Going Green Nature Composting toilet

[COLINFLTENG]

Going green, I am planning on installing a Nature Composting toilet on my CS 40 Sail boat. Has any one installed one on their boat any problems?

[tenchiki]

There are a huge number of threads about "composting" heads, all three makes. Spend a little time searching and you should get a lot of information.
The tl;dr of it: most people are very pleased with them and would never go back to a holding tank. A few have had problems, and some have switched back.

[StuM]

In what was it a composting head "more green"?

[COLINFLTENG]

Going green means not dumping out in the ocean or trying to find a pump out station in Pacific North West Northern Vancouver Island. what were the main problems with Nature composting Head

[valhalla360]

Nothing really green or not green about composting heads.


You still have to dispose of the remnants at some point. Composting heads are just more convenient since you can hold a months usage in a much smaller space.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Nothing really green or not green about composting heads.


You still have to dispose of the remnants at some point. Composting heads are just more convenient since you can hold a months usage in a much smaller space.

I get the feeling that you and I have very similar views on many subjects

[autumnbreeze27]

Maybe he means his face will be green when he has to empty the pee tank or the poo and peet mix when the seas are up.

More power to you if you like to haul around your poo while it turns to compost, but I'm not giving you a save the earth medal for it.

I've heard flies can be a problem, but I have no first hand experience.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

More power to you if you like to haul around your poo while it turns to compost, but I'm not giving you a save the earth medal for it.

I've heard flies can be a problem, but I have no first hand experience.

Not much different than mixing your poo and pee together and carrying it around in a tank until you can find a haul out or get offshore.

I'd certainly rather deal with partically composted poo than liquid sludge and a pumping system.

We've had one since early 2008, haven't had flies. I have heard of it but a sprinkle of diamteous earth apparently takes care of the issue in the rare cases where it happens.

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

Maybe he means his face will be green when he has to empty the pee tank or the poo and peet mix when the seas are up.

More power to you if you like to haul around your poo while it turns to compost, but I'm not giving you a save the earth medal for it.

I've heard flies can be a problem, but I have no first hand experience.

Wow!
For someone with no first hand experience, that is a lot to say.

It is unfortunate that the word "composting" is so firmly attached to these toilets. The manual on my C-Head points this out. They dehydrate. Composting would require retaining some moistur, and they do all they can to get the moisture out.

Dumping peer or poo when the seas are up is such a non-issue. And if flies are an issue, then dehydration is not taking place, as it needs to.


Someone with first hand experience.

[Captain Puget]

2 seasons on a Nature Head and happy ... Smells better, less weight, less hassle. Only "green" if you dispose of the waste properly😉

[autumnbreeze27]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Not much different than mixing your poo and pee together and carrying it around in a tank until you can find a haul out or get offshore.

I'd certainly rather deal with partically composted poo than liquid sludge and a pumping system.

We've had one since early 2008, haven't had flies. I have heard of it but a sprinkle of diamteous earth apparently takes care of the issue in the rare cases where it happens.

We flip a switch to get rid of up to 30 gallons of waste. We don't have to stir our poo in a big pot. We don't have to carry a bucket of waste somewhere to dump it. My wife wanted a composting head; at strictly sail in Oakland I had her ask the composting head people how it worked. After they explained how u empty the pee bucket this way and the poo another way; her eyes got real big and she said "hell no".

You've never had flies? Where do u cruise? Are u in tropical heat and humidity?




Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Scout 30]

We just received our C-Head last week. Had a hard time deciding whether to get it in teak, mahogany or white. We finally ordered the Bucket model in the standard white & were surprised that it actually looked even better in person. Very pleased with the quality & how well it's thought out. Plus it's about half the price of the other brands.

C-Head portable composting toilets

[Bulawayo]

We fitted a Natures Head in lieu (no pun intended) of a standard head. We opted to retain one conventional head/holding tank to see how it all worked out.
We sail most of the time in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea - with frequent days of 40 deg C (over 100 deg F) and very high humidity. To date we've had zero flies. We do have the fan running 27/7.
I agree the liquid container can be a pain as it seems to fill quickly but it is not as much hassle as the manually operated loo's we have always had to put up. It is convenient, it does not smell, we don't have discharges to contend with and maintenance is a cinch. Our next boat shall have two on board.
The main issue is ensuring that visitors know how to operate it so we laminated the instructions and place it where it could be clearly be seen and read. I was also sceptical before getting one and now am a convert.

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

We flip a switch to get rid of up to 30 gallons of waste. We don't have to stir our poo in a big pot. We don't have to carry a bucket of waste somewhere to dump it. My wife wanted a composting head; at strictly sail in Oakland I had her ask the composting head people how it worked. After they explained how u empty the pee bucket this way and the poo another way; her eyes got real big and she said "hell no".

You've never had flies? Where do u cruise? Are u in tropical heat and humidity?




Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

We flip a switch to get rid of up to 30 gallons of waste. We don't have to stir our poo in a big pot. We don't have to carry a bucket of waste somewhere to dump it. My wife wanted a composting head; at strictly sail in Oakland I had her ask the composting head people how it worked. After they explained how u empty the pee bucket this way and the poo another way; her eyes got real big and she said "hell no".

You've never had flies? Where do u cruise? Are u in tropical heat and humidity?




Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

We've done the great loop including spending a summer in the Carlinas (90-95 with 95% humidity for weeks). No fly issues.

Reality is if it hasn't happened yet, you are living on borrowed time before you get to do plumbing repairs on the high seas as you wife bounces on crossed legs. I'll take a monthly dumping (seasonal if you only weekend) over that any day.

Side note: We know someone who fitted a small pump for the liquids tank, though it's really not that much of a hassle.

[oldragbaggers]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

Maybe he means his face will be green when he has to empty the pee tank or the poo and peet mix when the seas are up.

More power to you if you like to haul around your poo while it turns to compost, but I'm not giving you a save the earth medal for it.

I've heard flies can be a problem, but I have no first hand experience.

Says it all......