Inexpensive composting toilet

[_wason_]

I'm planning on living on my 30ft Islander this summer and cruising around the Great Lakes, my one main problem is that I only have a Porta potty (previous owners took out the head and storage tank) and I would prefer to not live with a Porta potty for 3 months. I would like to install a composting toilet but all of them are around a grand and on my college budget I can't really afford to drop that much money on a toilet. Does anyone know of a cheaper composting toilet, or even better have one they don't want? I am also very open to any suggestions anyone may have about other options.

[Sailmonkey]

Build your own?

home built composting toilet

home built composting toilet

Ok, those are supposed to be links.......just google it

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[vjm]

Ecovita. If you do it, please some back and give us all the rundown on what you did and how it works.

[Steve Bean]

Check out Sailfar.net and search the forum for: The $10-20-or even free composting toilet. Actually it's more " desiccating " than composting, but it works. I'm experimenting with it on my boat. I'm not living aboard, but when I do, this is what I'll use.

[belizesailor]

You can certainly build your own. Building it to fit boat sized spaces will be the challenge. Something like the "Lovable Loo" should work. See link below for everything you ever wanted to know about composting toilets...and then some:

http://humanurehandbook.com/

I built my own system ashore (off grid house). Nothing complicated about the concept/technology.

As pointed out, most "composting" toilets aboard boats are really desicating toilets as the material is typically not held long enough to completely compost.

[Sea Dreaming]

Yes it can be done!
Check out this blog for the tug boat Iver. This couple built their own using the seat from ecovita. They have a really good explaination and photos.

Tugboat Iver

[smj]

C-Head, a little over $500

[sharkbait]

Bucket and chuck it

[Nicholson58]

What you are looking for is a Yooper Love Seat.

[Conall63]

I have one I'll sell you. I installed in my boat, and wife immediately hated it , so out it came. Used less than a month.

I think it's nature head.


PM me if interested


Conall

[peghall]

There is an inexpensive alternative: a 5-6 gallon "MSD" portapotty. The "MSD" designation means it's designed to be permanently installed and is fitted for pumpout. Because it uses so little flush water--just enough to rinse the bowl into the tank--a 5-6 gallon model holds 50-60 flushes...enough to last you about 10 days if you're gonna be a single handed cruiser...you'd need at least a 35 gal tank to hold that many from any manual or electric marine toilet. It'll fit the same footprint as your portable potty and the only plumbing needed is a vent line and pumpout line. Because there once was a holding tank, you should already have a deck pumpout fitting and vent thru-hull. If so, the cost for a Thetford 550P MSD or a SeaLand 965MSD should be under $200 including hoses and installation should take about an hour.

[Orion Jim]

I just can't understand why people want an "inside" outhouse. There's a reason why they are called "out" houses.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

I just can't understand why people want an "inside" outhouse. There's a reason why they are called "out" houses.

Have you ever owned and used a composting head before?


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[Ocean Girl]

We built one and lived aboard for a year then have been cruising for over a year with it. We are very happy with it. Here is our blog https://raindogps34.wordpress.com/head-project/
I need to update the blog but you will get a good idea. When you go to this page the first post will ask you to link to the new page, don't. I haven't done anything with the new page and my darn iPad freezes up every time I try to erase the link grr.
Anyways, If you build a dry head just be sure your pee and poo tanks are removable. If you install a tank that cannot be removed it no longer is a Type III MDS toilet and then your homemade toilet needs to be approved by the coast guard( how that's done I have no idea). We use gallon jugs for the pee collection and a 3.5 gal Rubbermaid bucket for the poo tank. Pretty simple

Ours cost $290 to build but $90 was for the urine separator, you could find one much cheaper ( Amazon sells em).

If you have any questions feel free to pm me here.
Cheers

[Ocean Girl]

Here is the head without the lid. The urine separator is attached to the underside of the lid