Composting toilets:Airhead versus Separett Villa. Any thoughts anyone?

[tove]

Trying to decide between an Airhead composting toilet or the Separett Villa. I've spoken to owners of both (thanks very much particularly to Peterboat) and everyone seems very happy. Are they essentially the same model by different manufacturers?

If anyone has any thoughts on this, or has recently been through the same decision making process, I would be most grateful for them.

 

POLITE REQUEST: Please restrict answers to the question. This is not a debate about composting versus non composting.

[wandering snail]

We've had our villa for several years now and find it a very user-friendly system for us as live aboards as well as visitors to the boat(!). The loo itself also looks good and isn't at all bulky like so many are.

Edited April 25, 2014 by wandering snail

[Ex- Member]

Trying to decide between an Airhead composting toilet or the Separett Villa. I've spoken to owners of both (thanks very much particularly to Peterboat) and everyone seems very happy. Are they essentially the same model by different manufacturers?

If anyone has any thoughts on this, or has recently been through the same decision making process, I would be most grateful for them.

 

POLITE REQUEST: Please restrict answers to the question. This is not a debate about composting versus non composting.

 

We have the older type compost toilet that being a Sun-Mar model which doesn't separate.

 

I've taken great interest in the newer type units you mention, and had they been available when we first purchased a compost loo they would both be top of the list. I too would find it difficult to choose between the two though, so actual users opinions would be useful.

 

We'll stick with ours though as it works fine but might need replacing down the line.

[tove]

 

We have the older type compost toilet that being a Sun-Mar model which doesn't separate.

 

I've taken great interest in the newer type units you mention, and had they been available when we first purchased a compost loo they would both be top of the list. I too would find it difficult to choose between the two though, so actual users opinions would be useful.

 

We'll stick with ours though as it works fine but might need replacing down the line.

 

I think my problem is that it will be hard to find someone who has experience of both since they're fairly new and owners of both models are equally delighted with them.

It may come down to cost in the end. I notice the Separett is slightly cheaper and size (as mentioned by Wandering Snail above).

[Grace and Favour]

I think a composting toilet is a load of rot.............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wandering snail]

There's a picture of ours in situ in the gallery under the heading The Loo.

[MtB]

I think a composting toilet is a load of rot.............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And therein lies the problem with them. There is no 'composting' going on in the biological sense as I understand it. Just drying out of the solids. So their name is a misnomer.

 

Happy to be shown otherwise though.

 

MtB

[Grace and Favour]

 

And therein lies the problem with them. There is no 'composting' going on in the biological sense as I understand it. Just drying out of the solids. So their name is a misnomer.

 

Happy to be shown otherwise though.

 

MtB

Exactly!

[MtB]

Exactly!

 

So I have it right then. Phew.

 

Hopefully managed to avert the wrath of the OP too, by skillfully avoiding comparison with a 'normal' boat bog

 

MtB

[tove]

There's a picture of ours in situ in the gallery under the heading The Loo.

 

I've really enoyed looking at your blog today and getting more and more jealous! However, I'm not sure where to find that picture of the loo!

[mattlad]

 

And therein lies the problem with them. There is no 'composting' going on in the biological sense as I understand it. Just drying out of the solids. So their name is a misnomer.

 

Happy to be shown otherwise though.

 

MtB

Technically speaking they should be called dessicating toilets.

[ditchcrawler]

There's a picture of ours in situ in the gallery under the heading The Loo.

I thought for a minute you said "in the galley"

[sueb]

I thought for a minute you said "in the galley"

so did I :-))

[peterboat]

Hi Tove,

I could have taken bets on how long it would take before the knockers came out!! all I can say is you plan will work once on the compost heap at the allotment the worms will do their work!! also you can buy these systems for houses that have composting worms in them I saw the article in a hospital waiting room. So the blurb said you put all the kitchen waste in them as well and one day all houses will be built with them you wont have a flushing loo as they will be banned. The blurb showed a years waste afer the worms had done their stuff would hardly have filled a dustbin for a family of four after a year, and the waste is just put on the garden. Think of the reduction in water use and all those savings on your water bill? roads not getting dug up as often the country would save trillions. Anyway I like the look of my villa better than the airhead so thats my vote

 

Peter

[wandering snail]

 

I've really enoyed looking at your blog today and getting more and more jealous! However, I'm not sure where to find that picture of the loo!

I did a search in gallery for composting loo and there it was! Thanks for kind blog words.

[Tinhare]

Trying to decide between an Airhead composting toilet or the Separett Villa. I've spoken to owners of both (thanks very much particularly to Peterboat) and everyone seems very happy. Are they essentially the same model by different manufacturers?

If anyone has any thoughts on this, or has recently been through the same decision making process, I would be most grateful for them.

 

POLITE REQUEST: Please restrict answers to the question. This is not a debate about composting versus non composting.

 

 

From the research I have done they seem to be both as good as the other. Biggest difference is the holding capacity. So, the longer it stays in the loo before emptying then the more composting that will occur. Also the Separett comes with three drums and lids. So all you have to do is put the lid on and replace the drum with an empty one. The full one can be stored to let the composting continue before emptying. Where you would store two full drums of poo on a narrowboat I'm not sure but anyway it can be done.

 

 

As we live onboard full time we will be installing a villa, mainly due to the extra capacity. The lovely lady likes the idea that it looks more like a standard loo too.

 

Cheers,

Alan.

