Marine composting toilet

[sbrodie]

Hi there,

We've just started a small business selling a new compact composting toilet, which has been specifically designed for boats. As it is self-contained, it can be used on inland waterways. For more information, see www.naturesheadeurope.com.

Regards,

Sonja

[PaddingtonBear]

That looks good - much more practical a proposition than the others esp. for retro fitting. Good luck with your venture. Are you doing any shows next season?. Take no notice of the grumpers on here who will no doubt pick it to pieces.

[carlt]

That looks good - much more practical a proposition than the others esp. for retro fitting. Good luck with your venture. Are you doing any shows next season?. Take no notice of the grumpers on here who will no doubt pick it to pieces.

Excellent looking product.

 

PB, have you some form of internet Tourettes, where you find it impossible to post a comment without following it up with a dig at fellow forum members?

[grahoom]

looks like a good product; other composting toilets i've seen, have always seemed to be too big. - looks like a nice compact size.

[carlt]

looks like a good product; other composting toilets i've seen, have always seemed to be too big. - looks like a nice compact size.

I was looking at a property in France, recently, and part of the description said "no conventional sanitation installed (don't ask!) so a septic tank would have to be installed"

 

I asked (of course) and it turned out to be a, what looked to be, well constructed "two compartment" composting toilet. I explained the principal, the benefits and the superiority over having a half full tanker of poo come onto your property to mix in your poo and carry on it's pooey way.

 

The details were updated to say "this property benefits from an eco-friendly composting toilet"

[PaddingtonBear]

Excellent looking product.

 

PB, have you some form of internet Tourettes, where you find it impossible to post a comment without following it up with a dig at fellow forum members?

[/quot

 

 

Ah, poor you . The fact is is that whenever a new idea or product appears it is common for some (not necessarily you) to dig it out with comments like 'it wasn't like this in my day' 'what's the point of a toilet- we had a bucket in the engine 'ole' or the perennial 'it uses .8 nanno amps or what ever', this is followed by a lengthy discussion far above the heads of most, if not all members of the forum which in the main serves only to confuse matters.

 

Sorry if you are upset, I will now go an beat myself.

[carlt]

Ah, poor you . The fact is is that whenever a new idea or product appears it is common for some (not necessarily you) to dig it out with comments like 'it wasn't like this in my day' 'what's the point of a toilet- we had a bucket in the engine 'ole' or the perennial 'it uses .8 nanno amps or what ever', this is followed by a lengthy discussion far above the heads of most, if not all members of the forum which in the main serves only to confuse matters.

 

Sorry if you are upset, I will now go an beat myself.

You haven't upset me but you preempting people's reactions (which you're entitled to do) attracts negative comments (which others are entitled to make).

 

Some people find the very thought of their waste not being flushed or carried miles away from their home before being treated (sometimes) disgusting, and are free to say so.

 

Please don't let these comments discourage you from self-flaggelation, though.

[Yoda]

Excellent looking product.

 

PB, have you some form of internet Tourettes, where you find it impossible to post a comment without following it up with a dig at fellow forum members?

[/quote

Ah, poor you . The fact is is that whenever a new idea or product appears it is common for some (not necessarily you) to dig it out with comments like 'it wasn't like this in my day' 'what's the point of a toilet- we had a bucket in the engine 'ole' or the perennial 'it uses .8 nanno amps or what ever', this is followed by a lengthy discussion far above the heads of most, if not all members of the forum which in the main serves only to confuse matters.

 

Sorry if you are upset, I will now go an beat myself.

quote]

 

Good point. We haven't had any articles on powered heads lately. I think that the type of head that this thread is about will take a long time to get started due to the disposal problems around the cut.

[mareco]

For goodness sake you lot, you silly men! These sensible threads always just dissolve into bitching nonsense! Just shut up will you!

 

 

sbrodie Carrie has done an excellent one

[carlt]

For goodness sake you lot, you silly men! These sensible threads always just dissolve into bitching nonsense! Just shut up will you!

 

 

sbrodie Carrie has done an excellent one

 

 

Of the last 10 posts 8 of them made on-topic comments, yours not included. The presence of banter around the relevant comments is not a problem, surely? Lighten up!

