Composting head vs classic head

[smj]

Originally Posted by Rohan

Serious question. Why would this be any different with a holding tank? If you are off dock for months at a time, I assume you are dumping your waste overboard (hopefully many miles offshore). In the same situation, a person with holding tanks could simply dump them too.

With a composter you can bury the solids onshore if in an appropriate area or bag it and throw into a dumpster.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Rohan

Serious question. Why would this be any different with a holding tank? If you are off dock for months at a time, I assume you are dumping your waste overboard (hopefully many miles offshore). In the same situation, a person with holding tanks could simply dump them too.

Good question .

Theoretically I suppose there's no necessary difference. Assuming people actually do leave the anchorage and go three miles out. But I go four to six weeks with our composter. I don't know any holding tank large enough to last a month with more than a solo crew. Normally capacity is measured in days to a couple of weeks at the most. So I can stay put for a lot longer with no worries.

And If I'm anchored and want to stay put, I usually just find an out-of-the-way spot on shore, and bury it there. (Remember, I cruise in pretty remote areas.) Occasionally I've stored the finished product in a bin (bagged) for offshore disposal. Since the material looks, feels and smells like potting soil. And as Newhaul points out, it's a very small volume, so no big deal to have around.

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by Rohan

Thank you. Those are all good points, but I'll clarify. By "roughing it" I'm referring it to the need to physically remove the solid and liquid waste and dump the contents out somewhere. I would rather flush it and forget it. At least with pump outs, I don't have to see or carry any of this crap (literally crap!).

Do you cringe at emptying your garbage?

Does opening a bag of compost or potting soil from the home improvement store gross you out?

How about picking up your dog's poop?

If so, a composting toilet is not for you.

I have no attachment to the choices that anyone makes for their boat, I'm just trying to be helpful by sharing my own experiences and choices, as that is probably the best benefit of this forum.

We're currently anchored near a beautiful state park and yesterday we hopped in our dinghy to dispose of our garbage and take a nice hike.

Before departure we removed the top half of the composting toilet, put a small garbage bag over the bottom half, inverted it, poured in the new coir and put the toilet back together.

(We don't "clean" the bottom half because that would remove the beneficial microbes that help break down the solids and neutralize the bad bacteria.)

Total elapsed time, @3 minutes.

In that time we are exposed to the contents of the composting toilet, most of which is exactly like the compost you get from the store. The most recent "deposits" from the past day or two that haven't fully desiccated yet are buried and completely covered by the composting material (we use coconut coir) and does NOT smell like poop at all.

Ick factor? Depends upon your sensibilities. We LIKE opening a bag of compost from the home improvement store, it smells GOOD to us! But I understand that not everyone has that response.

So we now have two small garbage bags to take to shore. The bag from the composting toilet is smaller, but heavier, like dirt. We put them in the garbage knowing the contents of both will end up in a landfill somewhere, and the contents of the composting toilet has transformed into something that will mostly enhance the soil (much more so than untreated dog poop) while the contents of our garbage will take decades to fully break down, if at all.

When I contrast the above to storing my poop in a chemical soup laden holding tank requiring navigating my boat to a dock to pump it out and watch and smell the gross effluent go out of my boat and into a storage tank to be transported and treated somewhere, I like my choice of a composting toilet even more.

But, what grosses me out is not necessarily what grosses you out, so I fully support your love of your holding tank.

[Phantom Jim]

Originally Posted by Q Xopa

Ok, then, yes you are correct.

So perhaps it should have more correctly stated that sleeping within inches above a sloshing sewage 'reservoir' is not a particularly pleasant thought for many of us.

I never give it a thought actually. It is part of life. We have to deal with our waste, whether it is excreta, galley garbage or otherwise.

[Phantom Jim]

Originally Posted by smbdyiam2

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1&d=1584110369
ok I cannot rotate these. But I usually do every thing backwards anyway.
Before and after pics. of composting toilet. I built in 15 minutes. cost was less than $15, just to see what they did and worked. Built better one later for boat, This I put in greenhouse for emergencies. I hope youall can figure which is before. Other is after

An excellent way to experiment and determine whether this system of waste management suites you.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Rohan

Serious question. Why would this be any different with a holding tank? If you are off dock for months at a time, I assume you are dumping your waste overboard (hopefully many miles offshore). In the same situation, a person with holding tanks could simply dump them too.

the great lakes are no discharge zones

[Davy J]

Serious question. Why would this be any different with a holding tank? If you are off dock for months at a time, I assume you are dumping your waste overboard (hopefully many miles offshore). In the same situation, a person with holding tanks could simply dump them too.

