Nature's Head (?) - Seriously . . .

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by zeehag

as for permanent full time cruisers--where do you store the sh** when it hits the fan in a storm.....
marine grade tp melts in your hand before job is done--nasty stuff.
i think i like the traditional sink the boat kind of head/toilet.....or the plumbed in portapotty that actually has 2 pumpout capabilities.

I would much rather have a composting head on a bucking boat than all the associated disgusting wet system lines and holes in the boat. The compost pile is in a 1/2" poly box thrubolted down and stands maybe 14" tall with a lot of bottom surface; it's not going anywhere.

For #2, I like to use wet wipes because I find them to do a much better job than paper. I wouldn't clean my kid's ass with toilet paper, I'd use wet wipes. I see no reason to be less hygenic for my own rear. Put them (and any feminine products or otherwise) into a lunch paper bag, crumple the top, toss overboard, wash your hands, all done.

[Sluce]

This is our third year with a Nature's head and we have no intention of going back to a holding tank. To answer your questions

1. Sure you can put paper in. It decomposes. Unlike a holding tank there is nothing to clog up, you can put any solid in the composting bin.

2. The hole is big enough. If you are worried about it Nature's head recommends you put down a bin type coffee filter and aim for that. (See question 1 about paper).

3. We use it for two people, coastal cruising and a two week vacation every year. I dump it the next spring. No sticking, no mess, definitely no smell. It looks and acts like dry dirt.
According to Natures Head it's good for about 60 "loads" when used full time. While I haven't tested this out yet if I had to empty it after recent use I would dump in some extra peat moss or other filler, mix it up and dump it into a trash bag or preferably over the side when offshore. I don't think it would be as big a deal as pumping out the holding tank offshore.

I don't think any of your questions are real issues. The two issues I have is that the pee bottle needs to be dumped fairly often which can be a hassle when you are spending time close to shore. And ours is mounted fore and aft which is a pain when we're well heeled over on a starboard tack. I wish the division between the liquid and solid path were a little higher.

That said I have had much less problems with it than with the holding tank systems on our last two boats. One holding tank overflow was enough for me. And the Natures head has never smelled as much as any of the offshore pump outs of the holding tank.

[peghall]

Where I boat is a no discharge zone...

I don't THINK so... Unless you're on an inland lake--which does NOT include Clear Lake--you are not on "no discharge" waters. The "NDZ uber alles" crowd has tried for years to claim that Clear Lake is an NDZ, but that's not true because Clear Lake is part of a navigable interstate waterway. Nor is Galveston Bay. You'll see that the only waters in TX on the EPS list of NDZs--which they DO keep current--are 24 inland lakes No Discharge Zones by State | Vessel Water Discharge | US EPA

[peghall]

"Direct deposit" from you into the water while in the water or above it may run afoul of indecent exposure laws, but does not violate any marina sanitation laws. It's only when you put it into any container first that you violate any marine sanitation laws. So swinging from a backstay or hanging on the anchor line with silly look on your face IS legal..."bucket and chuck it" is not.

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

...if you pee in a conventional marine toilet and then pump and rinse it away the holding tank on many boats is full in no time.

Most people don't realize that any marine toilet that's working anywhere NEAR factory spec can move bowl contents up to 6 linear feet and 4 vertical feet in the dry mode. So maintaining the toilet (replacing the joker valve annually) and learning to use "dry bowl" to do more than just push the last bit of water out of the bowl can double the number flushes a tank can hold.

[zeehag]

i have used em and i still dislike them.

[smj]

Originally Posted by peghall

Where I boat is a no discharge zone...

I don't THINK so... Unless you're on an inland lake--which does NOT include Clear Lake--you are not on "no discharge" waters. The "NDZ uber alles" crowd has tried for years to claim that Clear Lake is an NDZ, but that's not true because Clear Lake is part of a navigable interstate waterway. Nor is Galveston Bay. You'll see that the only waters in TX on the EPS list of NDZs--which they DO keep current--are 24 inland lakes No Discharge Zones by State | Vessel Water Discharge | US EPA

Im not sure about Clear Lake but I do know all of the Florida Keys are a no discharge zone as well as Destin. And Electra San is not legal in either of these locations.
We have had two composting heads, one natures and one airhead and love them. We have also had two Electra Sans and they were an expensive pain in the ass. I'm sure you will find positives and negatives about everything but the cooster works well for us.

[peghall]

Originally Posted by smj

Im not sure about Clear Lake but I do know all of the Florida Keys are a no discharge zone as well as Destin. And Electra San is not legal in either of these locations.

The Keys and Destin Harbor are the only two NDZ on the whole Gulf...so unless you limit your cruising to those two areas, I'm not sure what your point is. However, if you're happy with the composter (which actually isn't a composter, but a dessicator), it's ok with me.

[Cheechako]

How about installing a urinal and run the urine through the engine cooling. Then it's not waste! :>)

[Sabbatical II]

Well I have trouble briefly explaining a conventional marine toilet to my non boating friends so that we don't clog it up. I couldn't imagine trying to explain the ins and outs of a composting toilet to some of my wife's "high heeled" friends in under an hour. Is the real advantage that they would just cross their legs and hold it in for the duration of the voyage? ............ and then never come back?

Greg

[tager]

Sounds like an advantage to me!

[clockwork orange]

Thanks for clearing that up for me Peggy, so i would think then that one would be able to build a urinal into the head compartment that flows directly over the side well above the waterline, it could be under the washbasin so it is rinsed when you wash your hands, it should be legal, as you are not containing it before disposal. If one were to do this and use a composter just for #2 you eliminate the only things people complain about who actually use them which seems to be emptying the pee bottle and sometimes keeping the #1 out of the #2 tank, you would still have the pee bottle for in port use,but it would take a lot longer to fill. It would also be a lot safer than going over the side. Thoughts?
Steve

[Matt Johnson]

How much peat moss is needed for say a 6 month trip for two? Does it really save any space vs the holding tank?

[Sluce]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

How much peat moss is needed for say a 6 month trip for two? Does it really save any space vs the holding tank?

Home Depot sells compressed peat moss in packages about 6"x6"x12" that lasts us two years of weekends and two week vacations. The holding tank I took out filled half the space under the vee berth. And the peat moss doesn't smell.

[smj]

Originally Posted by peghall

Im not sure about Clear Lake but I do know all of the Florida Keys are a no discharge zone as well as Destin. And Electra San is not legal in either of these locations.

The Keys and Destin Harbor are the only two NDZ on the whole Gulf...so unless you limit your cruising to those two areas, I'm not sure what your point is. However, if you're happy with the composter (which actually isn't a composter, but a dessicator), it's ok with me.

The Keys in my opinion are the best cruising grounds on the east coast of the US so why would I limit where I go at all with an Electra San when I can use a composter and be legal anywhere?

[Madwand]

Cool, a site where I can ask a question about turds and not "piss" off at least one person! Very nice.

Thanks Peggy, for pointing out the Installation and Users Guide, I must have stopped reading when I saw "Installation." They did answer all my questions.

Originally Posted by smj

The Keys in my opinion are the best cruising grounds on the east coast of the US so why would I limit where I go at all with an Electra San when I can use a composter and be legal anywhere?

I never realized it was legal to throw all your garbage overboard 3 miles out. Paper bags and plastic bags full of dirt and all, that's great. I guess. Is that why your composter is legal in the NDZ of the Keys? Throwing a bag of "dirt" overboard is not considered dumping? I would think if they see you chucking anything overboard, you'd have some splaining to do...