[Public-List] Head questions ...

Thu Mar 10 12:06:36 PST 2011

I can add something to this discussion.  I put a Nature's Head composting
toilet in my boat #116 a couple of years ago. It allowed me to close up two
holes in the hull and relieve me of the problem of adding a holding tank.
Installation is a breeze. The toilet requires a small CPU fan running at all
times so I needed to run power to the head area. Also, there's a vent hose
that I run up to the dorade vent.  I must say, I went into this dragging my
feet, and only did so under pressure of my wife.  I couldn't imagine having
an open bucket of poo onboard not smelling!

Before I sprung for an $800 toilet, I did some research and read a book
called the Humanure Handbook. Apparently people have been doing this in
their homes for a long time successfully.  We even tried a little test for a
couple of weeks. I put two buckets in the bathroom of our house one full of
sawdust, one just a small layer of sawdust at the bottom. We used the bucket
in the house for over two weeks and had zero smell. Winter, all windows and
doors closed still no smell.

After using the toilet for a couple of years I'm convinced it works well for
our needs. No plumbing, no valves, nothing to go wrong. We have no smell
either.  When we visit the boat the first thing we do once inside is give it
a "whif test".  I've never had an odor problem.  When you use the toilet,
the liquids are separated, and after you make solids you add some composting
medium like peat moss. We use shredded coconut husks which we get a local
garden store. We are on the boat about three days a week from May to
November with a couple of week long trips here and there. I do confess that
we have not been able to go the whole season without needing to empty the
"compost" once.  By late August the toilet becomes full enough to empty. It
comes with a lid, so I remove the tank section, put the lid on and just take
the whole thing home.  While the manufactures of these thing say you get
"compost" out of them, I don't think I'd call it that. I bet some of it is,
but not all..not fully. Perhaps if I left it longer. Anyway, what I dump out
is not gross either, not nearly as bad as I imagined it would be. I dig a
hole in the back yard and bury it. Supposedly you can just use it in flower
gardens, but that's not my thing. I just bury it since I'm not positive it
is fully composted. I give it a rinse with the hose and return it to the
boat. I suppose if you were outside the legal limit you could just dump the
contents overboard.

I wonder if a family of four were constantly using the toilet it would full
too fast, and compost to little? Not sure.

I imagine the liquids would be a problem for some people. The liquids are
stored in a tank that we just dump overboard every couple of days, or when
we leave the boat.  I admit that dumping urine from a container may not be
legal, even a cup of pee I understand is not legal but I don't sweat it. If
you were at a marina you could take the urine tank ashore and dispose in
proper facilities.

The system is not perfect, and requires a little extra work. But I don't
find it unpleasant, and the potential for problems is very limited. I'd do
it again.

Jeff Fongemie
#116 Seagrass

http://picasaweb.google.com/fongemie

On Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 2:36 PM, <darcyhaldeman at cs.com> wrote:

> Kris, could you post details about your switch to a composting toilet?
>  It's on my list of things to do.
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kris Coward <kris at melon.org>
> To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
> Sent: Thu, Mar 10, 2011 1:27 pm
> Subject: Re: [Public-List] Head questions ...
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 08:16:08AM -0500, Gordon Laco wrote:
>  > Some quick questions on installing heads.
>  >
>  > 1. Is there any reason to put the vented loop on the intake? I have
> never
> ad
>  > this before, but I have seen it on a few installations
>  A vented loop here will inhibit the possibility of the intake siphoning
>  water into the head's bowl through the valves of the flushing pump.  Boats
>  have been flooded and sunk by this sort of thing.  The pump's valves are
> not
>  intended to be proof against back flooding so the vented loop is
> protection
>  against the time somebody forgets to close the sea cock after the head has
>  been used.
> Even the vented loop is no guarantee of anything. I've had the valve on
> he vented loop stick when I've accidentally left the toilet's valve on
> lush and the seacock open. Fortunately, the top of the bowl was still
> bove the waterline, and I was aboard to notice what was happening.
> I've since switched to a composting toilet.
> Cheers,
> ris
> --
> ris Coward                                      http://unripe.melon.org/
> PG Fingerprint: 2BF3 957D 310A FEEC 4733  830E 21A4 05C7 1FEB 12B3
> ______________________________________________
> hese businesses support your Association:
> ttp://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> lease support them.
> ______________________________________________
> ublic-List mailing list
> ublic-List at lists.alberg30.org
> ttp://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> These businesses support your Association:
> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> Please support them.
> _______________________________________________
> Public-List mailing list
> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
>

-- 
Jeffrey Fongemie

 1299787596.0