.

That would constitute direct discharge. As far as I know that is legal everywhere.
Even in no discharge zones . no different than peeing directly over the side or jumping on the water to take a poo. I have seen people do that in the med.

[Chotu]

What about the composter only for solids and a porta potty for liquids?

might be too many 12 hour days at the helm while also working. Or might be a good idea. Unsure

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Chotu

What about the composter only for solids and a porta potty for liquids?

might be too many 12 hour days at the helm while also working. Or might be a good idea. Unsure

I'm voting for the former .

[Chotu]

Ha ha ha ha ha. That made me laugh, mike.

[GordMay]

Numerous beaches in Massachusetts[1], New Hampshire, and Rhode Island[2] were closed by public health officials due to unsafe levels of fecal [enterococci*] bacteria, in the water; likely due to discharges from combined sewer overflows, and sanitary sewer overflows.

[1] Current public beach postings [Massachusetts]
➥ https://www.mass.gov/info-details/cu...beach-postings

[2] Beach Closure Data [Rhode Island]
➥ https://health.ri.gov/data/beaches/

* What are enterococci? ➥ https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic...rs-enterococci

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Numerous beaches in Massachusetts[1], New Hampshire, and Rhode Island[2] were closed by public health officials due to unsafe levels of fecal [enterococci*] bacteria, in the water; likely due to discharges from combined sewer overflows, and sanitary sewer overflows.

[1] Current public beach postings [Massachusetts]
➥ https://www.mass.gov/info-details/cu...beach-postings

[2] Beach Closure Data [Rhode Island]
➥ https://health.ri.gov/data/beaches/

* What are enterococci? ➥ https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic...rs-enterococci

Yes… this is how most of the problems occur, at least around dense urban areas. Not sure what this means for a composting (desiccating) head users, except that we don’t contribute much to this particular problem.