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

[peghall]

That's not always true. My YC charged members $3 to pump out, charged guests the same amount.

[capn_billl]

In my part of the US you can usually get a free pumpout with a gas purchase.

[alan_za]

Originally Posted by smj

A guy we met in the Chesapeake last fall is putting out his own design of com poster for sale at about half the price of the others. Index

That's a lot cheaper then Natures head but doesn't look quite as well made. Anyone used one of these?

[clockwork orange]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

In my part of the US you can usually get a free pumpout with a gas purchase.

This might work out ok if you have a powerboat,wouldnt help the likes of me with a little 7hp BMW diesel
Steve.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

This might work out ok if you have a powerboat,wouldnt help the likes of me with a little 7hp BMW diesel
Steve.

you will be soooo surprised.......

[clockwork orange]

Zee, i just meant i dont even fill up once a season, so not many free pumpouts.
Steve.

[gixerjen]

Interesting...... Twenty bucks for a composting "toilet"? The scientist in me almost has to give this a go just to see if they're telling the truth!

duckworks composting toilet

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by gixerjen

Interesting...... Twenty bucks for a composting "toilet"? The scientist in me almost has to give this a go just to see if they're telling the truth!

duckworks composting toilet

There is some questionable stuff in this article. First off if the urine is going into the bucket it's going to smell if it's used over any period of time. The system being described here is for very short term usage.

Secondly his contention that if it's steaming it's hot enough to kill pathogens may be true I don't know but as far as composting human waste is far to simple to be valuable. If you are secondary composting human waste (taking it from the tank to shore) you need to do a perc test on the soil where you are building your compost heap to be sure that runoff won't be an issue. The you need two piles, one which is used for fresh and one which sits and further composts before being used. You can put it on roses with less composting then what is required for vegetables but I would err on the side of caution since runoff can be a problem.

Composting toilets are simple things and they can be inexpensively built but a bucket of sawdust isn't it. You need a system for seperating solids and liquids as a minimum is you are cruising. A system to stir the solids will speed breakdown as well. Some say there's no need to vent them but I prefer having mine vented when it's actively beng used. If it's sitting unused for a while I turn the fan off.

[gixerjen]

I suppose I was being light hearted really, it's the bucket on the table bit that I'd really like to put to the test!

I suppose the big thing for a live aboard is that the contents from a proper composting toilet are suitable to go straight in the trash, I very much doubt that would be the case with the bucket method...... I think if my boat were a weekend cruiser and I had a garden and compost area, I would be inclined to try some variation of this. However, that's not really a viable option for me at the moment. Still interesting all the same though....

[hummingway]

Crapping in a bucket of sawdust is just crapping in a bucket but and with urine in it it's heavy. Keep the urine seperate and the contents are much lighter, much more "bag friendly". I don't have a second bucket in my system (Nature's Head) but if you have the ability to put one bucket aside and let it age the contents become much more "user friendly", I'm not living aboard so when I finish a trip I just leave the bucket and empty it before a trip. It works really well.

I don't think this can be said enough though. If you are going to compost, do not get urine in the feces. You'll be sorry. With a Nature's Head you have to empty the urine bottle with the zeal of OCD. If it overflows it often goes into the bucket and then woe betide you. She smells and is heavy and unpleasant to empty.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by gixerjen

I
I suppose the big thing for a live aboard is that the contents from a proper composting toilet are suitable to go straight in the trash, I very much doubt that would be the case with the bucket method

And that would be different from a baby diaper going into the trash how? At least this isn't mixed up with all the non biodegradable stuff in the diaper ; -)

[gixerjen]

Unfortunately for me I'm not going to be able to compost. Much as I would love a garden, the snappy is all I'm gonna have. I'm think I'm going to get a nature's head, it just seems the easiest, cleanest, most simple, and (most importantly given that I spent my summer working on the beach having a massive concern for our water quality) I could not sleep at night knowing I was emptying my tank into the beautiful bay where I live.

I was a little hesitant about composting toilets but the info in this thread has convinced me they're the way forwards!

[edroberts1943]

I installed Natures Head on my Westsail 42 six months ago. It is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I put paper in the bin and don't worry about it. I don't plan to play in it when its time to empty so who cares? There is no smell at all. Since the boat has two heads, the thru-hull head is reserved for "at sea" use.

[j dragon]

I have been looking at boats to purchase, spent the weekend looking at about 10 different boat. On one of the boats there was a slight head odor, it had a conventional head. On a nother boats it there was a Nature's head. So I went to investigate further. No odor. It was vented so (this is disgusting) I opened the deposit hole. No odor at all. My wife wants a Nature's head installed on the boat we buy, but I was not convienced until I saw it in action (so to speak). Now I am sold.

[SunDevil]

I wonder how much the system on the International Space Station costs... It seems like there should be a high tech solution to this problem. Either have a very miniature waste water treatment process, or some other easy way to deal with it. Maybe there is a way to increase the bacterial breakdown?

There may be a solution. I haven't spent any time looking into this yet.

If you spend a lot of time on shore, there is an app that will help.

App Store - Public Toilets