What Toilet?

[Don C L]

Yeah eventually we'll get around to the bucket at the head.
Use a Bucket | Sailing, Simplicity, and the Pursuit of Happiness

[nwdiver]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

"Arguing that b/c it's not 100% composted, therefore it's not a composting head is like"
is like ignoring the fact that real composting produces sterile material, which a dessicating head would still leave pathogens intact.
The UN recently admitted that a Nepalese unit sent to Haiti in 2010 introduced a massive cholera problem. And claims there are some quarter million cases of it, with thousands of deaths, in Yemen currently as well.
I know, sure, the folks buying peat heads aren't likely to be diseased. Sure. Right. That's what the Haitians thought about those nice UN peacekeepers, too. That's why most of us treat ---- as ---- and don't pretend it is good or safe to casually throw around. Something that the peat-head makers seem to ignore.


Back to the OP's question: If you've got shore power, look into Incinolet. The folks that own them (usually on commercial vessels with plenty of electricity) absolutely love them, with good reason.

Bingo........human waste take time and heat, that can't be developed in the small container in a boat "composting" head.

[alctel]

The hardest part of having a composting head is trying to look sympathetic and not smug when people are swapping holding tank horror stories.

(Overfilling the pee jig is a bit of a nightmare though)

[JPA Cate]

The incinolet looks interesting, too, but by golly, it looks to use a lot of current, with a 45 min. burn time.

They claim you could have guests use it at a party, but I really think it would quickly become overloaded.

Ann

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Lepke

I'm near 70 and used marine toilets most of my life. I've repaired many and dealt with partially macerated waste, etc. Unless you buy an expensive one, it like trying to take a dump in a coffee can.
Seeing the no discharge zones and not wanting a holding tank, I went to Incinolet toilets. Same height as a house toilet, same seat. No plumping - just a plastic pipe vent, no holding tank, no paper plugging, no water usage. You do need power. Mine run off an inverter, etc. The final waste is just grey ash. No urine bucket, no bucket of semi composted crap to dispose of. And no smell.

This is a big part of why we got a natures head on our prior boat.
- Nothing to repair, no leaky hoses, not clogged valves, etc...
- No holding tank.
- Seat was household size, so no balancing on a toilet sized for a 10yr old.

Pretty much all the benefits you describe. Considering the average boat will struggle to feed power to the incinolet, it's a good trade off to have a urine jug to be easily emptied every 2-3 days.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

"Arguing that b/c it's not 100% composted, therefore it's not a composting head is like"
is like ignoring the fact that real composting produces sterile material, which a dessicating head would still leave pathogens intact.
The UN recently admitted that a Nepalese unit sent to Haiti in 2010 introduced a massive cholera problem. And claims there are some quarter million cases of it, with thousands of deaths, in Yemen currently as well.
I know, sure, the folks buying peat heads aren't likely to be diseased. Sure. Right. That's what the Haitians thought about those nice UN peacekeepers, too. That's why most of us treat ---- as ---- and don't pretend it is good or safe to casually throw around. Something that the peat-head makers seem to ignore.

This is largely scare tactics.

Big difference between a town or small city with hundreds or thousands of people all commingling their waste where one person has a pathogen, suddenly thousands are exposed vs a boat with 2 people on board. If there are 2 of you living on a boat and one gets the flu, it's not a question of if the other will get exposed. Regardless of head type you will have enough contact with the person and things they have touched, you WILL be exposed. But if your neighbor 3 boats down get's the flu, unless he comes over to use your head, you won't be exposed.

Plus except when emptying it, there really is no additional exposure assuming a similar cleaning of the seat/bowl. It's not like we make bare handed human cow-patties in our spare time.

Also, do you really think your average traditional marine head is sterile? You've never came into contact with any sewage when replacing a joker valve?

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

This is a big part of why we got a natures head on our prior boat.
- Nothing to repair, no leaky hoses, not clogged valves, etc...
- No holding tank.
- Seat was household size, so no balancing on a toilet sized for a 10yr old.

Pretty much all the benefits you describe. Considering the average boat will struggle to feed power to the incinolet, it's a good trade off to have a urine jug to be easily emptied every 2-3 days.

