Composting toilets?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by MikeLima

The 6 gallon tank is elevated because it is a simple gravity drain. Open the valve, the tank empties.

Ok good but now in port but 6 gallons in a lot of pee so if not in port to long not an issue eh
Then there is always the pump boat

[purvisgs]

it seems a urine holding tank is quite often utilized in rv's (since a black tank is already right there under the toilet), probably start there w/ your research. personally i would minimize the amount of plumbing, i don't like the idea of having a urine lift/sump pump if you can come up with ANY other option. the urine scale/buildup on hoses etc,--is not insignificant, so you will have a limited lifespan on these systems (hoses etc, --make sure they are accessible & replaceable). keep in mind urine collection is the part of the system with the smell- paying special attention to venting.

maybe for inspiration check out the separette brand 'urine tank' for land use which i believe has a clever-ish 'flush/empty with a (household pressure) garden hose' feature, you might consider a similar approach using a seawater pump etc. vinegar would be a cleaning product of choice as far as heavy cleaning or perhaps a flush for the urine area/bowl, and maybe sump..

now as to the airhead -definitely can't recommend it, even though they have redesigned that model it's main drawback remains; a too small & overly complex #2 bowl shape. if it's like the original airhead there are also inaccessible crevices all over the place underneath, not possible to clean--as an oversight. maybe if you have 'average' body size/s, not larger or smaller than average at all- and never have guests (the airhead requires lessons/instructions and for some-- 'aiming' ..) - sure, then, the airhead might be fine, but overall the airhead still has a terribly designed bowl (yes i have owned one , yes i have also owned/used NH for several years- nh is better than airhead but not that great)..

i don't know if there are any churning options out there that have 'solved' the sloped toilet bowl problem that the airhead , natures head, and ogo share. i suppose DIY or some of the simple (add a scoop of bulking every time) options out of germany etc - like treli no would be the only 'straight wall poop area' options i could personally suggest for 'general public' & guest type usage/ , not just one or 2 regular users...

[dlj]

I don't know what the "sloped" toilet bowl problem is. I have the OGO and do not find it at all difficult to keep clean. I've also had many guests on board and while sure, you need to show them how to use the head, there has never been a problem with any of my guests...

dj

[Iron E]

How about a completely different type of composting toilet question:

Resale and desirability - If you install a composting toilet, would it negatively impact potential buyers?

[dlj]

Originally Posted by Iron E

How about a completely different type of composting toilet question:

Resale and desirability - If you install a composting toilet, would it negatively impact potential buyers?

It's a great question. At this point I have no idea. I imagine there are two camps, folks that view it as a detriment and folks that view it as an asset. But I have no idea of how it shakes out in reality.

dj

[Redboat]

For me, the composting toilet on my new-to-me boat was a definite positive asset. I worked in a marina ship store for the last few years and the amount of repair parts we sold for heads and associated plumbing was astounding. Some of our charter operators were in 2 or three times a week fixing this or that head related bits and bobs. I did my research and determined for our use, a composting toilet was a huge asset.

We have a CHead. Not one guest has had a problem. Liquids go into a standard size gallon milk jug, (well labeled) and comes with us off the boat each day for emptying at home. If we were on a multi day away from shore trip, I would dump overboard. A gallon of pee in any large body of water is near no impact. How many guys (or women) just pee off the side anyway. I would not empty it in harbor or in a crowed anchorage where folks are swimming though.

Solids are no problem either. Previous owner said it only needed emptying every few weeks with daily use. Manufacturer says it can be dumped into any dumpster. Does not smell at at all. Our boat is 1 mile from our house and we have 5 acres of woods. I plan on burying the composted solids on our property.

Every boat we looked at you could smell head odor, even if it was faint. The one with the composting toilet smelled faintly like fresh cut cedar, even inside the head compartment with the door closed.

Where the holding tank used to be is a massive storage area now, tank was removed.

I plan to plumb the now unused through hull to a washdown pump on deck with a hose adapter in the old deck access for the holding tank pump out.

[zachduckworth]

Do it, get one. You’ll be glad you did.

