Compost toilets

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by djousset

. It's the venting that worries me a bit. Not only the exit point but the power draw. Does the 12v fan run constantly? Is there a way to have the venting be passive? I don't (yet) have solar panels.

I wouldn't worry too much about the fan as they are only talking about a computer fan. I assume something like this?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Case-Fan...cc0f1ba04d29a6

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I wouldn't worry too much about the fan as they are only talking about a computer fan. I assume something like this?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Case-Fan...cc0f1ba04d29a6

Exactly. That’s what I’m using. Doesn’t even enter into the electrical budget.

[Pegu Club]

We have been using a Natures head for about five years, the last two years full time. We are a full time cruising couple and It serves our needs nicely. We removed the old marine head system lock stock and holding tank on our boat upon purchase. Just one less system maintenance thing to deal with.

Fair winds,

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Coop: Definitely just build a simple desiccating head. You don’t need to spend all that money.

I detailed my test model, which is exactly like Newhaul’s now that I see his thread. Only difference is I put a toilet seat on it.

.

actually I have a seat on mine I used the seat off of the marine head I removed from the boat .

As to the guys standing or sitting well that's a separate urine jug , a transmission funnel and a ping pong ball.
Instant urinal .

[flyingnut40]

Originally Posted by newhaul

As to the guys standing or sitting well that's a separate urine jug , a transmission funnel and a ping pong ball.
Instant urinal .

I have to ask..... where does the ping pong ball live??

D

[alctel]

I've got a natures head. Great, probably going to get another one on my next boat.

The fan for me draws 0.1AH according to my battery monitor.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by newhaul

actually I have a seat on mine I used the seat off of the marine head I removed from the boat .

As to the guys standing or sitting well that's a separate urine jug , a transmission funnel and a ping pong ball.
Instant urinal .

I read about 7 pages of your thread but lost it when people were arguing about whether a bucket could constitute a an MSD.

If I drain the urine straight from the funnel to the holding tank I'd worry about the smell coming from the tank. Is that what the ping pong ball is for (I would also install a fan though)

[valhalla360]

We had a natures head. Choose it mostly because it had an adult size seat. Generally happy with it.

We removed the pump out fitting and installed the vent there with a solar fan in it's place, so no draw on the house battery bank.

If we had to do it again, we would either get a C-head or build one. C-head uses a 5gal buckets, so it's easy to keep a spare and you just lift out the whole bucket when full and you can lid it until you get somewhere where you can dump it.

[coopec43]

Have any production yachts switched over to compost toilets?

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by coopec43

Have any production yachts switched over to compost toilets?

Not that I have seen, I certainly can understand why. Your first question asks about misgivings on composers. I have several. We've used them for close to 7 years have had all 3, current boat has nature's head and an airhead going on 5 years, it came with them as a used boat, and both suck for different reasons.
One has a tiny pee jug, two adults using it it needs emptying every 3 days and it's gross and can smell, it also has a churner lever that barely reaches the compost requiring alot of compost, the other is larger, has a huge footprint, holds more urine but is harder to clean, though churner is better designed. It has a gap in the walls that can house a colony of insects. Is uncomfortable to sit on. Etc
More Cons?
If a women or even a man urinates at an incorrect angle it can cause a gross mess if the flap isn't closed perfectly. The result is horrible smelling compost.
Your poo never really compost, it just dessicated a little bit , your still either bagging your crap or throwing it overboard or finding so adhere on shore to dispose of it??, along with the urine the compost is a messy affair on a boat. The rest of the world dumps or pumps out overboard so why make it harder on yourself??
Then if cruising long term you need a place to store compost, again it's messy and takes up alot of space.
If someone has irritable bowel syndrome you don't want them on your boat, ever. That or any bad tequilla and Texas chilli dog night will ruin your joy of your $1000. Plastic bucket.
If we could find the correct foot print for a sea head we would switch back yesterday. Our heads are small so not easy...
I find marine heads much less a hassle for full time living aboard.

[Sea Dreaming]

We have a Nature's Head. I have a love-strongly dislike view of our head.

