GetThereInTheEnd

yes i did wonder that. But then i wouldn't have thought it any worse than either the soapy waste from other through hulls or the icky top film of oily whatever that hangs around my waterline some days. Googling 'bitumen urea reaction' doesn't tell me anything useful! I could set up my own experiment for the benefit of science.. but maybe i just won't worry about it!

Okay thanks everone i figured it would all decend into toilet humour somewhere down the line but some useful comments and suggestions stll.. Would you believe i've actually been totally suckered into the diy compost loo idea! Just ordered this genious bit of kit: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321248584153 I will knock up a lovely wooden surround and toilet seat (so all in all much smarter looking and comfy than my scuffed up thetford). The No.2 side of things i have a plan to have a primary chamber above a secondary, 'finishing' chamber, or tray, i'll devise some sort of trapdoor or whatever to drop it down every so often. The mostly composted goodness from this will then be accessed from a side hatch kind of in the way that my thetford cassette would have been. I'm lead to believe that smell isn't such an issue with these urine diverted setups. I'll leave provision however to stick a 4"flue with a solar fan at the top in case it is. But i think it'll be fine and prob no worse than the smells from cassettes. The diverted urine i will plumb into the shower waste, solving m original problem. Although.. i think I gotta pee like a girly for the diverter to work properly.. or have REALLY good aim!! So might actually put a 'handsink' in too (or perhaps one of these:http://littlehouse.co/shop/waterless-urinal/) plumbed direct overboard. But perhaps i'll just get into sitting down for a pee. I mean why not? Just see it as a more leisurely approach! So there. Whoever called me a wuss.. hehe! I can deal with cassette emptying fine like anyone else. But thing is i'm fitting this boat from scratch with a mind to many years of liveaboard cruising. When you do that you have the chance to think ahead and streamline all these things to suit your own habits and try to be a bit inventive so as to make it all as comfortable and hassle free as poss. I think i might have a setup here that means i'll just have to remove some mostly composted waste every 6-12weeks, and never have to visit an elsan again, and don't even have to guilttrip my girlfriend into peeing into a funnel (joke! sort of.. hehe). So many thanks to the bloke with the skinhead and beard for the compost link. wish me luck!

OK the compost loos with urine seperator are a very interesting idea. As sold ou would still have a container of pish to sling but perhaps that side could be plumbed into the shower waste pump.. Questions about the actual composting but i think i'll find answers on other threads. cheers A funnel or similar on a flexi-hose is a nice idea as it allows height adjustment and even use by the cassette-space-conscious and less fussy females aboard (i hasten to add however that i am not so uptight about this as to have ever refused a lass the potty and presented her with an old plastic measuring jug..!) I would prefer something, however, that has an integral rinse of some sort. i.e a urinal type thing yeah nice idea and female friendly too, but i don't think i have space. I'll look into it though, cheers! Don't need one in your house because your loo is plumbed into the sewer. I'll admit that having a urinal in a 'home' is unusual, and you might even say unsightly. But i care a lot less about that than having to empty cassettes many many many more times than neccessary. I should have mentioned in original post that this is a live-aboard and i continous cruise. In summer, slopping out cassetes is just a bit annoying. In winter, it can be perilous!

There are a few previous theads on this topic that i can see. It seems that people either: A: think you're a wrongun to pass the wet stuff into the canal/river by any means, and don't mind filling how ever many cassettes they have with mostly H2O or B: don't think that, but seem happy to pee into some kind of receptical several times a day and tip it overboard.. I'm in the (b)camp for reasons of both armchair science and practicality, but i'm currently refitting and think that, given that i am definitley a (b)er I might as well afford myself the luxury of peeing in something slightly more dedicated than an old plastic measuring jug. As fascinating as it is to be able to know exactly how much water i am passing on a daily basis, i would rather leave behind me the various drawbacks of this particular method of urine disposal and do the logical thing. I don't wish to install pump-out. i have a cassette potty. So from a B perspective, seriously, can anyone reccomend a suitable urinal type thing - needs to be on the small side (stop it.. ) and any advice as to whether it would be better to go straight through or perhaps link up with the shower pump out. someone suggested a small stainless steel sink, but i'd prefer something that does have a rinse/tap but could not be mistaken by a visitor for an actual handsink (see.. i'm not a complete monster!!) As far as I can tell , as long as there is a labelled stop-cock/ball-valve in line with the plumbing from urinal to through-hull, the fact of the urinal's presence would not be a problem with respect to any inspection. Like i say, this is really a query about equipment rather than the ethics or science of peeing in the canal. Few of us are living on horse-drawn solar powered boats so lets accept a degree or discretion in these matters! All i know is that my pee is going in the canal one way or another, noone is swimming in the cut (intentionally), everyone would rather not see me tipping my jug of yellow goodness into the water while eating their supper and i'd rather not leave my jug of yellow goodnesss sitting around asking for a not so good accident to happen. Don't wish to offend. But some practical advice on this matter would be appreciated! ta.