Compost toilets

[AA3JY]

Originally Posted by Heathenly Twins

I don't yet have a composting toilet but after having to remove the previous owner's stinking, leaking, vomit inducing conventional head I figure there's no way a composting system can be worse. Being able to eliminate two through-hull fittings is an added safety bonus

I just wish I knew how effective the urine separator on the Air Head is as it's an obvious issue for women.

We have had an Air Head and can contest it is odor free and easy to use. You will see in the installation that the desire is for urine to flow forward to the urine tank opening. We did shim the back edge of the whole assembly (ie, the solids bucket) to ensure the pitch was good. I can use for urine and solids without issues. You toss wet TP in the trash, however if you are depositing solids, the TP gets tossed into the solids bucket and is mixed in with the coconut coir that’s is our compost medium.
I do wash my urine tank with 409 cleaner. I’m a bit worried as I can’t find that since COVID hit. Before I re install the urine tank after emptying and rinsing, I put a couple of tablespoons of OxiClean along with the spritz of 409 and I have NO urine odor. I found when I tried the “go to” boaters cure all, Vinegar, the urine smell was very strong when you empty it in the marina’s restroom. Like yeow! With the OxiClean/409 use I can say there is no smell when you dump the tank. Also the solids in urine tends to attach and discolor the urine tank. My tank is as white as the day we installed it. I have to think it is the OxiClean I use. Please know, that is my cocktail....not what AirHead recommends. Someday my tank may suffer failure but as long as it is odor free, I will replace it if necessary.
The solids have no odor. Yes, pretty amazing I know. I have heard some have had urine go into the solids tank and that is a big no no. Probably due to the whole assembly not being slightly pitched forward.
We think our AirHead is one of our best upgrades to our little boat. I picked the AirHead because of the gasketed toilet seat and I could remove the urine tank w/o moving the top seat assembly.
Good Luck!

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by AA3JY

We have had an Air Head and can contest it is odor free and easy to use. You will see in the installation that the desire is for urine to flow forward to the urine tank opening. We did shim the back edge of the whole assembly (ie, the solids bucket) to ensure the pitch was good. I can use for urine and solids without issues. You toss wet TP in the trash, however if you are depositing solids, the TP gets tossed into the solids bucket and is mixed in with the coconut coir that’s is our compost medium.

I do wash my urine tank with 409 cleaner. I’m a bit worried as I can’t find that since COVID hit. Before I re install the urine tank after emptying and rinsing, I put a couple of tablespoons of OxiClean along with the spritz of 409 and I have NO urine odor. I found when I tried the “go to” boaters cure all, Vinegar, the urine smell was very strong when you empty it in the marina’s restroom. Like yeow! With the OxiClean/409 use I can say there is no smell when you dump the tank. Also the solids in urine tends to attach and discolor the urine tank. My tank is as white as the day we installed it. I have to think it is the OxiClean I use. Please know, that is my cocktail....not what AirHead recommends. Someday my tank may suffer failure but as long as it is odor free, I will replace it if necessary.

The solids have no odor. Yes, pretty amazing I know. I have heard some have had urine go into the solids tank and that is a big no no. Probably due to the whole assembly not being slightly pitched forward.

We think our AirHead is one of our best upgrades to our little boat. I picked the AirHead because of the gasketed toilet seat and I could remove the urine tank w/o moving the top seat assembly.

Good Luck!

Same non-issues with our Nature’s Head - pee goes to the front and the rest straight down. We keep the flap closed while peeing so any spray or overflow is caught. As a guy, sit down and it’s no drama. My wife attests that she doesn’t do anything different to ensure pee goes forward.

I’m going to try OxiClean - our pee tank is not so nice and does smell rank on emptying.

[Mike OReilly]

Same here re female urine flow, at least according to my spouse, and the few female guests we've had on board. Natures Head.

[wmcunninghamii]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Same here re female urine flow, at least according to my spouse, and the few female guests we've had on board. Natures Head.

I realize this is an old thread but hopefully I can get a question answered.

I sail a Freedom 30 with a wet head. I had been doing some long distance ocean racing (yea, in a Freedom 30). I found the OEM head to be complete idiocy. There was the bowl, the pump, an incredible spider web of hoses and valves and a big holding tank right under the v berth. As I tore this crap (no pun intended) out of the boat I was incredibly satisfied by the growing pile of hoses and tanks and whatnot which accumulated on the dock.

I left the bowl in the boat and sealed the base with epoxy so it would not leak. I exclusively use wag bags inshore and transition to a bucket offshore. But as time has gone on and my racing has declined, I am finding the wag bag storage has become an issue. AARGH!

