My 2 Dollar DIY Composting Head

[Sea Dreaming]

One more thought, a latch of some kind on the cover to keep it in place in case its a little rough. Keep the crud in the bucket!
But gosh..over all its quite nice!

[UNCIVILIZED]

For a tricked out race inspired, Gucci type seat. Shape some Blue Board foam, cover it with Carbon Fiber, & Clear Coat it. Sure it'll cost you $20, but... your guests will be impressed

[HopCar]

If you switch to clumping litter, you wouldn't need the urine jug.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by HopCar

If you switch to clumping litter, you wouldn't need the urine jug.

Thought about using cheap cat litter keeping the urine seporation.
there would be an additional need for ventilation to deal with the additional moisture in the main bucket otherwise. ( I drink a lot of coffee. )

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

One more thought, a latch of some kind on the cover to keep it in place in case its a little rough. Keep the crud in the bucket!
But gosh..over all its quite nice!

There are cleats in the bottom of the enclosure to keep the bucket aligned and stable.
If I expect rough conditions I can put the lid on the bucket to.

[thinwater]

How is this different from a bucket with a seat, some peat, and pissing over the side?

I don't believe it will actually compost in that container if used more than very occasionally. There is no facility to vent outside the cabin. Yes, you can haul it ashore, and yes, the peat will hold the smell down to some extent.




But am I the only one that doesn't see the lack of function or the point? It's just a bucket. Every boat has a bucket as a back-up in case the head fails... though I have never had that happen.

On the other hand, portable toilets aren't much either!

[newhaul]

Actually no " composting toilet " is actually composting. They are just part of a three part system on the beach. They collect and hold the solids. Second is the bin that you place the solids into. " in most marine settups that is a dumpster.
Third is the location that the composting " which can take up to a year" is placed to " cure"
Which in our ( collective) situation is the local landfill.
Also without the uric acid there is little smell.
Lastly a " composting " head is a legal type 3 msd . A bucket iisn't.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by thinwater

How is this different from a bucket with a seat, some peat, and pissing over the side?

Hmm....nope. I'm not swinging my hiney over the rail! Once again I implore "think of the ladies!" Suggesting your wife, girlfriend, daughter or mother pee over the side is a good way to lose crew!

[jheldatksuedu]

Here is my solution to this problem and a couple others. First the seat I made from a piece of PVC pipe vastly modified with heat (see the heat gun.) The seat was made to fit a 5 gal pail. Cut the pipe to proper length, not real critical, slice it, then start heating and reshaping. You have to be careful, but with practice you can make all sorts of handy things from PVC pipe. You can use a pail with a lid to compost if you want, or easily dump overboard.

The large diameter PVC pipe with the bottom flanges sits next to my berth, It holds my urine collection bottle upright. I don't have to get out of the bunk or even turn on a light to rid myself of urine in the middle of the night. Inside the PVC goes the bottom of the 2 liter pop bottle (I've got 3 of these collection bottles cut off like this and interchange them daily, the other 2 soaking with water to remove the smell.) On top of the collection bottle goes the kids toy wheel as a lid (it just happen to fit well.) The center hole is plugged with hot melt to also reduce smell.

The 5 gal pail lid has been modified to be a 5 gal vacuum pre collection chamber to turn a 1 gal wet/dry vac into a 5 gal wet model. A handy thing to have along on the boat. The snap part of the lid has been removed, it just sets on top of a bucket and the vacuum pulls it down tight. I sealed the PVC elbows with hot melt. It has nothing to do with this thread but is a good idea.

I have no idea what to do about women urine collection, unfortunately I have not had to deal with that problem, but would welcome the opportunity. In the first picture is a short piece of PVC pipe used to make the seat, it's amazingly small diameter.

[Snowpetrel]

Great work newhaul, let us know how it goes and any improvements you make to the basic design.

Here is a pic of my $150 version...

Sent from my SM-G930F using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Lastly a " composting " head is a legal type 3 msd . A bucket iisn't.

This is completely off the point, since neither a bucket or the OP's suggestion is an installed head. They are buckets and are not subject to certification requirements. Furthermore, there are no performance requirements for type 3 MSDs. We're talking about buckets.

With the ladies I know we are still squarely in the "bucket" zone with this thread. You can put a skirt on a pig, but that doesn't make it a pretty girl.

[Three Sisters]

Originally Posted by thinwater

This is completely off the point, since neither a bucket or the OP's suggestion is an installed head.

Right now it's sitting on the lawn.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by thinwater

This is completely off the point, since neither a bucket or the OP's suggestion is an installed head. They are buckets and are not subject to certification requirements. Furthermore, there are no performance requirements for type 3 MSDs. We're talking about buckets.

With the ladies I know we are still squarely in the "bucket" zone with this thread. You can put a skirt on a pig, but that doesn't make it a pretty girl.

By that argument, you could say a standard holding tank is just a large plastic jug of sewage not part of an MSD.

The fact that composting toilets are much simpler with fewer moving parts doesn't make them not an MSD.

And yes, it does compost. With a bucket system, it's even possible to complete the compost process if you have 2 or 3 buckets...though it's probably more trouble than it's worth. When you are offshore just dump it over the side.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

By that argument, you could say a standard holding tank is just a large plastic jug of sewage not part of an MSD.

The fact that composting toilets are much simpler with fewer moving parts doesn't make them not an MSD.

And yes, it does compost. With a bucket system, it's even possible to complete the compost process if you have 2 or 3 buckets...though it's probably more trouble than it's worth. When you are offshore just dump it over the side.

So it's a bucket. Just say so. It's not hard.

As for the composting part, it takes months and it takes mixing. Just no. We're back to putting a dress on a pig. It is just mixed, partially decayed c__p in a bucket, not compost by any stretch.

Yes, a holding tank is a pig of a different sort. So is every solution. Well maintained, they all work. Personally, I find a holding tank very trouble free. I replace the joker valve every 2-3 years, replace the pump unit every 10 years, and pump out when it fills (free here), which is not so often when I use shore side facilities, which I'm sure the OP intends to. Much less labor intensive, IMO, than hauling buckets of c__p and finding dumpsters to double bag it and dump it. Hauling buckets of c__p home to finish composting does not sound better either.

But there is no question that a bucket will work. If you go climbing in the Tetons above the treeline you have to take a bag with absorbent. It's OK. but it is just a bag, not a composting head. Burying c__p in the woods is composting, but it's not a head.

[bfoxwell]

Lovely.