Going Green Nature Composting toilet

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

But... But... But...

It has the word "compost" in it, so it HAS to be "green!"

Doesn't it?

Actually the C-Head is only offered in white, mahogany or teak. No green.

[roverhi]

The C Head is the first composting toilet that looks like it would fit in a normal head compartment. The others I've seen look huge, require a step ladder to mount and have a through deck vent. Certainly too tall and big for any boat that I'd ever own.

How does the C Head get by without an vent to the outside?? The solids bucket is not fixed in position but only lightly constrained by the liquid tank. Can see that the bucket would try and compress the liquid tank and move out of position on a stbd tack with a port athwartship mounted head. Any one had any experience with the head on a sailboat on the wrong tack??

[basssears]

Question for the C-Head owners (I've done some investigating of Nature's and Airhead, new to investigating the C-Head)... seems like the competition all have (and more or less require) a vent with a fan, but it's more of an option for the C-Head... are the happy C-Head customers using a (powered) vent or not?

-- Bass

[Scout 30]

The C-head came with fittings & a hose for vent installation if desired but no electric fan. Per the manual that I received with my C-Head last week it appears that ventilation is not necessary for the dehydration/composting process to begin & it really depends on how much it is used. It says that if you are using it on a consistent basis, such as extended trips or live aboard, it may be necessary to install a ventilation system. It also appears that the more humid the atmosphere the more likely a vent will be needed. Here's a video showing how to install active ventilation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur3XmWsSZn4

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by autumnbreeze27

I don't think composting toilets are the panacea those of you that have them make it out to be. A small boat in a cool dry climate, it's probably a great low cost low maintenance solution. A boat in the tropics with multiple heads in remote locations, I think there are better choices.

I can tell you on my boat, I can use the toilet, push a button and it flushes like a household toilet, and when the tank gets full I can push a button and it empties. There's nothing you can say that will convince me that using a toilet, then cranking a mixer to stir up the nastyness, and then add some more stuff if the bugs get too bad, and then bag it and haul it to a dumpster, would be preferable, or better for the environment.

If anything, our boat poo's like a whale, which makes us greener

With that stunning visual here is a link specific to the Bahamas, why pumping poop onto their coastal waters is not beneficial to the environment. If you don't want to read the whole thing, it basically says the influx of nutrients is harmful and can cause algae blooms, many harmful bacteria in human feces, etc etc.
Kinda crazy we need studies to prove pumping 30, 40 or more gallons of human waste into the water is not a good thing. Remember, you are not the only one pumping overboard, many boats do it and it adds up and DOES make an impact.

I do think on board waste treatment systems would be great for folks who are not in to the whole dry head scene.


watershttp://www.academia.edu/10601560/Ecohydrological_Management_Responses_to_a_Degraded _Coastal_Wetland_Ecosystem_on_a_Tropical_island_Ca se_study_of_Victoria_Pond_The_Bahamas

Ps. We have been almost a year in the tropics. No bugs, no issues with disposal. We don't have an agitator, just a nicro vent to the head compartment. I think our success is due to good peat (cocotek ) and making sure poo tank stays dry, that we use enough peat to overwelmed the moisture.
Cheers,
Erika

[StuM]

So what's the current draw of the fans on these heads?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

Kinda crazy we need studies to prove pumping 30, 40 or more gallons of human waste into the water is not a good thing.

Geez, how long does it take a crew of 3 or 4 to generate 30, 40 or more gallons of human waste? (Not including the urine and sea water flush that makes up most of a normal head's discharge i.e actual solid wastes).

And how much of that 30 + gallons of solid waste would actually be harmful rather than nutritious to marine life?

[basssears]

Quick check of Air Head and Nature's Head sites revealed... no power draw specs

I'm sure they're on there somewhere, I just didn't find them... I know lots of people DIY with computer case fans (cheap, easy to replace)... quick look at a BIG fan (220mm or 8 1/2", moving 100 cfm) only draws 0.42A @ 12v or 5 watts... not bad... I eventually plan to install a few of these fans to move air around in stagnant spaces like hanging lockers etc.

-- Bass

Originally Posted by StuM

So what's the current draw of the fans on these heads?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by StuM

Geez, how long does it take a crew of 3 or 4 to generate 30, 40 or more gallons of human waste? (Not including the urine and sea water flush that makes up most of a normal head's discharge i.e actual solid wastes).

