Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 30-05-2020, 21:16   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Australia
Boat: BUILT!!! Roberts Mauritius 43ft
Posts: 3,561
Compost toilets

I've looked for a thread on compost toilets and I can't find one so here I go.

I have the toilet installed in the showed/toilet recess but I have misgivings about the set-up mainly because the holding tank only holds about 36L. Also, from reading the forums, marine toilets are certainly not trouble free and of course these days there are many laws restricting how they are used.

I've been researching marine compost toilets and now I'm sure they are the way to go. Just imagine going for for a month (or two) and not having to empty it!

I know the compost toilets are expensive but but so are thru hull fittings, macerators, discharge pumps and holding tanks.

Does anyone have misgivings on these compost toilets?

Installing a Composting Head on a Sailboat






https://www.sailmagazine.com/diy/ins...-on-a-sailboat


There are a couple of video clips explain how they work.


Composting Toilet On A Boat: Our Experience




Composting Toilets: How Do They Work?

coopec43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-05-2020, 21:34   #2
Senior Cruiser
 
newhaul's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: puget sound washington
Boat: 1968 Islander bahama 24 hull 182, 1963 columbia 29 defender. hull # 60
Posts: 12,113
Re: Compost toilets

As with 99% of the people on here that have a composter we switched and never looked back .
Here is the thread of my diy composting head .
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ad-172196.html
There are several others posting on here that also have one version or another of them and they will be along sooner or later ..
__________________
Non illigitamus carborundum
newhaul is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-05-2020, 21:53   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Australia
Boat: BUILT!!! Roberts Mauritius 43ft
Posts: 3,561
Re: Compost toilets

Quote:
Originally Posted by newhaul View Post
As with 99% of the people on here that have a composter we switched and never looked back .
Here is the thread of my diy composting head .
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ad-172196.html
There are several others posting on here that also have one version or another of them and they will be along sooner or later ..

WOW! Thanks for that!

I haven't read your thread just yet but later this evening I most certainly will.

I looked at how they work and think I could build a smart one using female mold for a fiberglass pedestal and proprietary containers for the internals.


I'll be interested to read your thread and see what others have to say.
coopec43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-05-2020, 22:55   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Australia
Boat: BUILT!!! Roberts Mauritius 43ft
Posts: 3,561
Re: Compost toilets


I did a search on the Engineering & Systems > Construction, Maintenance, Refit and got nothing.

I did do a search on Engineering & Systems and saw the threads
The New Joke Thread
Manual vs electric head?
Raritan Electroscan - any users?
Advice on design choices ( 1 2)
and decided they were nothing to do with compost toilets.

I'll have to review my Search procedures

Just now I did a "google custom search" and it appears I have the threads you have listed (plus others)

Thanks.....
coopec43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 03:29   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Australia
Boat: BUILT!!! Roberts Mauritius 43ft
Posts: 3,561
Re: Compost toilets

I thought there were only a few manufacturers of compost toilets but there are lots (even Australian made) and the prices don't bring tears to your eyes.

https://www.nature-loo.com.au/produc...ets#!/~/search

https://www.pipmagazine.com.au/wp-co...m-mogridge.pdf

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Composti...-/163961401807

Compost Toilet Pedestals







https://ecoflo.com.au/products/domes...egory=15646133
coopec43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 03:40   #7
Marine Service Provider
 
AA3JY's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Kimberton,Pa.
Boat: Cabo Rico 34
Posts: 1,024
Re: Compost toilets

Air Head.. here for the last three years. You’ll find a few on here that don’t have one will give you a thousand reasons against them...
AA3JY is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 04:12   #8
Registered User
 
Chotu's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2018
Boat: 50ft Custom Fast Catamaran
Posts: 11,832
Re: Compost toilets

Coop: Definitely just build a simple desiccating head. You don’t need to spend all that money.

I detailed my test model, which is exactly like Newhaul’s now that I see his thread. Only difference is I put a toilet seat on it.

I use two large garbage bags and couple duct tape strips to hold the bags into place on the solids container. I double the bags just in case. Paranoid of any tear in transit when disposing.

I do also have a computer fan pulling air out of the head and out a vent on deck level. This is to aid in drying.

The idea is to keep the solids nice and dry. That way they have zero odor. I use peat moss. One or two little scoops of it each time. A bag of peat moss lasts an entire season for 2 people. Works something like cat litter to dry and keep smells away.

Pee jug is the drawback. The more thought you can put into this part the better. A gallon jug lasts about a day with 2 people. Two days with one person. It’s annoying in Newhaul‘s and my design to not know how much pee is in it. If you can devise a way to easily observe the liquid level, you’ll be happier. Increasing the size of the pee jug also would make things more pleasurable.

You never realize how stinky marine heads are until you get rid of them. For true no-odor living and no sewage spilling everywhere when the head breaks, you really can’t beat these things.
Chotu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 04:35   #9
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 141
Re: Compost toilets

The only hassle with a composting head is training male friends to sit down to Pee.

