Compost toilets

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by coopec43

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)

Yes. It becomes a different animal when you don't try to compost. But with the word "composting toilet" what we call it, it feeds some confusion.

We now say "personal flotation device" rather than "life preserver". Someday the manufactures of these toilets might do themselves a favor and call them desiccating toilets.

My C Head (that is the brand name) came with a lid that fit over the bin. I noticed that it always had an amazing amount of condensation on the bottom side of it. This was clearly trapped moisture and it was defeating the drying process. I quit using the lid, and have not gotten around to installing the tiny fan I bought for it. That was easily 6 years ago.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by 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)

I agree with Minggat's comments. The objective with these heads is not to produce compost. It is to manage our effluent in a way that has many advantages over the standard marine heads (and some disadvantages, to be sure ).

I don't know if adding those microbes would help or hinder the desiccating process, but it's definitely not needed. True composting just takes more time than is available for full-time users, but that's not really the point of these heads.

[BlueH2Obound]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I don't know if adding those microbes would help or hinder the desiccating process, but it's definitely not needed. True composting just takes more time than is available for full-time users, but that's not really the point of these heads.

Microbes are just something someone came up with to solve a problem that really doesn't exist. Typical advertising. First make people think there is a problem, then sell them something to take CARE of the nonexistent problem . . . at over $1.00 per ounce . . .

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I agree with Minggat's comments. The objective with these heads is not to produce compost. It is to manage our effluent in a way that has many advantages over the standard marine heads (and some disadvantages, to be sure ).

I don't know if adding those microbes would help or hinder the desiccating process, but it's definitely not needed. True composting just takes more time than is available for full-time users, but that's not really the point of these heads.

these heads are actually stage one of the composting process there are a total of 3 stages .
These are the collection part. The second is the composting part which is done in a second area .( on land use) the third phase is the curing phase which is another year to allow the compost to sit and ensure all of the bad microbes are dead .

Adding microbes to the collector only does any good if we are actually doing the whole enchilada.
Its like adding the microbes to the holding tank on an rv it makes you feel good but doesn't do you any good. But in a septic system where you are holding Well over a thousand gallons the microbes are useful to digest the solids in the system so it can become liquid nd transfer to the leach field and be returned to the soil that it came from .

[coopec43]

People have stated emptying the urine bottle is a bit of a chore. I did a duckduckgo search and came up with unit which has an evaporation chamber to get rid of the urine.







https://www.toiletrevolution.com/pro...v=6cc98ba2045f

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by coopec43

People have stated emptying the urine bottle is a bit of a chore. I did a duckduckgo search and came up with unit which has an evaporation chamber to get rid the urine.
https://www.toiletrevolution.com/pro...v=6cc98ba2045f

Maybe the lockdown has taken it’s toll here.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by coopec43

People have stated emptying the urine bottle is a bit of a chore. I did a duckduckgo search and came up with unit which has an evaporation chamber to get rid of the urine.







https://www.toiletrevolution.com/pro...v=6cc98ba2045f

would be great on a power boat but sailboats not so much .
80 watt hr power draw average over a 24 hr time .
About 100ah per day.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by newhaul

would be great on a power boat but sailboats not so much .
80 watt hr power draw average over a 24 hr time .
About 100ah per day.

I didn't look at power consumption.

I don't think emptying a bottle is a big deal but anyway since I already have a waste tank installed I'll be using that. And, yes, there will be calcium deposits but no system is maintenance free.

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by coopec43

.............but no system is maintenance free.

Zero calcium deposits to worry about if you keep it simple.

You seem to be gravitating towards more complicated than these things have to be.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I didn't look at power consumption.

I don't think emptying a bottle is a big deal but anyway since I already have a waste tank installed I'll be using that. And, yes, there will be calcium deposits but no system is maintenance free.[emoji2]

If you can, please post an update after several months of use. I'd be interested in the actual outcome vs an educated guess

Good luck

Peter

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by coopec43

People have stated emptying the urine bottle is a bit of a chore.

I really hesitate to get into the differences between the different units on the market here, but when you read that people say things like this, then ask what unit they have.

Some units do a little more complicated things to show potential buyers how insulated they are from the waste. If they didn't, too many people just couldn't get past the perceived "eeeeeuuuu factor" to spend their money. PERCIEVED is the key word here.

