How to de-install marine head for composting

[ttex]

I did this exact job recently. I feel your pain. It was so dang gross.

We were able to fit a Marine AC in the spot where the old tank was.

The main downside to a composter I have found is getting drunk and overflowing the pee container. Dang it!

[jen1722terry]

We agree with Mike O in that there are lots of experienced composter users on CF who will gladly share their experiences.

A couple of quick things we learned:

1. Diatomaceious earth: available at garden centers. Good idea to mix in a little with your peat moss or fibers in your solids tank. Keeps little flying critters from entering the tank and pissing off the Admiral. We add a teaspoon or so each week or so and mix it in with the head hand crank.

2. We use a minimum of peat moss (3") to intially fill the solids tank, then add a cup or so after each solids deposit. This greatly extends time between tank emptys and seems to still remove moisture and prevent odors. Makes emptying the tank far less umpleasant.

3. I may have said this before, but we spray in a dash of white vinegar in the bowl after each liquids deposits. Keep down odors and seem to prevent sludge accumulating in the liquids tank and clogging the drain hose (if you have plumbed you liquids tank into your old holding tanks as we have).

Composters rock! Enjoy the freedom from conventional marine heads.

[Mike OReilly]

That's actually a good point about the pee container ttex. I've managed to do the same a couple of times. With a Nature's Head, the liquids remain contained, but it a bit of a mess cleaning it all out. Certainly inspires one to keep an eye on the levels, and dump early -- especially if the beers are going to flow .

Jen&Terry offer excellent advice. I've only had a fly infestation a few times over the past decade of use, but it isn't fun. It's always been operator-error on my part, when I over-extended the time between emptying, and let the moisture get too high. Having a supply of diatomaceious earth on hand is a good suggestion.

And I too tend to under-fill the bin initially, and then slowly add more as needed. For me that means using roughly 1/2 the coir brick (decompressed) to start, and then after a week or so, start adding handfuls as need be. For two adults, full-time, we tend to get about a month out of each cycle (3-5 weeks).

[hzcruiser]

yes, definitely needs a sensor that blinks or beeps every now and then when you get to 80% on the fluids

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by hzcruiser

yes, definitely needs a sensor that blinks or beeps every now and then when you get to 80% on the fluids

That is a good idea. If it were simple, and reliable, I'd love it.

With the Nature's Head, the translucent pee bucket sits in an opaque container, on the front of the head. But the top ~1/4 is visible over the container top. It's possible to glance down and see when the urine level reaches this point -- during the day. At night, this becomes increasingly hard to do.

In low-light conditions, I use a small flashlight to take a read of the level. If I were really smart, I'd dedicate one to this task, and leave it beside the head.

The other thing I try to do is be proactive by dumping early, especially if I know the beers will be flowing (and hence, other things will soon be flowing ).

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by hzcruiser

yes, definitely needs a sensor that blinks or beeps every now and then when you get to 80% on the fluids

That's what the OGO head does exactly. The fluids reservoir has a light sensor that "sees" the fluid once it gets to a certain level. Once it hits 80% the light on the flush button starts flashing.

Works pretty well for the first season of our use.

[s/v Jedi]

For storing the pee in bottles until it can be disposed safely in shoreside facilities, maybe a wine rack is the most efficient solution?

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by pcmm

That's what the OGO head does exactly. The fluids reservoir has a light sensor that "sees" the fluid once it gets to a certain level. Once it hits 80% the light on the flush button starts flashing.

Works pretty well for the first season of our use.

I know, that's why I mentioned it.