[ditchcrawler]

Hi Tove,

I could have taken bets on how long it would take before the knockers came out!! all I can say is you plan will work once on the compost heap at the allotment the worms will do their work!! also you can buy these systems for houses that have composting worms in them I saw the article in a hospital waiting room. So the blurb said you put all the kitchen waste in them as well and one day all houses will be built with them you wont have a flushing loo as they will be banned. The blurb showed a years waste afer the worms had done their stuff would hardly have filled a dustbin for a family of four after a year, and the waste is just put on the garden. Think of the reduction in water use and all those savings on your water bill? roads not getting dug up as often the country would save trillions. Anyway I like the look of my villa better than the airhead so thats my vote

 

Peter

When I were a kid we use to fork the worms out of the muck heap behind the cow shed to go fishing, little red buggers, we use to call them Brandlings but that might just be a local name. They lived on cow shit from a cow composting toilet, a big heap of it.

Where you would store two full drums of poo on a narrowboat I'm not sure but anyway it can be done.

 

The same place most boaters store it, under the bed.

[tove]

Thanks for all the helpful replies here. After fairly extensive research I think the Separett is the one for me although I think either work perfectly well. I've just spoken to someone with an Airhead and they admitted that the only reason they went for their model was that they had friends with one and so had been able to see it in action (so to speak!), although had they known about the Separette they may well have gone for that instead.

 

Love the idea of combining it with home composting Peterboat! I have a trad back wide beam (or very soon will have) so have a bit of space at the back, although that said, the mooring I've secured for the time being has it's own composting facilities and is adjacent to some allottments where I'm hoping to get one myself so distributing my wares will not be a problem!

 

I did a search in gallery for composting loo and there it was! Thanks for kind blog words.

 

Ah ha! Sorry I was looking on your blog. That really is very neat. Not much different from a conventional loo.

[Canal Shop Man]

I have let this run for a while as recommendations from users and their experioences are more valuable than my comments, since you would assume I am biaised as I sell both Air Heads and Separetts. However, since I have 2 hireboats, one with an Air Head and one with a Separett, as well as living on a boat with a Separett, I think I am well qualified to compare them.

 

They are both separating COMPOSTING toilets and obviously the comments about them being dessicating toilets are from ignorant people who have never seen or used one. It is true that in normal use, neither will produce finished compost direct from the toilet, but the process will hasve started and can either be finished in a composter or in bins stored on board (preferably in the engine bay where it can be kept warm to speed up the process).

 

The benefits of the Air Head are its small size and attached urine tank. This makes installation simple and means that one can be fitted onto almost any boat. The stirrer within the solids tank also turns the compost, thus speeding its action. It can be used by men standing up, but its manual operation and means of keeping the bowl clean means that it is probably better for regular users than newcomers.

 

The benefits of the Separett are that it looks like a 'real' toilet (this is apparently important for women), it has a larger capacity and has more options for installation (including remote urine tank). The automated operation of the toilet bowl means that, as long as everyone sits down, it is almost foolproof, so easier for guests to use correctly.

 

No toilet is perfect, but I think these offer a better alternative than any other toilet on a boat.

 

If anyone wants more information please PM me as I don't want to use this as a sales pitch, just clarify the facts.

[tove]

Thank you very much for the above post Canal Shop Man. This has been a really useful thread.

[brickie]

Thinking of having a composting toilet fitted asap. Don't really mind which as long as it works and I don't have to find an Elian every few days to empty it. I believe they have a small heater fitted to speed up proccess. Therefore would a small solar panel be of use for this purpose.

[Ex- Member]

Thinking of having a composting toilet fitted asap. Don't really mind which as long as it works and I don't have to find an Elian every few days to empty it. I believe they have a small heater fitted to speed up proccess. Therefore would a small solar panel be of use for this purpose.

 

Solar panels assist in anything electrical, to heat a toilet heater though it would need to be a good size to generate any useful amount of heat. I'm unsure of the power requirements of such heaters though.

 

We have a composting loo but use an extractor constantly running computer fan via the chimney to evaporate moisture. Loos with heaters I would probably only use when on a shore line. Having said that on a boat with no shore line and a good quantity of solar it's possible that you could set up a dump load and heat the loo when solar is over supplying.

[brickie]

Thanks for reply. Am I right in assuming that you need a heater to help with composting process.

[Ex- Member]

Thanks for reply. Am I right in assuming that you need a heater to help with composting process.

 

You don't need a heater, however a heater will speed the process up especially in winter.

 

With a live aboard boat though the ambient temperature is enough to continue the composting process assuming you like your boat warm.

 

Our compost loo mixes both solid and liquid waste, much of the liquid evaporates. A proportion of the waste is separated in to a lower drawer in the unit, this further dries out and further composts. After 6 to 8 weeks we empty the drawer, the drawer is the size of a bedside cabinet drawer and will contain around 5 Kilos of mostly composted human waste.

 

The newer type composting units separate the liquids off, this can achieve quicker composting through desiccation, but of course you still have to empty your liquid waste regularly. The units are smaller than our Sun-Mar so the finishing process of the solid waste is carried out elsewhere. Sometimes in bins, or it can be buried or taken to an elsan.

 

Bear in mind though well over 80% of human solid waste is water, so desiccation along with microbial activity greatly reduces the mass of the waste. That's why we can use our loo for 8 weeks and end up with just 5 kilos of waste.

[Tinhare]

Thanks for reply. Am I right in assuming that you need a heater to help with composting process.

It depends on what type of toilet. With the Separett and Airhead, no you don't. This is because they separate out the liquids and the solids. You do still have to empty out the liquid tank. The Airhead tank is quite small but integral with the unit, about 6 litres if I remember correctly. Whereas the Separett having a separate tank you can have it as large as you like but will still need emptying I'll be using a 20l container for the task located below the hight of the toilet.

Both of these have a 12v fan which draws about 80mA.

The other toilets that don't separate out the liquids and solids usually have a heater built into them. However, I read of one boat installation where they ran the pipe from the engine to the calorifier under the toilet and used it for the heating.