I'm afraid of my head!

[knockabout]

rule of thumb / if it passes through your bowel it will pass through the Y valve / things like false teeth, hand towels, toothbrushes, glasses may cause minor regurgitation in heavy seas

[michaelratinter]

Does anyone flush Scott RV toilet paper through a macerating head? It dissolves when it hits the water supposedly.

[donradcliffe]

After living aboard for 15 years I think I could write my own book.

Rules:

1. NOTHING in toilet that you didn't eat first.
2. 15 extra wet strokes after the bowl is empty.
3. If a log gets sideways and won't go down, keep pumping wet strokes until water in the bowl is swirling, then quickly go to dry strokes. If the water doesn't swirl by itself, use the shower nozzle to create the swirl and herd logs. As a last resort you can break things up with a popsicle stick.
4. Never put a constriction in the exit plumbing--if the exit of the toilet is 1.5", don't try to go down to a 1" pipe or through hull.
5. Treat saltwater heads with vinegar and salad oil every two weeks. Put a cup of vinegar and a tablespoon of oil in the bowl, dry pump till it disappears, and close thru-hull overnight.
6. If emptying a holding tank, flush with 20-30 wet strokes after it is empty and empty it again.

[Ida_Lewis]

I have a Natures Head and love it. Couldn't be more straightforward. Lived aboard last summer; used moth crystals for a gnat infestation and that worked instantly. Otherwise zero problems.

[Island Time O25]

On my boat I live by the rule - only stuff that passed through the body first goes into the toilet bowl. And as a corollary - all tp and whatnot goes into a special plastic bag lined small waste basket next to the bowl. Which bag eventually goes into a large garbage bag. And all guests as a bonus, before departing, get that garbage bag to dispose of at the landing's dumpster.

Probably will have to revise this procedure when/if I go cruising.

[Simply Sailing]

Originally Posted by flee27

Question about composting heads. The more I read the more I like the idea of using these.

My question is where do most people run the vent hose from the head? How much smell comes from this vent? If it is vented into the bilge or engine compartment do those smells linger at all?

Thanks
Foster

We have had an Air Head for over 6 years of fulltime cruising and LOVE it. Ours is vented through the deck where we already had a Dorade. But you can vent it through the anchor locker and pretty much anywhere that has access to the outside. Very little smell comes from the vent. It's an earthy, wet dirt smell, like a forest after a heavy rain. But even that would not be pleasant if it were vented somewhere that it could not get outside. I wouldn't vent it into the bilge or engine compartment, therefore, because that will end up getting into the cabin. Besides, part of the venting is to eliminate moisture and you don't want to increase the moisture in your boat anywhere, even in the bilge. Overboard is the best way, for you and the working of the head. But it is really a sweet unit! Wouldn't trade it for anything but a bucket (we had one of those for 5 years prior to getting an Air Head, but we were in the Caribbean for those years. That's hard to do in the States. Thus we purchased an Air Head.) Here's something I wrote for Good Old Boat Mag about the head: Simply Sailing Online

[Steven UK]

Originally Posted by seasick

You are right to be afraid. Be very afraid. It is only a matter of time before someone clogs that puppy up and then pumps up the internal pressure to around two thousand psi before slinking away to ensnare the next hapless pooper. You'll get a 10th degree turn on that hose clamp when the hose will blow off the antisiphon valve and pin both of your ears back with a blast of raw caw-caw to the face on its way to coating the entire interior of your head enclosure.

A snake actually can be a great thing to have aboard if the clog is at or near the through hull. My favorite is when the interior pressure is so great that the flapper valve inverts and your head turns into a brown version of Old Faithful.

I'm going to need therapy...