To be very honest, I haven't done anything in over five years now to service our Jabsco electric macerating heads or waste system except push the flush button. No urine jugs to tote, no smell, no feces to scrape or dump by hand, no special instructions for guests to follow, no saving used stinky toilet paper, and no crank to turn or handpump to pump.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Electric macerating head. Make your life easier.

To the OP: As you see, there are lots of opinions and quite a bit of passion on this subject. You pays your money and takes your choices.

All I can add to what has been said is that if you go with a conventional water-flushed toilet, make it a macerating one. Why? Let me count the ways:

1. Dramatically less risk of clogging, because everything is chopped up into a fine slurry before it hits your plumbing.

2. Much easier to flush an adequate amount of water through it, to keep down scaling inside the pipes (caused by urine standing with seawater).

3. Much better for the sea if you are discharging directly overboard -- macerating accelerates natural breakdown of the waste.


If you live in a repressive society which does not allow you to discharge overboard, then consider a fresh water toilet (also electric, and also macerating). That way you won't risk scaling as you try to economize on the volume of flushing to make your holding tank last a reasonable period of time.


Burning, composting, etc. also works well for some people. I personally use electric macerating toilets.

As to WHICH electric macerating toilet - I can't help you there. I have one of the classic Jabsco "conversion" toilets, which is a drop in replacement for the normal Jabsco manual one. And one Raritan "Sea Era". I would not recommend either of them.

[Catmandu]

We replaced seized Vetus heads with freshwater macerating Raritan heads. We chose the raritan based on some semi-scientific testing practical sailor did to determine how effective electric marine heads were at "grinding and lifting" bananas with copious Amounts of TP.

The Admiral says that it was the best upgrade to the boat ever.

After 3 years not one issue ... except for a lightening strike that wiped out one of the flush button panels.

They just work. That being said they will fill your holding tanks quicker and you will use more fresh water especially with guests that haven't learned some of the finer points of the sailing art.

[Catmandu]

Oh another great fix was replacing all of the waste hose with Poly-x. Expensive stuff but worth every penny. No head smells on the boat now.

[SV Bacchus]

I'm like Ken, I don't want to get in the fight, I just sit back and watch!

My personal stance is if it works for you, it is the right system.

However, I think it is important to point out composting heads are not trouble free if you don't know how to use them! If the OP considers one, which is fine with me, please read the directions, follow them and, at least in the beginning, make sure it is working correctly.

Composting Yuck!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by SV Bacchus

My personal stance is if it works for you, it is the right system.



However, I think it is important to point out composting heads are not trouble free if you don't know how to use them! If the OP considers one, which is fine with me, please read the directions, follow them and, at least in the beginning, make sure it is working correctly.

Agreed, on both counts. A composting head is like any other system (including a standard marine head); if you use it incorrectly, you'll get poor results. They are different, so require people to learn how to maintain one. No different than anything else on a boat.

But usage requires little education. Men have to sit, and make sure the trap door is open when pooping. Rotate a handle when done. Pretty simple ... easier (to my mind) than using most marine heads with all the switching between in and out.

[drewzn]

We've had an Airhead composting toilet now for 5 years. Absolutely love it! The boat never smells like it used to with a marine head. Plus, we don't have to pump out, which is great. Living full time on the boat, we empty it about once a month.

[sailnow2011]

Originally Posted by DeeN

We need to either repair, or replace our toilet.

We live aboard about two weeks a month.

I've seen people talking about composting toilets, but, I'm worried about smells, how to take care of it etc.

What would you do? Thanks in advance

I LOVE my fresh head!
Never flush with stinky sea water again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MONd-vrxVM4

[Vancefish]

I've had my Nature's Head for almost three years now. It's AWESOME! I gained almost 20 square feet of stowage, as well as loosing Multiple hoses that might clog, A toilet that you had to teach people to use and a foul scent that always permeated the tank. Plus it weighs nearly nothing.

In the time I've owned it (as a single guy, with maybe a girlfriend along sometimes). The thing has not needed to be emptied yet (The company claims 80 uses per run).

The wet tank needs to be emptied a lot more often. Especially if beer gets involved. This in my opinion is the ONLY draw back for this head. Carrying a jug of pee to the marina toilet.

By the way,.. Natures Head is a bit tall, The Airhead is shorter. Otherwise they are pretty much the same thing.