I always pee in a bottle or pee overboard unless I am on the toilet doing #2 which is maybe once a day. Urine storage/disposal is not an issue for me.

There is no way I am going back to the holding tank/marine head so I am exploring my options and a composting/desiccating toilet seems worthy of consideration.

I mentioned my wet head earlier. I have been using my shower more as I have increased my casual sailing/cruising/anchoring out.

Is a wet head going to be a problem? I do the normal sailor shower. One or two gallons of water at most. Good spray down wash and rinse off, maybe 4 or 5 minutes and done. I have a sump pump for grey water...works great.

My concern relates to the unintended consequences of installing one of these heads in an environment where the unit is getting wet every day. The lid will be closed during showers of course but do these units have access ports or slots or vents or whatever at the unit itself which would allow water into the head or related ventilation ducts? I am pretty conscientious about wiping down the space after showering (very nice and clean as another poster mentioned) but this will not get water that finds its way into the toilet body.

Thoughts on this from experienced users?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by wmcunninghamii

...My concern relates to the unintended consequences of installing one of these heads in an environment where the unit is getting wet every day. The lid will be closed during showers of course but do these units have access ports or slots or vents or whatever at the unit itself which would allow water into the head or related ventilation ducts? I am pretty conscientious about wiping down the space after showering (very nice and clean as another poster mentioned) but this will not get water that finds its way into the toilet body.

I'll only speak for Nature's Head directly (which is what I have), although I believe Air Head is virtually identical, and C-head is also similar.

Let me first say though, I don't shower in my head. I could, and might in the future, but have always used a cockpit shower. The reasons I don't have nothing to do with the composting head.

With that.... when closed there is no way for water to get into the main tank from an external sprinkling of shower water. The seat/lid makes an overlapping seal, so water could not come in that way.

The outflow vent has (or should have) a hose, so nothing can come in that way. The only very slight possible ingress point would be the intake vent, which bring in air. It has a cowl housing opening with a ~1.5" diameter hole. The only way you'd get water in through here would be to point the shower head directly into the hole. And even then, the screen filter would block most of it.

So no ... there's not much chance you can get water into a Nature's Head (and I think the other two are similar).

[SV__Grace]

I echo Mike's response above. While too much moisture in the composting area is undesired (just creates a soupy mess), the moist environment created by showering shouldn't create a problem.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by wmcunninghamii

I realize this is an old thread but hopefully I can get a question answered.

I sail a Freedom 30 with a wet head. I had been doing some long distance ocean racing (yea, in a Freedom 30). I found the OEM head to be complete idiocy. There was the bowl, the pump, an incredible spider web of hoses and valves and a big holding tank right under the v berth. As I tore this crap (no pun intended) out of the boat I was incredibly satisfied by the growing pile of hoses and tanks and whatnot which accumulated on the dock.

I left the bowl in the boat and sealed the base with epoxy so it would not leak. I exclusively use wag bags inshore and transition to a bucket offshore. But as time has gone on and my racing has declined, I am finding the wag bag storage has become an issue. AARGH!

I always pee in a bottle or pee overboard unless I am on the toilet doing #2 which is maybe once a day. Urine storage/disposal is not an issue for me.

There is no way I am going back to the holding tank/marine head so I am exploring my options and a composting/desiccating toilet seems worthy of consideration.

I mentioned my wet head earlier. I have been using my shower more as I have increased my casual sailing/cruising/anchoring out.

Is a wet head going to be a problem? I do the normal sailor shower. One or two gallons of water at most. Good spray down wash and rinse off, maybe 4 or 5 minutes and done. I have a sump pump for grey water...works great.

My concern relates to the unintended consequences of installing one of these heads in an environment where the unit is getting wet every day. The lid will be closed during showers of course but do these units have access ports or slots or vents or whatever at the unit itself which would allow water into the head or related ventilation ducts? I am pretty conscientious about wiping down the space after showering (very nice and clean as another poster mentioned) but this will not get water that finds its way into the toilet body.

Thoughts on this from experienced users?

Also have a Nature’s Head. To be sure water doesn’t get in anywhere, why not a shower cap for the NH? It could be a big bucket or laundry tub, or material.

[NorthCoastJoe]

I have an AirHead and the air intake is screened. If I was worried about water getting in I would just put a 90 degree elbow facing down on the intake side. Everything else is sealed.

[wmcunninghamii]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Also have a Nature’s Head. To be sure water doesn’t get in anywhere, why not a shower cap for the NH? It could be a big bucket or laundry tub, or material.