I bought a 40 year old Islander 30 two years ago. It was in great shape but the entire marine head system was at end of life. Hoses stinking and gummy feeling, toilet clogging sometimes. The hoses funk made the v-berth wood smell. Not awful, but a distinct chemical-dank-funk. And it was always humid feeling up there. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would need to change every hose in the system. The hoses are not cheap, and they were long and snaking, so lots of work to replace. The Whale pump was also old and smelled worst of all. It would have cost well over $1000 to replace everything, and a lot of work.

Then one day coming back from Catalina the holding tank failed and dumped six gallons of black water into my bilge.

I decided to try out a composting head. I bought a Natures Head for $650 new off Craigslist. I then use a reciprocating saw to remove/cut all of the hoses out of the boat. That was three months ago.

After about three months or so I have nothing but unmitigated praise for composting heads and this one in particular. I will never again have a marine head aboard a boat I own.

It smells very slightly, but of the white vinegar you spray it down with after use, and then only when standing right by it. It smells much better than the old pipes did. The urine tank does not smell at all even when full. Solids do not smell like waste. I’ve not emptied the solids yet, no need to do so. About a half dozen uses of the solids in three months and no need to change it out.

The best part of making the switch is not having to worry about a marine head breaking or catastrophically failing again. Indeed there does not seem to be a way for it to catastrophically fail at all. I highly, highly recommend a composting head, although with the caveat that I’ve not tried other brands. I’ll also note that the Natures Head is about as expensive as it gets, like $1200 new. That would have been cheaper than a complete re-do of the marine head system, but as I said I got mine cheap. Finally, the work on my boat to heat-shape and install the new pipes would have been a nightmare. Taking the old ones out, while disgusting, was oddly satisfying since I knew it was a one-time thing.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Iron E

How about a completely different type of composting toilet question:

Resale and desirability - If you install a composting toilet, would it negatively impact potential buyers?

I believe this depends on the size of the boat and the location. Composting heads are a great benifit in some circumstances.

• If the boat is small (less than about 25 feet) holding tank systems are difficult and portable toiltes are much worse than composting by ANY metric.
• Serious racing. It's a no-brainer. They are easier to service and MUCH lighter (or can be). I doubt mine weighs more than 10 pounds all in.
• If pump-outs are unavailable or inconvenient. Lakes and winter are two examples.

Fully functional, custom fit to the space available, and very light. No need to winterize.

[thinwater]

Locally, there have been issues when people drop their bags and all of their boat trash in the small coffee cup waste bins in the little street-end park rather than the big city dumpster 50 yards away. Common sense.



I understand this has also been a problem in certain US parks and along the UK canal system. A matter of concentrated volume. More complicated problems, but I think solvable.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Iron E

How about a completely different type of composting toilet question:

Resale and desirability - If you install a composting toilet, would it negatively impact potential buyers?

Like any change to a boat, it will depend on the buyer. Need not be said, but if I ever buy another boat, I’d view a composter as a positive.

I do believe these heads are becoming more common-place, especially in certain regions. This can only help alleviate any resale vlue questions.

[Iron E]

Thanks for all of the replies.

The idea of removing the tank, head, and hoses and giving me more space has been a definite bonus.
I can add a sliding pullout and a 12-volt freezer to where the holding tank is (or would have been). Although it sounds kind of non-kosher, I'm sure the old through hull can be used for a water maker.

[mvweebles]

As far as resale, broadly speaking, there are only three scenarios. Increases value, decreases value, makes no difference in value. Size and cost of the boat will definitely make a difference but it's hard to develop a business case where a compost head does not diminish value for market perception. They are becoming more common and accepted, but stilll......let's be honest here.

Personally I don't care - a compost head made sense for us so that's what I installed. Flipping boats is a losing proposition no matter how you cut it so resale isn't top-of-mind. But I'm not starry eyed either - when time comes to sell, some possible buyers will walk or expect a steep discount.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Iron E

Thanks for all of the replies.

The idea of removing the tank, head, and hoses and giving me more space has been a definite bonus.
I can add a sliding pullout and a 12-volt freezer to where the holding tank is (or would have been). Although it sounds kind of non-kosher, I'm sure the old through hull can be used for a water maker.

That is exactly what the water intake for my origional marine head was repurposed for .
Don't see an issue now I would not use the origional outflow thru hull from the head.