Another crappy toilet subject

[Cephious1]

Input required please.
I live up in the beautiful pnw where I have great trouble with this subject, our laws are very strict on sewage dumping but I have to question the laws when a large city like Victoria BC Canada discharges it's untreated sewage into the ocean and they have the nerve to pick on us boaters,,although I don't mind in doing my part for the environment .

Now to my main subject. I have decided to make some changes to my toilet system and change over to a composting system.
I need some input please from you fellow cruisers and users.
I have read all of the comments from the previous forums and I have also watched as many utube clips as is available. I'm trying to decide between the 3 most popular units ,Natures head, airhead, and c-head unit.
The reason for my post is because there are a few unanswered questions that I have.
Regarding the unit called natures head. In all of the utube material , when the toilet is opened up for the clean out ,the top part of the unit which is lifted off of the seat is always covered with the dirt and peat material. Doesn't this loose dirt and dust drop everywhere and make a mess

What about the skid mark issue, and what is the paper filter on the air head all about, I figure it must be to prevent those skids
One gentleman in his post also mentioned an issue with the grounding out of his undercarriage when sitting on one of the units, I would hate the thought of my undercarriage getting grounded,
Thank you all in advance



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[The Way]

Originally Posted by Cephious1

Regarding the unit called natures head. In all of the utube material , when the toilet is opened up for the clean out ,the top part of the unit which is lifted off of the seat is always covered with the dirt and peat material. Doesn't this loose dirt and dust drop everywhere and make a mess

Yes! But I wish ALL of it would drop out. Instead, it clings there.

I remove my top unit a few times a year (in a yard) and wash it out with bleach and a toilet brush. It's a pain and seems like a design flaw. The top unit is also a wonderful environment for flies to breed in, another reason to disinfect it periodically. Damp and safe, with lots of "food" handy just below (yuk!).

Natures Head has a horizontal plate across the bottom of the top unit. It makes it practically impossible to clean out the top unit, especially if it's full of sticky fly egg-cases. I removed that panel a few months ago and there appears to be no problem without it. Can't think what it's for in the first place. I had to drill out the rivets to remove it.


Fair winds,
Jack

[senormechanico]

Solar panels, good fridge insulation and one of these oughta do it.

Raritan Electro Scan Waste Treatment System

Works for us.

[newhaul]

We have the older lectra San and no problems here either in the pnw on a Spencer s42 ( Puget sound) have a good fridge from rich at technautics very happy with power consumption on both

[mark maulden]

Hey newhaul, what's the name of your boat? or if you renamed it, what was the prior name? I think you have my grandfathers boat. He bought it new and is the boat I learned how to sail on.

[CLady]

I thought "no dumping" in PNW included ElectroScan sewage. ?

[senormechanico]

In a "NDZ" or No Discharge Zone, we use our holding tank.
There are several NDZ areas in Desolation Sound, but Puget Sound is not a NDZ.
The tree huggers want it, but imho it aiin't gonna happen.
The Electrosan (the advanced version is Electro Scan) greatly exceeds the purity standards.

Here's a thread about it, starting with uninformed ideas.
Read post #9 and beyond for the real info.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...can-76711.html

T

[CLady]

Future plans are to relocate my boat to PNW so am investigating the holding tank/ElectroScan setup. Right now, the holding tank has to be pumped out through deck access at a pump station.

[lsearite]

Can a Raritan be used on a vaccum head?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by mark maulden

Hey newhaul, what's the name of your boat? or if you renamed it, what was the prior name? I think you have my grandfathers boat. He bought it new and is the boat I learned how to sail on.

Mark the name is la ruina and we have documents going back to at least the early 90 's would be cool If it was the same vessel here is a link to an old listing for it from a few years ago Spencer 42 Sloop for sale, 42'0", 1966 | Boatshed Seattle

[mark maulden]

New haul, yep that's it? Where do u have it moored?


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[peghall]

Originally Posted by lsearite

Can a Raritan be used on a vaccum head?

With a toilet that uses fresh water, you'll be much better off with a PuraSan --the fresh water version of the ElectroScan/Lectra/San that doesn't need salt. Read all about on the Raritan site here Purasan EX Installation, operation and maintenance guide for it is here PuraSan Owner’s Manual mfg. after 09/04

SeaLand will tell you that you cannot install either one with a VacuFlush, but that's not true...Raritan even has specific instructions for installing ElectroScan and PuraSan with a VacuFlush, and they work just fine when those instructions are followed. You can get those from Raritan tech support: 800-352-5630.
















wh

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Cephious1

Input required please.
I live up in the beautiful pnw where I have great trouble with this subject, our laws are very strict on sewage dumping but I have to question the laws when a large city like Victoria BC Canada discharges it's untreated sewage into the ocean and they have the nerve to pick on us boaters,,although I don't mind in doing my part for the environment .

Regarding the unit called natures head. In all of the utube material , when the toilet is opened up for the clean out ,the top part of the unit which is lifted off of the seat is always covered with the dirt and peat material. Doesn't this loose dirt and dust drop everywhere and make a mess

What about the skid mark issue, and what is the paper filter on the air head all about, I figure it must be to prevent those skids
One gentleman in his post also mentioned an issue with the grounding out of his undercarriage when sitting on one of the units, I would hate the thought of my undercarriage getting grounded,
Thank you all in advance

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On your top paragraph - we must all agree. Even more to the point is the FOX river at Green Bay as an example, passing through hundreds of miles of dairy farms & dumping the most putrid gunk into Lake Michigan. If I get spotted taking a leak its 5000 bucks. All of the Great Lakes are Zero Discharge. The farm run-off in Lake Erie was so bad last year that a toxic algae bloom resulted. Chicago needs the ship & sanitary canal to carry their untreated waste to the Gulf. For that reason alone, there will never be a dry-break of the canal - Politics as usual.

As far as the unit you select, it may be most dependent on your boat's geometry. We chose Air Head due to space constraints regarding access to service. I think they all work about the same.

No skid mark problems. Modify you bombay procedures. Just prior to bombs-away, we open the door so nothing lands on the trap door. You can also pave the pot with TP or a coffee filter to keep the cargo from sticking to the plastic.

Watch out for tissue getting into the urine ports on the Air Head. Ladies tend to drop paper straight down instead of into the main pot. This will require tools, wires etc. to clean out.

I like the vent on the Air Head over the design of Nature's Head but NH may have changed since I researched. On ours, I used a Nico solar vent. Be prepared to replace the crapy nicad with Li. Photos show ours on its step-up pedestal of 3/4 lexan. Its crammed into a corner on the diagonal. NH would not fit. We normally keep a child's 1-step under the lexan as a step & foot rest.

[alctel]

I have a natures head and it's pretty fantastic. Whenever my dockmates mention holding tank or plumbing woes it's all I can do to look sympathetic.

Emptying the pee jug is annoying but you get used to it.

Never had an insect problem - I live in the PNW though, so it may be a different story somewhere warm. Where in BC are you? If you are in Victoria I'd be happy to show you my setup.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by alctel

I have a natures head and it's pretty fantastic. Whenever my dockmates mention holding tank or plumbing woes it's all I can do to look sympathetic.

Emptying the pee jug is annoying but you get used to it.
.

My question would be where do you empty the pee jug if you are in a no discharge zone