 

It's nice to see a composting toilet actually being produced, commercially, that would appear to fit in the limited space a narrowboat bathroom provides.

[grahoom]

It's nice to see a composting toilet actually being produced, commercially, that would appear to fit in the limited space a narrowboat bathroom provides.

 

totally agree, my plan is to go the composting toilet route; as mentioned; before i'd seen this toilet i hadn't seen any composting toilets that would be suitable size for a narrowboat. - and from reading the information on the site it looks to be pretty simple to install into the boat.

Edited December 8, 2007 by grahoom

[blackrose]

Hi there,

We've just started a small business selling a new compact composting toilet, which has been specifically designed for boats. As it is self-contained, it can be used on inland waterways. For more information, see www.naturesheadeurope.com.

Regards,

Sonja

 

It's not my forum, but I didn't think commercial postings were permitted?

 

Anyway, I can see that this composting toilet is smaller and looks easier to fit than the other model we have discussed, but I assume maintenance of the compost is the same? A couple of comprehensive accounts from users of the compost maintenance issue was enough to put me and some other members off.

[Chris J W]

Tempting. Very tempting.

 

As useful as my Vacuflush casette system is, I really do HATE disposing of the stuff.

[Lady Muck]

Tempting. Very tempting.

 

As useful as my Vacuflush casette system is, I really do HATE disposing of the stuff.

 

It's not something that usually concerns me, but at the moment both the pump out station AND the Elsan is blocked. I had to empty into a public toilet. Not funny when you consider theres about 50 boaters using these facilities (or attempting to)

[blackrose]

It's not something that usually concerns me, but at the moment both the pump out station AND the Elsan is blocked. I had to empty into a public toilet. Not funny when you consider theres about 50 boaters using these facilities (or attempting to)

 

I suspect the reaon the elsan was blocked was down to someone doing a self-pump out into it. I can't see any other reason it would be blocked.

[Boaty Jo]

It looks similar to the Airhead that I looked at a few momths ago. I've looked at a few composters and power and size-wise this seems good.

We are in the market for a form of waste disposal; currently we have a sea toilet and have left space for another.

Anything that complies with ever-tightening legislation regarding waste disposal is great BUT the one thing that puts me off is that the compost realistically needs 3 months to compost to a point where you could put it on your flower-bed (for example).

As live-aboards the toilet would be in constant use. Before it is composted properly the solid waste needs to be disposed of..how? For example, if we are extended cruising, where would we dispose of part-composted waste - having stored it till we found somewhere?

I am NOT knocking this product; I hope you can come up with reassurances.

 

Jo

[blackrose]

It looks similar to the Airhead that I looked at a few momths ago. I've looked at a few composters and power and size-wise this seems good.

We are in the market for a form of waste disposal; currently we have a sea toilet and have left space for another.

Anything that complies with ever-tightening legislation regarding waste disposal is great BUT the one thing that puts me off is that the compost realistically needs 3 months to compost to a point where you could put it on your flower-bed (for example).

As live-aboards the toilet would be in constant use. Before it is composted properly the solid waste needs to be disposed of..how? For example, if we are extended cruising, where would we dispose of part-composted waste - having stored it till we found somewhere?

I am NOT knocking this product; I hope you can come up with reassurances.

 

Jo

 

You mean in your situation it would get full before it could compost the waste to the point where you could empty it on land? 3 Months does sound like a long time...

By the way, this toilet has a separator for liquids, presumably because it's more efficient to keep the compost dry & aerated? But what happens to the liquids?

Edited December 9, 2007 by blackrose

[Chris J W]

You mean in your situation it would get full before it could compost the waste to the point where you could empty it on land? 3 Months does sound like a long time...

By the way, this toilet has a separator for liquids, presumably because it's more efficient to keep the compost dry & aerated? But what happens to the liquids?

 

It goes into an 8 litre bottle that you have to dispose of separately.

[sbrodie]

Hi all,

 

First, a little history on Nature's Head and our involvement with it:

My husband and I spent several years in the States and installed an Airhead on the boat we had on the Great Lakes (discharge strictly forbidden), getting rid of the old holding tank in the process - big improvement. Two years of use were ample to convince us that composting was definitely the way to go.