That is an interesting idea. Ideally I would want minimal fuss. I am really against a shower curtain or whatever because it is just another thing to get wet and have to dry out/clean. But it sounds like these heads are pretty impervious to a short term indirect spray and that was the info I was looking for.

[wmcunninghamii]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Let me first say though, I don't shower in my head. I could, and might in the future, but have always used a cockpit shower. The reasons I don't have nothing to do with the composting head.

Yea, i didn't either but the cooler weather, modesty and the fact I have a "system" kinda nailed down has actually made the indoor shower a halfway decent experience. I think I have a pretty good set up...very basic and simple. It does not screw up the boat via leaks, moisture, smells, etc. and I want to keep it that way.

[DanielPerry]

I travelled alongside a family for a little while down the tenn-tom waterway. There were four kids and two adults and they emptied weekly. I came aboard one night for home-made pasties (they are 'yoopers', what a treat that was!) and they showed off their composting toilet. They also used a computer fan to vent at times, but even with it off one could not smell anything foul. I was very, very impressed.

[wmcunninghamii]

Originally Posted by DanielPerry

I travelled alongside a family for a little while down the tenn-tom waterway. There were four kids and two adults and they emptied weekly. I came aboard one night for home-made pasties (they are 'yoopers', what a treat that was!) and they showed off their composting toilet. They also used a computer fan to vent at times, but even with it off one could not smell anything foul. I was very, very impressed.

This is what I keep hearing which is why I am interested. Might not be if I had a full fledged head on the boat because it's such a hassle to convert but I am 3/4 way converted already. About the only issues are fitment and exhaust placement. How I would love to convert the pump out port into the air exhaust but, on my boat, the pump out access port is right on the port weather deck, often underfoot, and frequently awash so I am really not able to use this unless someone has any ideas.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by DanielPerry

I travelled alongside a family for a little while down the tenn-tom waterway. There were four kids and two adults and they emptied weekly. I came aboard one night for home-made pasties (they are 'yoopers', what a treat that was!) and they showed off their composting toilet. They also used a computer fan to vent at times, but even with it off one could not smell anything foul. I was very, very impressed.

That's indeed an impressive example. To be clear though, these heads are generally aimed at crews of two, perhaps three adults for full time use. They can certainly operate with more people for shorter periods, and kids will obviously produce less. More people will certainly mean more frequent dumps.

Originally Posted by wmcunninghamii

This is what I keep hearing which is why I am interested. Might not be if I had a full fledged head on the boat because it's such a hassle to convert but I am 3/4 way converted already. About the only issues are fitment and exhaust placement. How I would love to convert the pump out port into the air exhaust but, on my boat, the pump out access port is right on the port weather deck, often underfoot, and frequently awash so I am really not able to use this unless someone has any ideas.

I think most people use the pump out hatch as the exhaust port. Mine is also on the port deck beside the toerail. I replaced the port with a mushroom vent. It has a ~1.5" lip, so can manage the occasional wash, but it can also be completely closed when the seas get rough.

This may not work for you though. Mine is a bigger boat, with wide decks, and big toerails. I don't commonly end up with much water on the side deck. But it does happen. I've just learned, the hard way , to make sure the mushroom is screwed closed when we get into big green seas.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by wmcunninghamii

This is what I keep hearing which is why I am interested. Might not be if I had a full fledged head on the boat because it's such a hassle to convert but I am 3/4 way converted already. About the only issues are fitment and exhaust placement. How I would love to convert the pump out port into the air exhaust but, on my boat, the pump out access port is right on the port weather deck, often underfoot, and frequently awash so I am really not able to use this unless someone has any ideas.

Our pump out fitting is well forward on the deck edge and will get green water in larger seas, so we decided that a mushroom vent would not be appropriate. Nor a dorade vent.

There should be an air vent for the holding tank, usually much smaller diameter with an outlet on the hull side. We have one and we use it for our NH vent hose. Of course, much smaller diameter but it still works. We lead the hose up and then u-bend back down before connecting to the vent to prevent any sea water backwashing.

[Phantom Jim]

To wmcunninghamii

In my research for the correct composting toilet for our boat, we stretched a plastic bag into the marine toilet bowl and added a cup of sawdust. It made a reasonable 3-4 use sawdust toilet. A really low tech WAGBAG. The powder (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Homax-3-...2134/100149311) sold at Home Depot to gel latex paint could be added to pretty much duplicate the WAGBAG. When the bag gets full, toss it away. We never really did much with idea, but it would be an effective, inexpensive sawdust toilet WAGBAG.

(I know your comment was really about not getting shower water into the composting toilet)