The urine holding drain is too small to reguraly hit standing.
FAST FRED is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 04:37   #10
Registered User
 
Mike OReilly's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Good question
Boat: Rafiki 37
Posts: 14,131
Re: Compost toilets

Hi coopec43, as others have noted, the vast majority of compost head users are very satisfied with them. Oddly, most of the negative comments (which will come, no doubt) are from people who've never owned or lived with one. For some reason, this topic seems to bring out a lot of uninformed, yet strongly held, opinions. So brace yourself.

I view our Nature's Head as one of the best upgrades I've made to my boat. But I completely that you can make your own for a lot less than the main commercial options. That said, the commercial options aren't much more expensive than a quality standard head. And if you factor in all the associated necessities (tank, plumbing, fittings, thru-hulls), it turns out a composer is a lot cheaper.

I chose the Nature's Head because it fit well in my existing space, and its holding tanks were slightly larger than Air Head (the one you have pictured). But I'm sure I'd be happy with either. C-Head is the other major commercial option I'm aware of. They use a slightly different approach by going with non-proprietary bins (which I really like), but they are ~1/2 the volume of Air/Nature's. This means dumping frequency is also doubled, generally speaking.

Chotu's comments about the urine bucket mirror my use. The NH tank is 2.2 gallons (if memory serves me correctly). Two adults, full time. We generally empty every two to three days. And with NH, the tank is translucent and the top third of the tank is visible, so it's not hard to see when it's time to dump.
__________________
Why go fast, when you can go slow.
BLOG: www.helplink.com/CLAFC
Mike OReilly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 04:58   #11
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Australia
Boat: BUILT!!! Roberts Mauritius 43ft
Posts: 3,561
Re: Compost toilets

Thanks Chotu. I always appreciate your advice.

In my childhood days I've had to use some pretty basic toilet set-ups - a hole in the ground and a drum and I most certainly don't want to return to those days.

I think I can come up with something really good as I can hide the "guts" under the existing structure. I'm thinking of using the 36 gallon waste tank for urine.

Just getting ideas right now, but thanks
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot_2020-05-31 IMG_1088.png
Views:	156
Size:	381.0 KB
ID:	216271   Click image for larger version

Name:	Screenshot_2020-05-31 IMG_1088(1).png
Views:	158
Size:	246.5 KB
ID:	216272  

coopec43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 05:05   #12
Registered User
 
Chotu's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2018
Boat: 50ft Custom Fast Catamaran
Posts: 11,832
Re: Compost toilets

Quote:
Originally Posted by coopec43 View Post
Thanks Chotu. I always appreciate your advice.
Likewise! You’ve saved the day on a lot of my build questions, so that’s why I’ll always give a shot to return the favor.
Chotu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 05:06   #13
Senior Cruiser
 
djousset's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: USA, NH
Boat: Pearson 33-2 1988
Posts: 272
Re: Compost toilets

Love seeing this thread. I am somewhat familiar with the Air Head, and like Nature's Head product. I am seriously considering switching over, tired of the intermittent functionality of the marine toilet...the smell... etc. It's the venting that worries me a bit. Not only the exit point but the power draw. Does the 12v fan run constantly? Is there a way to have the venting be passive? I don't (yet) have solar panels.
__________________
diane
s/v Desiderata

"The cure for anything is saltwater - sweat, tears or the sea." Isak Dinesen
djousset is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 05:11   #14
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Australia
Boat: BUILT!!! Roberts Mauritius 43ft
Posts: 3,561
Re: Compost toilets

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chotu View Post
Likewise! You’ve saved the day on a lot of my build questions, so that’s why I’ll always give a shot to return the favor.
Chotu
You are very welcome to any advice I can give. When it comes to boat building it is always good to know someone who has been there, done that.
coopec43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-05-2020, 05:14   #15
Registered User
 
Mike OReilly's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Good question
Boat: Rafiki 37
Posts: 14,131
Re: Compost toilets

Quote:
Originally Posted by djousset View Post
Love seeing this thread. I am somewhat familiar with the Air Head, and like Nature's Head product. I am seriously considering switching over, tired of the intermittent functionality of the marine toilet...the smell... etc. It's the venting that worries me a bit. Not only the exit point but the power draw. Does the 12v fan run constantly? Is there a way to have the venting be passive? I don't (yet) have solar panels.

NH uses a small computer-style fan. On my vessel, it runs 24/7 when we're on board. The draw is so small I can't even measure it on my Victron battery monitor. The current draw is insignificant.
__________________
Why go fast, when you can go slow.
BLOG: www.helplink.com/CLAFC
Mike OReilly is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
oil

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
ELI5: How do compost toilets work lindabarzini General Sailing Forum 56 11-03-2016 05:20
Self Designed Large Capacity Compost Head ElGatoGordo Plumbing Systems and Fixtures 126 22-01-2014 02:46
Compost matters.... s/v 'Faith' Plumbing Systems and Fixtures 10 16-08-2013 17:18
Did you build your own compost toilet? Are you using it successfully on your boat? magentawave Liveaboard's Forum 9 28-06-2013 12:36
Does anyone dig in their compost? Wand Plumbing Systems and Fixtures 35 02-06-2013 03:14

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 00:19.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.