Liveaboard toilet options

[pdxgrl33]

Anyone with experience with the Raritan Purasan EX Treatment System - Pressurized Fresh Water - 12V? Thanks!

Raritan PURASAN EX Treatment System - Pressurized Fresh Water - 12V

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Badsanta

Ok its no discharge, but so is my holding tank.

But what do you do with the contents of the "composting" head. ... I want to know, how do users of a composting head dispose of the end product with your last deposit being yesterday. Please explain. Thankyou

Badsanta, since you ask so nicely... The compost bin is either dumped outside the limits, bagged and dumped into a dumpster, or my preferred (and so far usual method) is to dump it on land in a remote forested area. I've also dumped it into an outhouse/land based composter once as well.

And before you get all squirrelly about dumping into a garbage bin, the contents are far less offensive and dangerous than used diapers or feminine hygiene products.

[normdeeley]

What I have repeatedly heard from folks who own composting toilets is that they take it ashore and put it in a dumpster. I would then surmise that the dumpster is picked up taken to a landfill. Logic says, that's when the composting begins. Whatever we do, this **** doesn't just go away. The only choice we have, is how it goes away. Using it to fertilizer a landfill seems like a pretty good way to do it.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

Good thread interestingly wide variety of opinions. The way I read it, in the US the head needs to be Coast Guard certified.https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/140.3

Gravity flush heads are standard in RVs. I have owned one with a large holding tank underneath and I can say that composting toilets are far superior .

Actually contrary to all the hubbub the USCG doesn't have to and actually won't certify some types of heads on boats
I copied this from my earlier post on my 2 $ composting toilet.

Actually the composting head comes under the heading of a portable toilet. Therefore the USCG will not certify it .
https://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg5213/msd.asp

Portable toilets.
Vessels having no installed toilet are not subject to the provisions of Section 312 of the Act.* Portable toilets or porta-potties that use no installed water, power, etc., are not considered installed toilets and therefore not subject to the requirements in 33 CFR Part 159.* However, regulations still exist to prohibit disposal of raw sewage within U.S. territorial waters, the Great Lakes, and navigable rivers.* Use of portable toilets in combination with a direct discharge toilet is not permitted.* Vessel owners may elect to remove installed toilets and use instead portable toilets.* For vessels having a portable toilet, all non-compliant fixed toilets should be removed unless impractical or unsafe in which case such devices should be rendered permanently inoperable.* For inspected vessels using portable systems, use only devices manufactured of a durable material, such as molded plastic, aluminum, etc., to facilitate removal ashore, securely fastened to the vessel using straps, wooden framing, or similar materials,
And this
Type III devices.
Ambient air pressure & temperature.* A Type III device that stores sewage and flushwater at ambient air pressure and temperature is not subject to formal U.S. Coast Guard certification if it meets the requirements in 33 CFR 159.53(c).* Such devices will have no U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Approval, no U.S. Coast Guard letter, and no device label.

[Simply Sailing]

According to the following letter from USCG, there are no provisions in place for them to certify Type III marine sanitation devices. It's not like they are against them, there are just no provisions for certifying them:

After conducting research into the approval requirements for marine sanitation devices contained within CFR 33 159.12A, 159.53C and 159.7; Type III MSD's are not require to be Coast Guard approved. I contacted FWCC concerning the legality of porta-potties as well, there is currently no regulation concerning their use in place of a traditional toilet. The only concerns for both the Coast Guard and the state of Florida is the discharge of its contents.

If you have any questions, please feel to contact me.

v/r

DC2 Nicholas Martinez
USCG STA ISLAMORADA
183 PALERMO DR.
ISLAMORADA, FL 33036

[sesmith]

We put a composting head on our boat this season.

We bought the C-head, and use coir in it for a medium. All I can say is that it works, as advertised, and is one of the best changes we've made to our boat.

[SouthernPride]

I replaced my heads with one piece residential home toilets with pumps for water in and gravity to the waste tanks.

low water usage, 3 years now, never had a problem.

Owning a boat should really make you think out of the box and I see a lot of boat owners that do not...has to me not seeing something

[Cottontop]

Originally Posted by Lepke

I use an Incinolet. No plumbing, but needs venting via plastic pipe. No turd buckets, just grey ash. Too much paper, women's products, no problem. At the dock it costs about 7¢ a flush. Otherwise either my inverter or generator provides the power. No issues in 5 years.

I've been reading the reviews I can find of the Incinolet. Some claim odor problems (not clear whether this is from the vent or in the head) and others complain that the fan is really loud.

Can you offer any thoughts?

[Badsanta]

And before you get all squirrelly about dumping into a garbage bin, the contents are far less offensive and dangerous than used diapers or feminine hygiene products.[/QUOTE]

I'm not squirrelly at all. Your explanation sounds completely credible. I would think a garbage bin is completely normal. I really was trying to just make a point, that the disposal part is not discussed.
For the others that propose to use the bucket and chuck-it method,
I was told by a costie that you cant discharge with a convayint and technically a bucket is a convayint.
Just trying to promote further discussion, thanks for your understanding.
No insult implied given or taken.

[goat]

Originally Posted by Badsanta

And before you get all squirrelly about dumping into a garbage bin, the contents are far less offensive and dangerous than used diapers or feminine hygiene products.

I'm not squirrelly at all. Your explanation sounds completely credible. I would think a garbage bin is completely normal. I really was trying to just make a point, that the disposal part is not discussed.
For the others that propose to use the bucket and chuck-it method,
I was told by a costie that you cant discharge with a convayint and technically a bucket is a convayint.
Just trying to promote further discussion, thanks for your understanding.
No insult implied given or taken.[/QUOTE]

You're a good Santa.

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[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Amazing how these offers come online occasionally by defenders of holding tank systems but I've yet to get such an offer in real life where I might actually take them up on it.

Not hard to find us, c'mon over.

I'm not defending nor recommending holding tank systems, though. Just saying ours and most of those we know of seem to work fine... and that we often come to learn holding tanks are being blamed for many odors on boats that are not holding tank-related.

Otherwise, I mostly don't give a crap what anyone else uses.



-Chris

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Badsanta

I'm not squirrelly at all. Your explanation sounds completely credible. I would think a garbage bin is completely normal. I really was trying to just make a point, that the disposal part is not discussed.
For the others that propose to use the bucket and chuck-it method,
I was told by a costie that you cant discharge with a convayint and technically a bucket is a convayint.
Just trying to promote further discussion, thanks for your understanding.
No insult implied given or taken.

Glad to help, although to be fair, there have been plenty of composter discussions here on CF over the recent years. Disposal has often come up. I've never seen any reticence to discuss it.

This is not supposed to be just about composters, so if you're really interested in learning more, I'd suggest you do a quick search for one of the other threads. You could even revive it with a new post. I, and other users, would be glad to help I'm sure.

[Ip485]

I have two fresh water vacuflush with macerator and holding tank.

It is a great system, odour free, as easy to use as a home toilet. If it has one disadvantage it is only that the flush is noisy which for some might not be ideal in the middle of the night.

I did however notice your comment about trouble free. In reality these are reasonably complicated systems with much to go wrong. Mine has been very reliable but the parts are very exepensive and inevitably may well require replacement at some point in time.

[Badsanta]

Thanks Mike, I'm here everyday and must have missed that discussion, but I see it on a search.

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