Cons: The seat is the most uncomfortable joke ever. It really does suck. The seat cuts into the back of my legs because they are a wee short to touch the ground. If I could put my feet flat I could take pressure off my legs. So the question is: problem seat or stubby legs? (Contemplate that one!)

The plastic is not easy to clean and does stain. It is not horrible...but it could be easier!

Hubby says the recess in the bowl is a little shallow and "parts" can touch the bowl bottom. : )

Super con: Hubby keeps buying the big bricks of coconut coir and I get to be the one who breaks it up. Messy!

The pee jug is easy to empty but prone to collecting calcium deposits from your urine. That stuff is hard to clean out and seems to develop no matter how diligently we rinse after emptying the pot. I blame it on coffee.

Pros: There are no pump outs here and we don't care! No running off shore to dump the tank, or worse, dumping the tank in the bay. No broken parts or smelly hoses. When we got stuck, unexpectedly, state side for a week it didn't matter one whit.

To be fair: Changing the head is not our favorite task. But it is not difficult or time consuming. The used batch does not smell like sewer. It smells like earth for the most part. The urine jug is the most unpleasant task but it's no worse than changing a wet diaper.

Despite any con's, when I contrast our experience with our head to my experience with sailing down the Pacific for a week, with 4 adults using a bucket because the head pump was broken and the tank was full, I'll take our Nature's Head every time!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I did a search on the Engineering & Systems > Construction, Maintenance, Refit and got nothing.

I did do a search on Engineering & Systems and saw the threads
The New Joke Thread
Manual vs electric head?
Raritan Electroscan - any users?
Advice on design choices ( 1 2)
and decided they were nothing to do with compost toilets.

I'll have to review my Search procedures

Just now I did a "google custom search" and it appears I have the threads you have listed (plus others)

Thanks.....

The standard search, esp in the mobile app, sux....only use Google Custom Search or the "site:" directive from a browser.

[Mike OReilly]

It's good to get an informed negative review Dulcesuenos. Thanks.

The urine bucket does smell. But it only smells during the dumping phase. Otherwise nothing. Many use additives to remove the smell. Sugar, detergent, various others. I've tried a few an never found much difference. To me, it's really no big deal, but others will come to different conclusions.

With our NH we've never experienced a wrong angled urination. It doesn't seem possible given the design and layout. We've had a number of guests of both sexes and never had a problem.

Feces doesn't fully compost. I wish they didn't call these things compost heads. They're main action is desiccation. Still, I don't find anything offensive about the end product. It's like moist soil. And it's easy to manage; open, tip into bag, then dump.

I've never had a mess dealing with the end product, nor the bedding material. The coir bricks do need to be broken up. I do this in a plastic bag so there's no mess. As for space, I carry eight months of bedding material under my head sink, with tons of room to spare. Total volume is perhaps a standard bucket size. Maybe it's the difference between coir and other materials? I only us coir.

The diarrhea thing has never happened to us in going on a decade of use; full time, for ~1/2 of each year. And that includes periods with guests. Not that loose stools haven't happened due to illness or other events. It's just never produced a problem for the head. At worst we might have had to dump a bit early. No big deal.

I do think a direct discharge system is easier. But this limits your cruising and anchoring to places with good flow/volume. Many anchorages don't fit this requirement, meaning you need some sort of holding tank, with all the associated problems.

Everyone's gotta manage their outflows somehow. For us, a composter (desiccator) has been the best option for dealing with this reality of living.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

The standard search, esp in the mobile app, sux....only use Google Custom Search or the "site:" directive from a browser.

I won't argue!!
Thanks

[coopec43]

I intend to direct the flow of urine from the "funnel" to the waste tank. I worry about the smell so I would use a ping pong ball as a one way valve but if that doesn't work I'd install a gate valve, (Of course I'd have a small fan as well)

I will make up a fiberglass pedestal to a design "borrowed" from one of the reputable proprietary brands.

As far as a seat and cover is concerned I will use the one off my standard marine head

Does anyone see a problem?