Composting head?

[powerpak]

I have an electric Jabsco head in my Adams 40, which worked well until it stopped pumping out recently. Previous owner thoughtfully left a Jabsco repair kit aboard. I've done that job before on a hand pumped Jabsco, not pleasant but effective. The boat also has a holding tank that's been installed for years but never turned on, we very successfully use a porta potty which fits in the head when too close inshore for direct discharge. T

The current system has remarkably few odour problems, but thinking about the potential horrors and possible long-term implications of leaks in the old holding tank and pipe system if I connect them now has led me to contemplate the possibility of ditching the lot and installing a proprietary composting toilet, of which many brands are available.

Does anybody have experience with composting toilets on board, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[landsend]

Calling Mike.Calling Mike. Aisle 9.

[Don C L]

Here is a recent thread that might help:
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...et-276742.html

Composting, or dessicating, heads have had a good deal of discussion over the years and the general consensus is pretty positive. If you do a search here you will find more discussions of pros and cons of various brands..

The size of the unit may be a factor for you too, depending on the space you have available, and that may limit the brands available to you.

[Mike OReilly]

There are quite a few compost head users here on CF. And there's been a lot of discussion over the past few years. A search should turn up many threads.

I've had one installed on my boat for at least a decade now. I consider it one of the best upgrades we've ever made. But they aren't for everyone. They're not just 'flush-and-forget' -- although, this is no different from all marine heads.

The biggest limitation is that they are designed for small crews; two to three adults for full time use. You can have more people for shorter times, but these heads really aren't designed for large crews.

You also need to be a bit more intimate with your outflows. You'll be emptying the urine bin every two to three days, and the main bin every three to six weeks (depending on the version you pick). But if you've been using a portapottie, you'll have no problem with these heads. They are way nicer and easier.

In general, it's important to realize there are different skills needed to operate successfully. You can read all about it in older threads, or just ask here. There are lots of users here

I will warn you; these discussions tend to bring out a lot of uninformed opinions from people who have never owned or managed one of these heads. For some reason, there is a group of folks here who just dislike the whole idea. Just ignore them. There are many experienced owners here who are happy to help if we can.

Originally Posted by landsend

Calling Mike.Calling Mike. Aisle 9.

Damn... am I that predictable .

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Damn... am I that predictable .

No Mike, you are that RELIABLE! It's a good thing!

[Franziska]

We have one.
Usually, two people are permanently onboard.
Mediterranean climate.
DIY built, works flawless.

Ducted computerfan removed any minute odor efficiently and runs all the time nonstop. They last almost forever.

Spray household vinegar into the liquid side funnel once you're done with business. Keeps any odor from that side at bay, too.

Works for men and women well.

It just takes a while to get used to "flushing" with peat moss or wood shavings instead of water.

We empty the 20l liquid reservoir every few weeks. The solid side about every two weeks.

Offshore, we dump it overboard. It's all only biological and not worse than what comes out of the animals of the sea.

Inshore, we find a toilet or, in the worst case, the city drain for the liquid and a dumpster for the double baged solids.
Sometimes, we just burry it without bags deep under a bush.

[powerpak]

Thanks everyone for that valuable information. Sounds very promising, I'll do the research based on that and report back.

[pcmm]

Composters are great ( but the name is wrong, really they are desiccating heads). We've got 2 on board. a C-Head (no longer available) it was simple and very reliable an a bit "agricultural in build" and our latest addition is an OGO head. Its around the same price as a Natures head but in my view far far better, specially for women. My wife always had some issues with the diverter system on the C-head. We've had the OGO onboard for 2 months now and the diverter system and active venting are brilliant!

When we redid all the plumbing on our boat, it was a case of a complete guit and replace. The original tanks were bladder tanks with overboard discharge and it all needed replacing. The composter was great. Install was just open the box, pick up the unit and then set it in place and blot it down. Done

You do have to get a bit more used to dealing with your own Sh$T but in my view its way better than dealing with holding tanks and carrying around gallons of sewage onboard!!

[Pegu Club]

We have been using a composting head for going on eight years, five years as live aboard cruisers, done correctly they work great, being that it is a self contained system, there is very little to go wrong. For two adults the solids tank need to be emptied every 3 1/2 week ish, the liquids tank as needed. We have two liquid tanks to extend dumping times. We use a “Natures head” .

Fair winds,

[Kettlewell]

Our AirHead has been onboard for about 18 years now and in all that time the only "repair" was to replace the computer fan that runs 24/7 to promote air flow. The first fan died after about 5 years and the second one has been running continuously the rest of the time. One hidden advantage is when the boat is stored or closed up the head fan is constantly pulling air through the head and pushing it out of the boat. We find this keeps the air onboard the entire boat fresh, even after winter storage. The reduction in repairs, maintenance, and headaches is huge.

[mvweebles]

We went with a Nature's Head about a year ago. It's fine. Guests find it odd. While there's no reason you can't "flush" waste toilet paper, it does halve the amount of time between solid dumps. Dumping the solids is a bit of a hassle - 20-25 mins by the time it's done and cleanup of coir dust and such. We use coco coir bricks and need to keep quite a bit aboard as we head south from Baja which takes up much of the space the holding tank used to occupy.

Surprisingly, dealing with urine is more of a hassle than the solids. We've been in a marina for the last several months and walk the urine tank up to the bathrooms every several days. I have dumped it overboard in the past but visually, two gals of urine is pretty concentrated and in my opinion should be avoided in close quarters such as a marina or crowded anchorage. It's one think to take a leak overboard, quite another to dump 2 gals at once.

Peggie Hall, who wrote the book on head systems, has called compost heads "a litter box" which is understandable. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go back, though my wife would because she isn't the one who dealt with the old head system. To me, compost head is better than the alternatives but that's a pretty low bar.

[powerpak]

Thanks guys and girls, I'm now on a mission to get it happening

[Fore and Aft]

Mike you are definitely predictable and reliable. No messing around this time, straight in with the king hit in your first post.
Powerpak I am one of the uninformed opinions that Mike warned you about. I have a Clivus Multrum true composting toilet at home and a sweet Jabsco electric toilet on our yacht. So far, we have done no toilet maintenance in 6 years. We find an electric toilet easy for our guests and kids to use. Certainly, no one on our yacht is going to be handling a container of piss unless it's a carton of VB.
Our well set up plastic holding tank has never given us any issues.

Cheers

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Mike you are definitely predictable and reliable. No messing around this time, straight in with the king hit in your first post.

Thanks F&A. I'm not quite sure what a "king hit" means; lost in translation from Australian to Canadian, I assume . But your other point is well taken. There's nothing wrong with properly maintained standard marine head setup. I had them for years, and never had significant problems. They can certainly work well, and for larger crews, are the best way to go.

It's just that, for the target boats and crew sizes, these newer heads are better.

It's much like the argument we often see break out here about older anchors vs newer designs. There's nothing wrong with the older anchors. It's just that the newer ones are generally better.

mvweebles: we deposit our feces wipes in the head. My spouse diverts her urine wipes. It's just more fibre for the main bin, and acts just like coir or peat does.

Try reducing the bedding material to match the added paper input. It's all about maintaining the moisture balance. We always get around four weeks between main bin dumps. Nature's Head. Two adults. Full time.

[Franziska]

There is one additional benefit.
When you are on the hard for whatever reason, you can still use your own toilet.
No jucky shipyard toilets.
No nighttime runs down a ladder and on through a shipyard to a far toilet container.

I've never seen a yard equipped to pump out boats on the hard...