Compost toilets

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by smj

We empty the pee every morning to the marinas dump station and can’t say we find it annoying, just another daily chore along with walking the dog.

I have a 5 gallon black water jug that I put it into till the big jug is full . Then I empty both about every week and a half in port.

Paint it with some other color prefer black or grey so its not accidentally used for drinking water

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by newhaul

I have a 5 gallon black water jug that I put it into till the big jug is full . Then I empty both about every week and a half in port.

Paint it with some other color prefer black or grey so its not accidentally used for drinking water

....slim chance of that happening after 1-1/2 weeks of ripening!

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

....slim chance of that happening after 1-1/2 weeks of ripening!

I'm not thinking of someone drinking it . I'm more thinking even when cleaned out and flushed someone accidentally grab it to transport drinking water in some day

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by alctel

I know someone else who installed a natures head, but then also diverting the urine to a tank/pumpout

It really smelt bad apparently, and they replaced the entire system - so I wouldn't really recommend that. Emptying the pee is really annoying though, so I can see why it'd look like an attractive option.

That's my worry too about smell coming from the urine holding tank.

Newhaul said in Comment #19

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 presume the ping pong ball is a one way valve but surely a gate valve could be used if necessary?



NOTE

I've just bread Newhaul's post regarding oil and that sounds like a great idea too.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by coopec43

That's my worry too about smell coming from the urine holding tank.

Newhaul said in Comment #19



I presume the ping pong ball is a one way valve but surely a gate valve could be used if necessary?



NOTE

I've just bread Newhaul's post regarding oil and that sounds like a great idea too.

the ping pong ball acts as a floating check valve . It floats on the liquid then settles back down and seals the funnel .

[landlockedgm]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I recently had to reduce the alkalinity of a lawn. I used white vinegar @ $1.00 /two liter bottle (cheaper than water?). I'm sure X 10 bottles of white vinegar would make short work of the calcium?

Maybe CLR (Calcium, lime and Rust remover) might be the way to go?

Of course any toilet system is going to need some basic maintenance.

2 or three tablespoons of Oxiclean stain removers kills urine smell and removes and prevents buildup in the tank. First thing to do with a Nature Head is caulk the crack that goes all around the top edge. Haven’t had any bugs since doing it.

[JimmyDarci]

We put in two Nature's Heads and just completed a 30 day sail. One head with me and my wife. The other with an "explosive" college age son. Here are my findings:

Nature's Head has a little window to see when the pee fills up. We had to empty the urine on a "regular" basis. We agreed to do it every other day. This prevents overflow. That is an issue if you forget to empty the urinal part. Do this once and you will agree that pouring a little pee out is far easier than cleaning up when it overflows. BTW the pee stinks far more than the other stuff.

Regarding the poop. Put enough coconut core down there and let nature do its thing. The little 12v microfan is tiny and not noticeable on the power useage. We just leave ours on and there is no smell. We did price out solar fans that sit on deck but we were able to vent on inside of our pontoons where vents not visible at all. (note, you can get some residual smell from time to time in very light air when matters are freshly disposed of, so plan your venting well)

Do not mess with the biome. After about 30 days the poop was about half to 2/3 full and looked like sawdust. Truly not an issue. Our son messed with the biome -- he used vinegar to "wash" the top portion of the toilet. He also experiment with the supplied enzymes. This created some weird science experiment where his head smelled far worse -- not awful but not good.

So": (1) keep it simple, (2) empty the urinal (we pee far more than we think) (3) use the microfan, it dries things out and eliminates odors.

[Minggat]

I have said this before.

I really don't get the fuss and complications I am reading over the urine handling.

Even if I didn't have a composting head, a male standing up to pee in a toilet in a house results in splatter. Even in restroom urinals the spatter is present. Why would I tolerate that if I didn't have to?

Each make aboard get his own liquid detergent bottle. No need to sit down, no spatter. AND NO NEED TO DANGEROUSLY PEE OFF THE STERN.


Not really practical on shore, but on a boat, it has worked out very well for me.

Except for one male crew who wasn't quite smart enough to dump his sooner.

[Fore and Aft]

Mingatt the width of the detergant bottle opening is going to be a problem for a lot of men. What, are we supposed to try and get our weiner in there our aim at the opening?

Personally I cannot see why people would even want a composting toilet. I have an electric Jabsco on the yacht and a Clivus Multrum composting toilet at home.
Cheers
https://www.clivusmultrum.com/

[coopec43]

Fore and Aft.

If you are from Gympie Queensland Australia you wouldn't have too much to worry about as far as toilet discharge. Do you have a toilet waste tank at all?

I just wonder how strictly they police it where you are?

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Mingatt the width of the detergant bottle opening is going to be a problem for a lot of men. What, are we supposed to try and get our weiner in there our aim at the opening?

Personally I cannot see why people would even want a composting toilet. I have an electric Jabsco on the yacht and a Clivus Multrum composting toilet at home.
Cheers
https://www.clivusmultrum.com/

Hmmm,

Sorry. Liquid LAUNDRY DETERGENT bottle. The cap is a measuring cup, meaning not small diameter. And it has a really good seal on it, and a handle, so you'd have to really try to lose your grip on it.

You're certainly not the first to voice such an opinion on desiccating toilets on boats.

I Googled your Clivus Multrum, and I understand completely why you would feel that way.

Your unit looks like it's really intended to make true compost, where most units installed in our boats can be easier to live with if the target is simply desiccating.

Your unit certainly has a huge impractical footprint for a boat installation.

There have been so many go-arounds here on the forum about wet sewage systems vs. "composting" (desiccating) systems.

Personally I cannot see why people would want a wet sewage system.

If you go back over the thread regarding peoples preferences after having switched over, they voted overwhelmingly in favor of doing it again if they found themselves in that position.

As one who appreciates a drying toilet system, I will say that my next boat will be big enough for one of each, but without the need for a holding tank. The wet sewage system will be only for passages. Even still, the disadvantages (the thru hulls and the maintenance) of a wet system will remain a concern.

[coopec43]

Many people have said it doesn't really compost just desiccates.

No one has said anything about adding microbes although one person said some composting "material" should be left in the container when emptying it to promote composting.

What about microbe mix? ($18.00)

Quick Overview

Specially selected dried microbes and enzymes designed to start and accelerate composting in all
Sun-Mar composting toilet and toilet systems. Microbe Mix also contains citronella to discourage
insects.
500g/16 oz. jar with scoop

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by coopec43

Many people have said it doesn't really compost just desiccates.

Unless you want the compost for some reason, there isn't much point in it.

Life just gets easier if you just target drying. That's why all the discussion of vents and fans.

[Fore and Aft]

Coopec43 we have a 100 litre holding tank. Which gets used a fair bit since with kids its a PIA to have just gone to the marina toilets and then they decide they now need to go. Also when we swim around the yacht it means we can still use the toilet.
I am not sure how strictly they police it if at all, but the majority of boats I survey have a holding tank.
Mingatt the drying system is good at home. Once a year roughly I empty out the chamber and put the sawdust mix into a compost bin so it can continue breaking down for another 12 months. It's all dry since the urine goes to it's own soak pit.
Cheers

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by Minggat

Unless you want the compost for some reason, there isn't much point in it.

Life just gets easier if you just target drying. That's why all the discussion of vents and fans.

Thank you!

I've been wondering why some people are making a big thing of not "composting". (Of no consequence as far as I'm concerned)