OK, I decided that I really wanted to know (yep, I'm funny like that) so I'll answer my own question:
"On average humans excrete 128 g of fresh feces per person per day with a pH value of around 6.6. Fresh feces contains around 75% water and the remaining solid fraction is 84-93% organic solids.
These organic solids consist of: 25-54% bacterial biomass, 2-25% protein or nitrogenous matter, 25% carbohydrate or undigested plant matter and 2-15% undigested fat. These proportions vary considerably depending on many factors such as mainly diet and body weight.[18]"


So 128 g per day of which 75% is water - so about 32 grams of solids per day.

Let's assume a density the same as water (that accounts for both the floaters and the sinkers ): 1 US gal = 3785 cc or grams.

So 1 person takes 3785/32 = 118 days to generate 1 gallon.
Or 3540 days or nearly 10 years to generate 30 gallons.

Do you really think this is a major problem?

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by StuM

Do you really think this is a major problem?

In the open ocean, or anywhere that the water is flowing in and out well, of course not. In a closed bay where there are a whole lot of boats... Could be.

[oldragbaggers]

Originally Posted by basssears

Quick check of Air Head and Nature's Head sites revealed... no power draw specs

I'm sure they're on there somewhere, I just didn't find them... I know lots of people DIY with computer case fans (cheap, easy to replace)... quick look at a BIG fan (220mm or 8 1/2", moving 100 cfm) only draws 0.42A @ 12v or 5 watts... not bad... I eventually plan to install a few of these fans to move air around in stagnant spaces like hanging lockers etc.

-- Bass

A lot of people (us included) are using solar fans, the night/day ones that have a battery. The say they can run up to 40 hours without sunlight if the battery is fully charged. Nature's Head recommends this method. No draw on the ship's battery at all.

[basssears]

Just watched the C Head video, he's using 40mm computers fans that draw draw total of 0.14 amps @ 12 volts or 1.5 watts... so not bad at all, and I think the solar fans are actually a little more economical power wise.

I have solar fans on my current boat and (while the build quality seems to be slipping these days) am a huge fan of the constantly moving air.

Hoping to eventually have solar panels for the house batteries themselves in which case this method might be easier (big panels charge house batteries then all these little draws run off the house batteries as opposed to a small solar panel for each little thing).

Either way you're set with some pretty small draw and I do think that constant negative pressure in the dessicating head makes a big difference in their effectiveness (at least from what I've read).

-- Bass

Originally Posted by oldragbaggers

A lot of people (us included) are using solar fans, the night/day ones that have a battery. The say they can run up to 40 hours without sunlight if the battery is fully charged. Nature's Head recommends this method. No draw on the ship's battery at all.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by oldragbaggers

A lot of people (us included) are using solar fans, the night/day ones that have a battery. The say they can run up to 40 hours without sunlight if the battery is fully charged. Nature's Head recommends this method. No draw on the ship's battery at all.

Our NH fan is wire into house batteries. The draw is so small it rarely even registers on our amp battery monitor. Solar fans are also a great idea. I'd install one if it worked for my vent. As it is I just used the existing pump out deck hole and placed a mushroom vent over it.


Why go fast, when you can go slow

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by StuM

So what's the current draw of the fans on these heads?

With a Nicro solar vent the current draw is nothing, 0 amps.

With one person shitting in the water it isn't a big deal. Have you ever been to a marina? There's more than one person dude. I can't believe we actually have to discuss whether or not boaters dumping sewage overboard is an environmental issue. We have a long way to go as a species.

[roverhi]

In a marina you have bathrooms. Most people use the shoreside facilities rather than have to mess with pumping out a holding tank. Marinas for years and years existed with boats and direct discharge. We didn't hear about any attacks of the plague. The truth is other than nutrients, direct discharge into saltwater has few health issues. Bacteria and viruses that affect humans are soon neutered by the salt water. Not the case with freshwater, however so you guys in the Great Lakes can keep your floating outhouses.

Of some concern for the nutrient addition is crowded anchorages with poor tidal flushing. Put 50 boats in an enclosed bay and you might upset the normal processing of nutrients and create bacteria blooms. Possible though never heard much about it. Does seem to be a problem in some coastal areas with high density housing using defective septic systems.

Look at the above picture of a whale taking a dump. How many boats do you think it would take to equal that one whale?? Just think, whale population is still way down from what it was 250 years ago despite all the conservation efforts. Will take a lot more boats dumping their poo to come anywhere what the whales used to deposit. When it comes to S**t, it's the municipal sewage treatment plants that habitually dumps millions of gallons of the stuff into the water every time they have a hiccup in the weather that actually make a significant addition to water quality. Even those humongous dumps are dissipated within a day or two. Of course, non point source nutrient runoff is really the BIG culprit when we are talking nutrient pollution.