Which Toilet to Buy ?

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

If I go home and tell my wife that I have a solution for getting rid of "boat smell" I think she'll marry me all over again.

You don't specify if you consider that an advantage or drawback.



-Sven

[Minggat]

A composting toilet has been on my list for a while. I do the next step up from the bucket... ie: porta potty. It has served me well and kept me from contributing to all the toilet maintenance threads for years. I've never understood why people are willing to put up with all the fuss of holding tank systems. I ripped out the smelly thing withing the first week. But the Eeeewwwww comments come with the porta potty, just like I dish them out when people talk about unplugging they conventional systems.

In regards to composting, I'm thiking the composting process itself takes some... maturing. What happens when you have a... fresh deposit? I hope you don't have a 2 day waiting period before you can dispose of the accumulated compost.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Minggat

A composting toilet has been on my list for a while. I do the next step up from the bucket... ie: porta potty. It has served me well and kept me from contributing to all the toilet maintenance threads for years. I've never understood why people are willing to put up with all the fuss of holding tank systems. I ripped out the smelly thing withing the first week. But the Eeeewwwww comments come with the porta potty, just like I dish them out when people talk about unplugging they conventional systems.

In regards to composting, I'm thiking the composting process itself takes some... maturing. What happens when you have a... fresh deposit? I hope you don't have a 2 day waiting period before you can dispose of the accumulated compost.

This thread will probably answer that for you ...http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post482413

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by Doodles

This thread will probably answer that for you ...http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post482413

Thanx for that.

Now I can spend the rest of my day thinking about .... anything but this.

[sestina]

Lavac or a bucket. What do you do with the compost?? Grow tomatoes on the fordeck?

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by sestina

Lavac or a bucket. What do you do with the compost?? Grow tomatoes on the fordeck?

Depending upon where the compost winds up, it is quite likely to sprout tomatoes if you've eaten any. The seeds don't digest.

Just food for thought,.... or your next burger.

What do I win for that post?

[Brent Swain]

Originally Posted by sestina

Lavac or a bucket. What do you do with the compost?? Grow tomatoes on the fordeck?

Urbanites plastic bag it and throw it in a dumpster. Rurals bury it back in the bush under an appreciative tree, where no one will step. Politicaly outspoken mail it to their member of parliament in an ice cream bucket, or force it thru the mail slot in their constituency office.

The key is a top which separates liquids form solids , drastically reducing the solids mix, something a porta pottie doesn't do.

[dskira]

Originally Posted by Tellie

I have the the"Air Head" Doodles linked to. I went with the Air Head only because the measurments fit the head space available on my boat.
MichaelC makes some very good points. You need to keep an eye on the urine container and not wait too long to empty it. I find this a very very minor chore easily done when compared to repairing joker valves, macerators, seal kits etc.
I researched for a long time others who went with composting toliets before I made my decision. Most people who have never used one tend to cringe at the idea. I understand, I was the same way. My wife gave me that "It had better work" look when I told her what I was going to do. I installed it and took a two week cruise with my brother in-law and nephew. When we got back I did not empty the head and I left the boat closed up for about a week. I came back with my wife and the first thing she said when we opened up was that the boat never smelled so fresh after sitting for so long. I had for years always assumed that musty smell was from humidity and some mold not the plumbing lines.
The cost of these things are a bit high for what they are right now, about 1k once installed. But I believe as they become more accepted and more boaters turn to them the costs will come down. Still, they're cheaper than new holding tanks, electric heads, hose, valves etc. I also talked to the local CG guys. They have no problem with them at all and some like them a lot better because there's no chance of accidental or other wise willful discharge. I also carry a Home Depot 5gal. bucket and lid with plastic bag liners to empty a full pot into if I can't get to a proper location in time. The owner of Air Head, whom I spoke with several times, claims that you can get 80 uses before it is nessacary to dump the holding container. That might be a bit high. I found about 60-70 uses fills it up enough to where you would dump it. But that's a considerable amount as well and with the 5gal. bucket we can go a long time.
This was one of my better decisions for our boat. As MichealC says " Best thing since night baseball"

I had also a lot of question about them. But as yourself an user of them, Thank you for your insight and sharing your experience.
It is true that anyway we turn s...... is expensive in boating.
The boat not smelling after week, that is an eye opener toward the Air Head.
Daniel

[4arch]

If you want a lower cost alternative to the Airhead (and its very similar competitor, the Nature’s Head), you can build your own composting toilet out of an Ecovita Privy Kit, some plywood, a 5 gallon bucket, and a large plastic jug. This can be accomplished for under $200 and you end up with a toilet that has the same functionality as one of the premanufactured units. It may not be as sleek, but you do have the advantage of being able to customize it to fit your space. Another advantage is that if you fill a bucket or jug you can have plenty of extra buckets and jugs with lids on hand. Also, if one fails they can be replaced for free (or a few dollars if you don't have a suitable used one on hand) and found anywhere. Knothead on this forum has done this and has posted pictures on other threads and I’m planning on doing the same this winter.

[pwratch]

Originally Posted by Brent Swain

Skip the holding tank, pumps, thru hulls, etc and build yourself an airhead or natures head type composter .

I'll second this recommendation. We had the "classic" system using a Lavac toilet. As such systems go, the Lavac was a good unit being reliable, simple to maintain, and so on. But sewage is still sewage and we (I) refitted to an EOS Airhead toilet w/ the holding tank only for urine. That was six years ago (thereabout) and it has been well worthwhile. No clogging, odor is controlled to the point of non-existence or at least non-experience by us. You do have to periodically dispose of the composted/dehydrated solid waste but the chore is pretty quick (practice helps) and can be accomplished in a sanitary manner. I'd do it this way again though, given the combination of expense, questionable robustness and simplicity of the Airhead, I'd just build my own. Mr. Swain sells a book of boatbuilding techniques that includes a page on such a toilet that you may find useful. The book isn't cheap and perhaps not worth the cost if the toilet is your only interest. Perhaps he'd sell just the outtake.

[ConradG]

Anyone interested in a Blake? Just removed to replace with a composter.

[Mule]

I have had a natures head since last January and have used it regularly. No problem, I would go so far as to suggest that one might not support more than 2 people for an extended period of time without another bucket to let it ( u know what) process.

The pee is not a problem, I have an extra container, it has a cap, but I have never needed it. I have been using toilet tank cakes cut into very small plugs and add them to the pee tank so the pee is a dark blue green and easily seen through the translucent tank so the less likely to be overlooked avoiding an overflow.

Overall I heartily endorse the natures head. I liked the natures head better than airhead because it did not have a separate toilet seat, the seat is molded as part of the top section above the agitator-composting section.

[AquatiCat]

Lavac, same reasons as above. We just got one.

[Dockhead]

There's a lot to be said for the disposable Jabsco toilets. They're dirt cheap and last about 10 years the way we use them, then you just toss them and buy a new one for $150 odd. Sure beats cleaning, scraping, rebuilding, repairing, and so forth. We have been extremely lucky with all the ones we've had over the years (knocking on wood); no failures, no problems, no unpleasant jobs.

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

no failures, no problems, no unpleasant jobs.

What, No boating?

Sorry. Couldn't resist.