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Old 14-09-2010, 13:05   #241
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spent time on a boat with a composting head-didnt like the pervasive odor problem.
and , where do you off the compost if you havent a house with a hugeous garden???? or in middle of an ocean?? not on my boat ye dont!!!!

is hazmat. nothing like fee e-coli. nothing like the smell of kaka when ye are cooking ....didnt love it as i was spozed to , according to the owner. boat STUNK....and he was spozedly using the dang thing correctly. go figger.
That's the first time I've heard of someone with a stinking composting head. The majority of feedback I've heard is that it's smelling much better than a typical wet marine head.

I'm down to a few days to order ours. Honestly I can't wait.
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Old 14-09-2010, 13:23   #242
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That's the first time I've heard of someone with a stinking composting head. The majority of feedback I've heard is that it's smelling much better than a typical wet marine head.

I'm down to a few days to order ours. Honestly I can't wait.
Mine smells at times, but it's been very rare that it's been as bad as the tank was routinely. If urine has gone into the tank then I've got to get extra dessicant in there (peat or something) or if the dessicant is too dry it can develop a different odour. It took me a little time to work out the bugs or keep them happy as the case may be

I far prefer the NH to a tank but I'm not going to say it's perfect there are issues you have to work out. It is larger then any of the flush heads I've seen. It is taller as well so if you have yours on a platform you may have to do something. Mine required boat surgery. If you are "height challenged" you may find it tall. It does take some getting used to managing it if you're living aboard. And then there's the byproduct to deal with. Again the actual size of these things factors into the emptying of the tank. You have to remove the top and up end the tank which, in my head requires forethought. I've heard of people taking it up on deck but that's not going to happen on my boat. Given that it's a decent sized craft I suspect it may not on most. That said it isn't that onerous of a task and doesn't happen that often and becomes just another boat chore like taking care of the garbage.
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Old 14-09-2010, 16:06   #243
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you think that if one places a few pounds of chemical or peat moss on the turds they will not stink, yet they DO stink even with the inefficient chemical/peat moss.
the only thing gained by having human waste on board any boat is an overabundance of e coli bacteria. that is bad stuff.
human waste, aka feces, is hazmat. pure and simple, and there is no ridding it of the bacteria that live in it. those bacteria are harmful to humans if ingested. bags break. seas rise. stuff happens-then you have stuff EVERYWHERE.

so, essentially, you guys ar cruising with a hazmat bomb on board. thank you , no, i will avoid this trend like the plague. or cholera. or yellow fever. this kind of toilet is great if you remain in port on a dock and have a place to rid your boat of the hazmat on a regular basis. thankyou , NO. i have seen the system and i have passed on it for definite reasons. is unhealthy when there is not a place to stash the stuff between dockings. lol..i will stick to tradition on this one. worked in hospitals as an rn waaay too long to not have deep respect for the power of e coli. and i have sailed long enough to know if something is going to break in an inopportune time, it will definitely do so.

i also noticed the folks who are the most gung ho on this manure toilet are male. not female. "dealing with the issues" doesnt mean having to tolerate "sh**bombs" exploding while on a passage across a sea. no one HAS to DEAL with it-- just choose a more efficient means of ridding boat of e coli and manure.

as far as wet marine heads goes--the foul odor of stagnant salt water goes way with passing 2 gallons of sea water thru it--instant freshness. every time. not so with manure potties--yukkkkk--all thru the boat--and cooking in that environment is not fun. btdt. have a good time with yours--i will stick to simple and easy wet toilets on boats. less odiferous.
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Old 14-09-2010, 16:34   #244
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I'm not trying to say that a composting toilet is the greatest thing since sliced bread; just saying that it seems to be the least of all evils.

The hazmat you're talking about exists in any composting or holding tank scenario. And a rising sea is going to claim the life of a holding tank and its related plumbing much quicker than a dry compost heap. Beyond that, find me a single boat that's sunk because of a failure of a composting head (plenty have sunk because of wet toilets).

Working with dry solids isolated to a dedicated bin that you can directly observe the level of is far safer and less prone to problems than a holding tank, which often is tucked away un-monitored under a mattress or in a locker of some type.

The most foul job I have ever done in my life (and I've done some nasty ones) is replacing the plumbing on a wet marine system. If you want to talk about contamination, try the contamination that happens to your tools and your boat every few years when you have to re-do the wet plumbing. Literally, the **** gets everywhere.

What's easiest and cleanest for the boat (direct discharge) is foul and filthy for the waters, so at best you're trying to strike a balance between the two.

I'm planning on double bagging the contents of the head into these. At sea, dump in the drink. On land, dump into the trash bin with the other trash.

