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Solo Boater - What Toilet?


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1 minute ago, NB 'Wrong 'Uns' said:

Hello,

They did, they changed it out about 3 months ago.

Yup see my edit.

 

Im not that far into their vlog yet.

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19 minutes ago, LadyG said:

 Don't bother, it will just end up inside a tanker with all sorts.

The tanker goes to field where it is drilled under the soil surface, it is disposed of a cheaply as possible.

 

Not in England it isn't. It was banned some years ago, all sewage has to go to the sewage works and get treated.

Has put the cost up of emptying our system by 2x (Its now about £350 a time to empty)

 

Sewage is now a 'nasty' in the transfer of waste legislation

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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2 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Yup see my edit.

 

Im not that far into their vlog yet.

Hey,

When I was doing reasearch for my toilet, I found that video and decided to watch the vlogs from the start. I just finished watching their most recent one. Sorry, I hadnt relized you had edited your origanal post. 

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Just now, system 4-50 said:

I use pumpout and no chemicals whatsoever. I get no smells.

Same as me. The only time I've ever had smells in the boat was when the Lee San type pipe from loo to tank became porous after about 10 years. A metre of pipe and 30 minutes of my time was all that was needed. The toilet is an ITT manual pump and it likes a sip of best quality Extra Virgin olive oil once a week (dedicated bottle in bathroom cupboard. Pumpout , once a month. I recently pumped it out ,self service in marina, when lockdown eased after a 5 month gap. Absolutely no smell. Sorry but bucket and chuck it is not for me. 

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  20 minutes ago, LadyG said:

 Don't bother, it will just end up inside a tanker with all sorts.

The tanker goes to field where it is drilled under the soil surface, it is disposed of a cheaply as possible.

 

 

 

 

All sorts of legislation now In England and Scotland regarding the spreading of 'treated sludge' on agricultural land

 

In Scotland, see section 5 of the Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity (PEPFAA) Code.

Scottish Government: Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity (PEPFAA Code) 2005 (Scotland) 

 

If you spread sewage sludge on non-agricultural land or agricultural land not used for commercial food crops or stock rearing purposes, you may need an environmental permit, waste management licence or registered exemption from environmental permitting or waste management licensing. You should contact your regulator for further information.

 

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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3 minutes ago, NB 'Wrong 'Uns' said:

Could I get your opinion?

Would you go for the composting or casset?

I have no personal experience of a composting loo so don't think I could recommend one of those.

 

I do like cassette loos and have used them for decades and based on my experience it would have to be the one I am familiar with. 

 

That said the swap looks easy (for that particular model) so if you go composting it wouldn't be the end of the world to swap to a cassette assuming you fit the composting loo in a place that allows you to create a hatch for removing the cassette. It might also be a good idea to ask your builder to run a capped off water supply to the vicinity to make conversion to a cassette simpler.

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20 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

I have no personal experience of a composting loo so don't think I could recommend one of those.

 

I do like cassette loos and have used them for decades and based on my experience it would have to be the one I am familiar with. 

 

That said the swap looks easy (for that particular model) so if you go composting it wouldn't be the end of the world to swap to a cassette assuming you fit the composting loo in a place that allows you to create a hatch for removing the cassette. It might also be a good idea to ask your builder to run a capped off water supply to the vicinity to make conversion to a cassette simpler.

Okay, Thankyou. I like the idea of running the water to where the composting loo will be so if I ever need to switch it I can

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38 minutes ago, NB 'Wrong 'Uns' said:

Yes

If you initially go for the composting loo the foxes changed to you will already have 12v electricity in place for the flush on a cassette. The composting toilet they chose needed 12v so they just used the same supply.

 

Just make sure the gauge is sufficient for both types of toilet which in their case it was.

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1 hour ago, system 4-50 said:

I use pumpout and no chemicals whatsoever. I get no smells.

 

Likewise.

 

When I fitted an MCS waste tank gauge, I found the original "tank full" warning light was coming on at about of 50% tank full, so halved the frequency and cost of my pumpouts.

Edited by cuthound
Phat phingers
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1 minute ago, The Happy Nomad said:

If you initially go for the composting loo the foxes changed to you will already have 12v electricity in place for the flush on a cassette. The composting toilet they chose needed 12v so they just used the same supply.

 

Just make sure the gauge is sufficient for both types of toilet which in their case it was.

Okay, thankyou

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4 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Not in England it isn't. It was banned some years ago, all sewage has to go to the sewage works and get treated.

Has put the cost up of emptying our system by 2x (Its now about £350 a time to empty)

 

Sewage is now a 'nasty' in the transfer of waste legislation

Fair enough.

The problem, as I see it,is that boaters are not particularly environmentally concerned, cost being their priority over anything else, OK most will use an Elsan, but I don't think one boater in 100 using GREEN fluid is going to make any difference to Elsan systems .

