Composting Toilet - Nature's Head

[sww914]

For me, the C-Head was $500.00, $5.99 for a bag of peat moss. I scrounged a fan out of a dead inverter that was just the right size for the vent, I plumbed the vent out through the old waste deck fitting, and I used some draw catches that came with the boat to attach it to the floor. I had to heat the vent hose in some boiling water to get it to fit over the deck fitting. It took a couple hours. The only hard part was removing the old stuff.
I put the old Jabsco out next to the marina dumpsters with a sign on it that said "Best Free Head in Ensenada, Papi".

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by sww914

I put the old Jabsco out next to the marina dumpsters with a sign on it that said "Best Free Head in Ensenada, Papi".

LOL, When I threw my original two heads, SS holding tank, valves etc. in the dumpster in favor of my composting unit a neighbor said "Hey!, those things are expensive" I said "You have no idea" Going on three years with the composting head and haven't looked back with regret yet.

[reiner]

For the weekend sailors, we have a Airhead in our boat and we use it about every second weekend with two or four people on board. We emptied it for the first time after 10 month. I think I could have left it another 2 month.
The pee bottle gets emptied every weekend plus we carry a spare bottle.
We live in a warmer climate here so that might help the composting process. We find we need to ad water from time to time to keep it working.
New people on board are a bit hesitant to use it for the first time but we made instructions and had no problems with first timers.
Happy New Year to all.........

Cheers
Reiner

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Tellie

LOL, When I threw my original two heads, SS holding tank, valves etc. in the dumpster in favor of my composting unit a neighbor said "Hey!, those things are expensive" I said "You have no idea" Going on three years with the composting head and haven't looked back with regret yet.

Thanks Cap, I think you said the same thing last year.That'll be my next move, as needed.

[Steve Bean]

Check out Sailfar.net and search for: The $10-20 (or even free) composting head.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Steve Bean

Check out Sailfar.net and search for: The $10-20 (or even free) composting head.

Thanks for the excellent suggestion! There are pics of both first and second generation homebuilts.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by reiner

New people on board are a bit hesitant to use it for the first time but we made instructions and had no problems with first timers.
Happy New Year to all.........

Cheers
Reiner

how do you think it would work on a charter boat? could it handle 4 -5 people for a week?

[Steve Bean]

I am experimenting with a peat moss version on my boat, not living aboard. No odor problem. I do see some tiny bugs crawling around under the seat, maybe the smallest crawling critters I've ever seen. I suspect they come with the peat moss. I'm not worried about them, but I'm going to try sawdust; it's cheaper and doesn't come from a peat bog thousands of miles away.

[Steve Bean]

To clarify my last post: I'm using a home-made composting head as discussed on Sailfar.net. It costs less than $10. So far it's just a 5-gallon bucket 1/3 filled with peat moss, and a regular toilet seat on top. I don't even have a built-in liquids separator funnel yet or a crank-style stirring setup.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by Steve Bean

To clarify my last post: I'm using a home-made composting head as discussed on Sailfar.net. It costs less than $10. So far it's just a 5-gallon bucket 1/3 filled with peat moss, and a regular toilet seat on top. I don't even have a built-in liquids separator funnel yet or a crank-style stirring setup.

That’s Great if it was only me, but don’t try bringing woman on board or paying customers!

[Steve Bean]

So far it is "only me" on my boat. A more civilized and presentable version is on the drawing board.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

I read some stuff about people building tiny houses on flat bed trailers and using composting toilets. I read the "Humanure Handbook" back when it was a free download. Many people have gone to this and enjoy it. On a boat, it looks like a good way to simplify plumbing and reduce weight.

[reiner]

Originally Posted by Steve Bean

To clarify my last post: I'm using a home-made composting head as discussed on Sailfar.net. It costs less than $10. So far it's just a 5-gallon bucket 1/3 filled with peat moss, and a regular toilet seat on top. I don't even have a built-in liquids separator funnel yet or a crank-style stirring setup.

as far as I see it that is not a composting toilet at all and because there is to much liquid it can't work. Really it is a bucket full of sawdust.

Reiner

[Blue Crab]

No liquid in big bucket. He's peeing in a soap bottle.

[Reiheld]

We have, for lo, these many years, been building a houseboat from scratch. Eager to get this showboat on the road, I studied every waste management system out there, not really sold on composting, but more or less resigned to it, as it might be months or more before we had real running water plumbing. Meanwhile, a sparkling bay beckoned. Both major composters seemed pricey and cumbersome. Then I found someone singing the praises of C-Head. Simple, well-thought out, sturdy, easy to use and maintain, and half the price of the other guys. Worth a try. Ours arrived very promptly, and was ready for use in an hour.
My reactions after a year of sporadic use:
1.Simple! Easy to install, easy to use, easy to maintain. No proprietary urine collection bottle, just a simple plastic gallon jug. Yay! Simple construction:No blades to jam, nothing to clog or fail. Simple surfaces=simple and fast to clean. Simple to empty: Open lid, lift seat, remove poo-peat bucket, dump lumpy contents into plastic bag to toss in dumpster or 5-gallon bucket for further composting, replace container, lower seat. Done. Takes a couple of minutes. SIMPLE!!
2. Compact and comfortable. No side crank to allow space for, height is just like home, no need to build any step-up. A LOT of coir bricks fit in a shoebox. If space were at a premium on our boat, this would be a huge advantage.
3.Here is the big one for me and my sensitive nose: It doesn't stink. Not in summer, not in winter. Just doesn't. With coir, we have had no bugs. Only place in this whole beautiful NC swamp of ours with no bugs is our C-Head.

Disadvantages? Only one I have found so far: Guys MUST sit to pee. Period. No exceptions.

So, yes, we are pleased so far. I believe it was a good decision.