 

In the meantime, the Airhead had become virtually unobtainable. Not sure why, but we knew several people who wanted to buy one and simply couldn't get ahold of them. One of our friends, a marine equipment dealer, decided to solve the supply problem by designing and manufacturing a new and improved version - enter Nature's Head.

 

We were heading back to the UK around this time and he asked us if we would be interested in handling the European distribution. Given our desire to install one on our new boat back home and our belief in the soundness of the idea, coupled with the lack of availability of anything suitable on the European market, we were happy to take it on.

 

Regarding disposal of the compost, it is recommended to allow at least 3 months from the time of the final deposit. When it came time to empty ours, we were always amazed to find it just like earth when we opened the unit up - not at all disgusting. We would generally try to maximise the time between empties by using land-based loos when available. When in a marina, we wouldn't be filling up our loo on board.

 

For storage prior to disposal, something like a 5-gallon pail with a few holes punched in the lid, or a proper composting bin would be ideal. A 5-gallon pail, tucked in a locker or kept somewhere ashore, will accommodate a good deal of compost until time for emptying (the waste composts down to approximately 10% of its initial volume).

 

As for boat shows, we'll be at the Scottish Caravan and Outdoor Leisure Show (which, despite the name, is also Scotland's largest boat show) at the SECC in Glasgow from 7-10 February.

 

Regards,

Sonja

[thelonious]

There are obviously a lot of plus points to this system, not least saving on incredibly expensive pump-out fees.

 

But what are you supposed to do with all the pee? My mooring is nowhere near any toilets, and it would need doing at least once a week. Tip it in the river? Is this legal, is it environmentally acceptable?

 

If it is, then a separate urinal could be the answer (for men anyway!)...

 

Theo

[Chris J W]

There are obviously a lot of plus points to this system, not least saving on incredibly expensive pump-out fees.

 

But what are you supposed to do with all the pee? My mooring is nowhere near any toilets, and it would need doing at least once a week. Tip it in the river? Is this legal, is it environmentally acceptable?

 

If it is, then a separate urinal could be the answer (for men anyway!)...

 

Theo

 

Pour it into a hedgerow at night?

[Rick-n-Jo]

There are obviously a lot of plus points to this system, not least saving on incredibly expensive pump-out fees.

 

But what are you supposed to do with all the pee? My mooring is nowhere near any toilets, and it would need doing at least once a week. Tip it in the river? Is this legal, is it environmentally acceptable?

 

If it is, then a separate urinal could be the answer (for men anyway!)...

 

Theo

 

 

Ah, now you've hit the nail on the head(s). This looks like a slimmed down version of other composting systems, particularly the Sun-Mar with it's rotating drum. Clearly designed to fit in the more restricted space usually found on boats, they've done away with the large liquid evaporation tray and heating element, and simply collect the pee for later disposal. So it has some aspects of a composter and some of a bucket and chuckit.

 

The best of both worlds, or the worst? You decide.

 

They don't appear to give capacity figures, but I'd guess it would be fine for weekending, but not for family residential use.

 

Rick

[blackrose]

It goes into an 8 litre bottle that you have to dispose of separately.

Well then as far as I am concerned it's a pointless product. If you have to go to all the trouble of maintaining the compost, yet also have to take a trip to the elsan point, then you may as well have put the whole lot down the elsan in the first place.

As they say in the Den "I'm out."

 

Pour it into a hedgerow at night?

Why at night? I suspect because it's illegal to do this. Edited December 10, 2007 by blackrose

[Chris J W]

Well then as far as I am concerned it's a pointless product. If you have to go to all the trouble of maintaining the compost, yet also have to take a trip to the elsan point, then you may as well have put the whole lot down the elsan in the first place.

 

Personally, I'd rather just pour the pee rather than the rest.

 

Why at night? I suspect because it's illegal to do this.

 

I dunno! I certainly wasn't advocating it, and apols if it came across that way.

[carlt]

I must confess that, when I had the porta potti, it was largely reserved for sitting down on the job, weather permitting.