Come on down to the Keys.....
No discharge zone pretty much everywhere. Do you really want to spend a day trying to go offshore just so you can drop your waste. Or find a marina that has a pump out?

With a composter, you can bag, what is essentially potting soil, and drop it in a dumpster wherever you may find one.

[Mike OReilly]

So Rohan, did that answer your question? A composter removes the necessity of having to monitor your holding tank, and eliminates the challenge of finding a pump out station, or heading out to sea every few days to a couple of weeks. It's definitely one of the reasons I went to one.

The other major reasons that drove my choice was:

- Space. I recovered significant storage space by removing the holding tank, and all the associated plumbing. In the space that used to house my sewer tank, I now carry extra sails, two inflatable kayaks, and a bunch of tools and spares.

- Simplicity. There's really nothing to go wrong with these heads. And other than emptying them, there's really little maintenance required.

- Safety. I have two fewer holes in my boat. This is obviously a good thing.

- Cost. Although a minor issue, the fact that I never have to pay for another pump out certainly adds up over time.

I hope you're honestly asking questions now, and not just here to condemn the idea. Like I say, they're not for everyone, but they have some significant advantages for those willing to try something different.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

So Rohan, did that answer your question? A composter removes the necessity of having to monitor your holding tank, and eliminates the challenge of finding a pump out station, or heading out to sea every few days to a couple of weeks. It's definitely one of the reasons I went to one.

The other major reasons that drove my choice was:

- Space. I recovered significant storage space by removing the holding tank, and all the associated plumbing. In the space that used to house my sewer tank, I now carry extra sails, two inflatable kayaks, and a bunch of tools and spares.

- Simplicity. There's really nothing to go wrong with these heads. And other than emptying them, there's really little maintenance required.

- Safety. I have two fewer holes in my boat. This is obviously a good thing.

- Cost. Although a minor issue, the fact that I never have to pay for another pump out certainly adds up over time.

I hope you're honestly asking questions now, and not just here to condemn the idea. Like I say, they're not for everyone, but they have some significant advantages for those willing to try something different.

We’ve been using a composting head as our primary for the past year. A new maintenance task raised its head recently to deal with a fly infestation. A variety of suggested remedies have not worked so we’ve gone nuclear by removing the head from the boat, water blasting it to clean everything out (after emptying it, yes), then a good bleach spray and soak, finally a rinse. Just fluffed a brick of coir and reinstalled the head. Hoping the flies don’t come back.

Being able to easily remove it, vs the installed wet head, is a definite benefit.

Not dealing with waste hoses and valves and pumps and tanks during a major maintenance is another benefit.

But the little flies are a real PITA.

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by fxykty

We’ve been using a composting head as our primary for the past year. A new maintenance task raised its head recently to deal with a fly infestation. A variety of suggested remedies have not worked so we’ve gone nuclear by removing the head from the boat, water blasting it to clean everything out (after emptying it, yes), then a good bleach spray and soak, finally a rinse. Just fluffed a brick of coir and reinstalled the head. Hoping the flies don’t come back.

Being able to easily remove it, vs the installed wet head, is a definite benefit.

Not dealing with waste hoses and valves and pumps and tanks during a major maintenance is another benefit.

But the little flies are a real PITA.

The mold gnats are an indication of residual moisture sticking around long enough for the critters to discover your toilet. I have had them, and resolving it was a non-issue.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Minggat

The mold gnats are an indication of residual moisture sticking around long enough for the critters to discover your toilet. I have had them, and resolving it was a non-issue.

Moisture certainly might have been an issue - we have had some issue with our ventilation fan stopping that we’ve since resolved.

How did you resolve the flies issue?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Moisture certainly might have been an issue - we have had some issue with our ventilation fan stopping that we’ve since resolved.

How did you resolve the flies issue?

a sprinkling of Diatomaceous earth should cure the issue

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by newhaul

a sprinkling of Diatomaceous earth should cure the issue

Nope, that and another few similar treatments were sufficient for a day or two, then the flies returned. Hence going nuclear to bleach clean everything. Sigh

[Davy J]

You didn’t mention which brand you have. I have a Natures Head. I also had some gnats and flies get in a couple of times. What worked for me was to cover the air vents with a fine mesh screening, much finer than regular screen. Haven’t had a problem since.

[Minggat]

My quick answer is, try to reduce the moisture that gets trapped. That is easier with some units than others.

The C Head has a small lid over the solids bin that you don’t have to use. I noticed right away that there was always a lot of condensation on the underside of the lid. It just seemed counterproductive. But without it, those that are convinced that the “eeewww factor” is important, might never buy one.