What are the laws for a boat head/ toilet for live aboard?

[SaltyMonkey]

ok. I looked at the pics in the manual. I think it an excellent option and easy to replace.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

The Traveler looks kind of cheap and plastically. Are there any other options similar to the traveler out there that are more robust. I do like the self contained tank idea.

Originally Posted by four winds

I
As to looks, I think you might be deceived by the picture.

It has a full size China bowl, and uses a standard household seat/lid. The tank, which of course must support the weight of the user, is quite substantially thick walled. By my guess probably more than twice the wall thickness of a typical holding tank. If one presses hard on the center of the side wall no flex occurs.

I would describe it as robust in construction, and in no way cheap.

Yep, we had one in a previous boat, built like a brick ____, easy to clean, no maintenance that I remember, and it worked like a champ.

-Chris

[SaltyMonkey]

KISS I like this. And it has a pump out hose. Very good recommendation.

thanks SM

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[peghall]

No, a holding tank is not required on all inland lakes.

Actually it is. It's just a matter of semantics. Federal law 40 CFR 140.3
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/140.3
requires that all boats on inland lakes must be equipped with a Type III MSD. Anything that receives toilet waste and does not discharge it--which includes portapotties, both portable and "MSD" versions, composters and incinerating toilets--is automatically a "certified" Type III MSD under the law. Boats with installed toilets must have a holding tank that must be emptied via pumpout. Some states even go so far as to even ban any overboard discharge capability. However, that's about as far as any state can go, because Title 46, section 4206 of Federal law https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/46/4306
specifically forbids any state or "political subdivision thereof" from enacting any law that supercedes or exceeds federal law.

Marinas, however, are private property and make any rules they want to that don't violate federal law.

[peghall]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

The Traveler looks kind of cheap and plastically. Are there any other options similar to the traveler out there that are more robust. I do like the self contained tank idea.

The bowl is all china, and the tank is very sturdy PE. Average lifespan is typically upwards of 20 years, during which time you might have to replace the water valve, bowl gasket or the flush lever assembly. How much more robust do you think it needs to be?

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by peghall

The bowl is all china, and the tank is very sturdy PE. Average lifespan is typically upwards of 20 years, during which time you might have to replace the water valve, bowl gasket or the flush lever assembly. How much more robust do you think it needs to be?

You're way behind the wave of posts floating bye bye bye

[Simply Sailing]

Originally Posted by peghall

That depends on how cold it gets. All the composters and desiccators (AirHead, Nature's Head etc) need added dry material and a bacterial "accelerator" to facilitate breakdown. It works just fine at 75F and above, and ok at 70...but bacterial activity becomes increasingly sluggish with every degree below 70. Around 60 not much is happening...at 40 most bacteria become dormant. So a heater wouldn't be needed if you're in a climate where the temps stay warm or you're aboard 24-7 with heat on in the boat...but if you're a live aboard where it gets cold in the winter and are ashore at work all day, leaving the heat on the boat set below 70, your waste material isn't gonna break down much without some warm air.

All of that is very true. But if you're not aboard, you're not contributing to the solids container anyway, so how quickly it breaks down doesn't matter. When you get back aboard and get it a liveable temperature again, it will begin composting again. We have been traveling in weather so cold our covers were frozen to the hull when we woke up, but the Air Head still kept up with us. It slows down, but not significantly enough for it to really matter. And we were only in that for a few weeks. But if you live aboard where it is cold, you will likely have a heater. If it is warm enough for a human to be comfortable, the head will be fine. If you're leaving it long term, it doesn't really matter that the composting slows down because you aren't using it anyway. Besides, I would be very hesitant to run a heater if you're not aboard. I've seen too many boat fires because of it. If you're just not there during the day, the boat will be warm enough when you are there that the composting action will kick right back up again. We've really never had a problem.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by peghall

That depends on how cold it gets. All the composters and desiccators (AirHead, Nature's Head etc) need added dry material and a bacterial "accelerator" to facilitate breakdown. It works just fine at 75F and above, and ok at 70...but bacterial activity becomes increasingly sluggish with every degree below 70. Around 60 not much is happening...at 40 most bacteria become dormant. So a heater wouldn't be needed if you're in a climate where the temps stay warm or you're aboard 24-7 with heat on in the boat...but if you're a live aboard where it gets cold in the winter and are ashore at work all day, leaving the heat on the boat set below 70, your waste material isn't gonna break down much without some warm air.

Wow, I guess we've been doing it wrong for 10yrs. Never added any "accelerator" without a problem. The directions that came with the composting head never mentioned "accelerator" either. As an expert on the subject of holding tanks, I assume you know that each daily deposit comes loaded with "accelerator" (If you don't know what I'm talking about, I question you claiming expertise on the subject.)

Also, if you are living on the boat, presumably, you are heating the living space, the fan will typically pull air at around 70 degrees into the head. Have spent plenty of time using it in cold weather (down to mid 20's at night at times) with no problems.

Most importantly, for a liveaboard, you aren't typically worried about completing the composting process. Even in warm weather it won't be truly completed when the time comes to empty it. But that's fine, it's rendered relatively inert and no odor issues (if it's that cold that the aerobic bacteria aren't working, neither are the anaerobic bacteria which create the odors.)