 Where someone has their own sewage tank, it will  be important , to allow natural biological breakdown, allowing the effluent to be treated onsite, with occasional pumpout of semi-solids.

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8 minutes ago, LadyG said:

 Where someone has their own sewage tank, it will  be important , to allow natural biological breakdown, allowing the effluent to be treated onsite, with occasional pumpout of semi-solids.

Just what we had to install (complete sewage treatment plants with fans and boom sprayers) when we had the house built - we had to get EA approval for the discharge and pay an annual licence fee.

 

 

 

22-5-06b.JPG

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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6 hours ago, NB 'Wrong 'Uns' said:

Hello,

I am going to have quite a large well deck & engine room, so I will either let it compost in there, or (which I'm not sure if its true or not, bt it seems to be) is put it in a rubish point at the services.

Thanks, Niklaus

So what containers are you using to store it in the well deck and engine room? And what will you do with it after it has composted down?

Dumping untreated no. 2s in the waste bin may be permitted (but not in some marinas), but it's hardly environmentally friendly for it just to go into landfill along with other rubbish, and it isn't exactly pleasant for the people who have to handle it. Whereas cassette or pump out waste at least goes into a sewer system designed to handle it.

Edited by David Mack
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5 hours ago, NB 'Wrong 'Uns' said:

Hi,

I am sorry, I was unaware they banned that. I have will have enough room to store about 4 months worth of waste. I have a 6' 6" long engine room, and a 5' 6" well deck with large stroage seats, that will be make specificly for the purpuse of storing the waste from the composting toilet.

Thanks, Niklaus

You seem to have made your mind up on a composting toilet?

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8 hours ago, David Mack said:

 

So what containers are you using to store it in the well deck and engine room? And what will you do with it after it has composted down?

Dumping untreated no. 2s in the waste bin may be permitted (but not in some marinas), but it's hardly environmentally friendly for it just to go into landfill along with other rubbish, and it isn't exactly pleasant for the people who have to handle it. Whereas cassette or pump out waste at least goes into a sewer system designed to handle it.

This, I have nothing against compost  bogs if there is somewhere that the actual waste can be properly composted and used.

As far as I can see most use them to dessicate the waste and then bung it into landfill 

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16 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

(Its now about £350 a time to empty)

My word that must be a huge sceptic tank. Ours is capable of accomodating 12 peoples` use and emptying cost me £120. Normally every two years. Like our boat holding tank limit chemical use and allow the "solids" to decompose with liquid dispersal over a garden area (underground obviously). That liquid obviously also carries with it a certain amount of "liquified" solids which have bio-degraded due to this reduced chemical use. To me toilets are a personal choice and would suggest that any routine of its` "service" whether pump out or personally storing/emptying can be got use to but my limited use of Elsan toilets and the odour and state some are left in made pump-out a natural choice. Bit like those public toilets I`m sure we`ve all encountered when you`ve just had to find another cubicle.

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12 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

(complete sewage treatment plants with fans and boom sprayers)

Why was a boom sprayer necessary? Ours is pumped as commented earlier underground and naturally perculates away around our garden. I would add that we could have (but not actually necessary) to have had the airiated system, which I have installed in properties, which legally allows the liquid out to be run into a water course. I know of no system like that which could be applied to boats but then its` power use although small may be prohibitive.

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I have extensive experience of a composting loo. 

 

A good one actually does compost down the waste. However:

You MUST have a powered vent. Occasionally the composting with 'go wrong' and start to smell. If you have a powered vent, this smell will not fill your boat.

They are much bulkier than cassette or pumpout. The small, slim composting systems don't really compost, they just store and dry.

 

When we had a composting toilet, we were moored up at a farm. The composted output could be buried in a trench. That isn't an option for a cruising boater.

 

If I were a cruising boater, I'd probably go for a cassette system with several spares. A cassette can be put in a bike trailer and taken to a caravan park or BW disposal point. That adds a lot of flexibility.

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12 hours ago, David Mack said:

 

So what containers are you using to store it in the well deck and engine room? And what will you do with it after it has composted down?

Dumping untreated no. 2s in the waste bin may be permitted (but not in some marinas), but it's hardly environmentally friendly for it just to go into landfill along with other rubbish, and it isn't exactly pleasant for the people who have to handle it. Whereas cassette or pump out waste at least goes into a sewer system designed to handle it.

How is it not environmentally friendly? What is there in poo that wouldn't break down far before anything else that goes into landfill?

 

I don't know about how rubbish is handled after the bin men take it but are there people manually rummaging through the rubbish? I'd be surprised. Doesn't it all just get crushed in the back of a truck and then crushed again elsewhere? Please if you know otherwise let me know what happens. But I certainly can't imagine poo has a negative affect on the environment. 

Edited by NB Caelmiri
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