BioBag Food Waste Compostable Bags (3 Gallon), 25-Count Boxes (Pack of 4): Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food
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Old 14-09-2010, 17:45   #245
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We have had 2 composting heads on 2 boats. Never had a problem with odor and since we've had them never had to get crap all over me while rebuilding, unclogging or maintaining the thing. It's the wave of the future.
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Old 14-09-2010, 17:49   #246
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One improvement I would like to see is in the urine container. One idea would be to use the previous through hull and plumb the urine container through it and perhaps have a small line plumbed from the house fresh water supply to give it a quick flush with a pint or two after each use.
I been thinkin about that one Tellie... I haven't figger it all out yet, but I am thinkin on it...
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Old 14-09-2010, 20:02   #247
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the only thing gained by having human waste on board any boat is an overabundance of e coli bacteria.

i also noticed the folks who are the most gung ho on this manure toilet are male. not female. .
Oh, pfshaw(sp?) ... first off it was a woman living alone aboard with her seven year old who sold me on the idea (she swore by it) and secondly, composting kills the bacteria. There is a lot more bacteria in the holding tank and its effluent then there will ever be in a composter.
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Old 15-09-2010, 07:03   #248
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Again, I have never had any sewage smell on my boat. The ventilating fan keeps positive flow from the boat interior, over the treasure of peat and so forth through the freeboard through-hull to the outside. I add yeast or a septic tank additive to promote breakdown. I wear disposable vinyl gloves when I flip the unit and shake the contents into a white, heavy duty kitchen garbage bag. Then I dispose of the gloves after all is done.

So which is more sanitary? Hoses that eventually get permeated with u know what, a pump and associated equipment, a holding tank that slouches around with all the clamps that fail and the head that occasionally needs replacement or rebuilding. Or a unit as outlined in the previous paragraph almost no moving parts?
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Old 15-09-2010, 12:43   #249
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Yeah, I'm a bit confused as well Zeehag. Perhaps you could expand on the sterility of a holding tank and associated plumbing. I assure you, if I have the choice of which system I'd rather have "Break" on a boat at sea it will be a composting toilet containing solids as opposed to 40 flowing gallons from a holding tank seeking every nook and cranny of a boat on it's way to the bilge.
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Old 15-09-2010, 13:30   #250
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Okay, I pulled the trigger and made the order (nature's head). I should get it next week sometime, so next weekend will probably have me gutting the existing head and associated plumbing. I think I'll spend a day or two really cleaning up the head since the toilet will be out. Good time to get some other head related stuff accomplished.
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Old 15-09-2010, 15:12   #251
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With my composter head in the back corner of the wheelhouse, I was able to run my vent pipe vertically at the stern, about 9 ft above decks. No problems , but with the right wind, I get an occasional brief sniff.
Running the vent up amoung the shrouds is an option, for foreward heads.
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Old 15-09-2010, 16:00   #252
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With my composter head in the back corner of the wheelhouse, I was able to run my vent pipe vertically at the stern, about 9 ft above decks. No problems , but with the right wind, I get an occasional brief sniff.
Running the vent up amoung the shrouds is an option, for foreward heads.
I was thinking about putting in a cheesy little active charcoal filter. I've rigged one of these before for a land based project. Really cut down on the smell. I might try to fashion one.
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Old 15-09-2010, 16:40   #253
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With my composter head in the back corner of the wheelhouse, I was able to run my vent pipe vertically at the stern, about 9 ft above decks. No problems , but with the right wind, I get an occasional brief sniff.
Running the vent up amoung the shrouds is an option, for foreward heads.

This is probably TMI, but the only time I get any sort of whiff from my simple ventless and crankless bucket type composting head is when I take the lid off to use it and then the odor is more of a mild earthy smell. As soon as I sit down any odors stop completely.
I commonly will sit there for fifteen or twenty minutes drinking a mug of coffee and reading the paper in perfect odorless privacy.

The only time that there is any toilet odor from the head is in the moments between the time I stand up and when I sprinkle the cover material. Then it stops immediately.

Because the urine bottle is also contained in the same box as the bucket, even if I don't get around to emptying it as often as I should, no odors escape the box.

This head is the ultimate in economy, simplicity and reliability.
When the bucket is almost full after three or four weeks for one person. It weighs about eight to ten lbs. Because it's a normal plastic bucket I have only to snap the lid on tightly and I can store it or carry it anywhere without any trouble. It's easy to empty and clean. (I spray the buckets with armor all or equivalent before use.)

It is a bit larger than the original head but still fits into a very small space.

I would never go back to using traditional heads whether ashore or afloat.

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Old 15-09-2010, 17:08   #254
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Okay, I pulled the trigger and made the order (nature's head).
I'm in suspense to know about your experience doing the conversion and how the composter works out.
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Old 15-09-2010, 17:09   #255
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Knothead, I heard it works better withOUT the pants. At least that's how I've been doing it.

I've been sold. I'm already looking forward to pulling out all the old plumbing and throwing in a composting toilet, and I don't even have a boat yet.
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