Some units crank the waste into the media, which breaks it up and would logically aid drying. Some have trap doors that close over the media/solids bin. Some have urine catchers which, judging by the comment I quoted here, are a chore to empty.

I paid a great deal less than my quick prices check revealed for my
C-Head. Super simple and easy to live with. The urine jug is a 1 gallon water jug. It lifts out in just seconds. The solids bin- same. Lifts out in seconds. If you're not happy with any accumulation of calcium that builds up in the gallon jug, you don't have to do anything more than drop in a new empty 1 gallon milk or water jug.

As I said earlier, my unit simply air dries the solids without any vents and hoses and fans. In my opinion, all of that is a complication created by the "isolation" I spoke of above.


Having finished my rant now, I will say that I will add the little computer fan that I bought to my system. It will blow air into the solids bin to help speed up the drying time. I have had my unit for six years, and the fan has obviously been non-essential.


Additionally, I am a full time live aboard, when not stuck in Indonesia.

[Dulcesuenos]

I will still argue that a regular marine head with good condition hoses and an unblocked vent , properly maintained is equally non smelly, and easier, and way less actual maintenance then a composter. And out of the USA way easier to empty. Adding a little "digest it" once in a great while will help keep it this way.
If your somewhere where pump out or going the required distance offshore isn't easily available then I could understand the need to have a composter.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

I will still argue that a regular marine head with good condition hoses and an unblocked vent , properly maintained is equally non smelly, and easier, and way less actual maintenance then a composter. And out of the USA way easier to empty. Adding a little "digest it" once in a great while will help keep it this way.

If your somewhere where pump out or going the required distance offshore isn't easily available then I could understand the need to have a composter.

All I can say is that after 25+ years, I have given up trying to get all the stars to align on traditional marine head, or more frequently the holding tank. The list of dependencies and failure points is a bit longer than hose/vent and includes thru-hull, Y-valve, macerator, tank-fill indicator, vented loop, and broken/closed pump-outs that increasingly charge hefty fees.

In my mind, Compost Heads are a bad idea.....except for everything else. Obviously, a personal decision based on circumstances, sensibilities, and experience. In my case, my wife would castrate me if I dumped illegally even if there was zero chance of environmental impact. The 'twins' don't get used as much as they used to be, but I've grown accustomed to them so it's not a battle I want to wage.

Peter

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

I will still argue that a regular marine head with good condition hoses and an unblocked vent , properly maintained is equally non smelly, and easier, and way less actual maintenance then a composter. And out of the USA way easier to empty. Adding a little "digest it" once in a great while will help keep it this way.
If your somewhere where pump out or going the required distance offshore isn't easily available then I could understand the need to have a composter.

I agree, it is certainly possible to have a standard marine head setup that doesn't smell, and works just fine. I lived for years (seasonal usage) with a few different standard setups, and never had much trouble with them. I did not switch to a composter because of operating problems with my old heads.

It's just that there's so much more that can go wrong with standard setups. As mvweebles said, there are just a lot more failure points in these systems compared to a composter (desiccator). But they can work just fine, and do for many people.

Originally Posted by coopec43

People have stated emptying the urine bottle is a bit of a chore. I did a duckduckgo search and came up with unit which has an evaporation chamber to get rid of the urine

https://www.toiletrevolution.com/pro...v=6cc98ba2045f

This looks like a Sun-Mar composting toilet. These are (or can be) actual composting toilets. And they do make a "mobile" version which can go into boats. As has already been stated, they use a heater so demand a fair bit of power, so not very appropriate to sailboats. But they are nice designs.

I actually knew one boat owner who installed a Sun-Mar mobile on his boat. After a couple of seasons he swapped it out for a Nature's Head, which he said was a much better choice.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by 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

It does compost...the catch is if you are full time liveaboard, the latest additions aren't fully composted when you empty it.

Since most full time liveaboards are simply disposing of the solids, the distinction is largely irrelevant.

If you are a weekender, particularly in the north where it may sit all winter, full composing is possible and it's great stuff for flower beds.

Alternatively, the C-head uses 5 gal buckets so if you have two or more, you can let the full bucket continue to compost while the new bucket is being used.

Don't worry about adding microbes or other magical elixirs. You add a nice dose of those every time you use the unit. Plus unless you clean and disinfect the solids tank (no idea why you would bother), it already starts with a load of microbes from the last batch.