Composting loos

[greenboater]

Hello All,

 

I'm literally a 'green boater' and take command of my vessel at the end of May!

 

I'm having to make big decisions at a very early stage about what systems I'd like on the boat to be able to live comfortably. One thing I'm considering is a Sun-Mar Excel composting toilet but can't find any information about it.

 

I posted an appeal to ask if anyone has one of these loo's and stupidly posted it under the wrong topic.

 

I've had a couple of responses and I'm grateful but when I enter 'composting loos' on the forum nothing specific has come back. Maybe it's my inexperience of using the Forum?

 

I'd be glad to hear anything anyone has to say.

 

Many thanks

[Mulroy]

Hi,

 

This was a recent topic not long back, might be of some help.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=70691#entry1414127

[chubby]

One member who no longer posts on here had a Sun Mar loo & was happy with it over several years . He was a regular poster on this subject & solar aswell . Its a shame he no longer posts i think . His " name " was Julynian but i now think his old posts use the name " ex member " . There were often pictures of his work & he put together a blog of his boat build but i think the photos may have been removed . If search using the names above u might have more luck

cheers

 

edit : another model maybe to consider is Separett Villa , which has also received good reviews & the Air Head also . None of these options are particularly cheap tho

Edited March 18, 2015 by chubby

[greenboater]

Thanks so much - good to hear he was happy with it. I'm new to the Forum and can't seem to find my way around it! Someone has just sent me a message but I don't know how to view it - do I have to add them as friends before I can see the response?

 

Sorry to be dim.........

 

Just seen your response Chubby and my first choice was a Separette Villa Incinerating loo but have been told I'd never have enough power to use it either from the engine or in a Marina due to the lack of power - is this right do you think?

Edited March 18, 2015 by greenboater

[chubby]

Im not sure how it all looks on a computer as i use my fone , & on my fone at the top right corner is an image with 4 squares . Tap that & then tap search .

 

I find it easier when looking for info to go to google & write " compost loo narrowboat " for instance & often you ll get several threads from Canalworld & other forums .

[Delta9]

https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Acanalworld.net+compost+toilet&oq=site%3Acanalworld.net+compost+toilet&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i58.11664j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

[Phil Ambrose]

To view messages on a phone tap the 4 square icon and then select messages. If on a lappy go to top right to your name and click on the arrow thingy to bring a drop down into view then select what you need to look at, in this case messages.

Phil

[peterboat]

Hi Greenboater,

 

I have a Separatte Villa composting Loo it works very well Julyiane did say if he had known what he knows now he would have bought a model that separates urine and solids like mine. I am very happy with my loo it goes 12 weeks between emptying for poo and the wee gets pumped into a 20 litre container which is poured onto waste land near me. I would not go back to either a pump out or cassette loo under any circumstances

 

Peter

[anna167]

Nor me, neither a pump outer or cassette'r will I ever be again, The Separett Villa is marvellous and a very good friend of mine has an Airhead and he thinks that it is awesome....

[Pennie]

I'm going to be installing a composting loo with a urine diverter. I just have one question, what to add to the urine tank to reduce smell? I've heard people add Odourless but I was wondering what other options there are

[Pennie]

Just found this wonderful website as a resource, haven't found anything regarding my issue but its full of very useful ideas

 

http://tinyhousebuild.com/composting-toilet-options/

[mrsmelly]

I'm going to be installing a composting loo with a urine diverter. I just have one question, what to add to the urine tank to reduce smell? I've heard people add Odourless but I was wondering what other options there are

 

B4 you install it Pennie research what percentage of boat owners have one fitted then ask yourself why?

They have the same following as " Gas free " boats and believe me if you think of selling the boat in the future you will have to factor that in.

 

Tim

[Pennie]

I was thinking of replacing the cassette back if I ever sell

[wandering snail]

Here's one boat that would never use anything else now. Very happy with the Separett.

[johnnie1uk]

I have a Separett Villa 9000 in a static caravan, there is no smell and the Urine goes down the tube into a gravel soakaway again no smell from that. The power consumption on the 12volt is only .06 watts per 24hours

When we eventually get our boat i will install one in it. whether the urine goes into a collection bottle or straight into the canal is another matter for thought, as i cant see that my urine can be worse that the grease, gunk and other crap that i see coming out of the sink and bilge outlets on boats.

[greenboater]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to give me some advice.

 

My first choice of composting loo's is a Separate Flame which seems to be the best possible way to get rid of everything and just be left with a cup of white ash which you can empty anywhere, but I can't find anyone who has ever used or had one fitted on a boat and I'm advised that I wouldn't be able to use it due to the amount of power it requires to nuke the contents either hooked up or out and about!

 

A urine diverting composter still leaves you with the problem of getting rid of the urine, which seems to defeat the object. Also I was told by a Villa owner (toilet not a place on the Riviera) that it was difficult to get rid of the produce as they didn't even like you taking it to the local refuse dump. After months of research and hours and hours deliberating about it I've decided to have a pump out as the composting loo is just too 'iffy' (not niffy!). You know what you're getting with a pump out! It's tried and tested and as far as I can see, apart from the cost of pumping out and the possibility of being frozen up in Winter, there are few downsides. My boatbuilder says I can have a composting loo installed later if I didn't get on with the pump out - which seems a good compromise.

 

In response to the suggestion of the urine going straight in to the canal I was told that urine was a fertilizer and would promote the growth of weeds besides being against the C&RT rules.

 

Again, Thanks

[jim and pat dalton]

Wonder if anyone on a boat is using the Separett Flame?

 

Interested in how long it takes to burn your waste, esp at 1.6kw 240v usage?

 

 

Jim

[greenboater]

Hi Jim,

 

I haven't found anyone who has one but must admit that's only speaking to the sellers - they haven't sold one to anyone on a boat! The Eco-Toilets website says the following......

 

"uses an electrical heating element and microprocessor control to incinerate all waste (urine and solids) at 550 degrees centigrade to leave a small quantity of dry ash for disposal, either into a waste bin, or, if available, spread on the garden where it makes an excellent fertiliser".

 

Electrical Consumption 240 volt 1.6kw 2.4m lead 0.4-1.3 kw per visit

 

The time it takes to burn the waste is between 15 and 45 minutes depending on the amount and that would be like having an electric kettle running for 45 minutes apparently. My boatbuilder said it was unlikely a marina would have enough power to run it!! and the engine wouldn't cope while on the cut. Mind you he also says I can't have a microwave or freezer - but most boats offered for sale picture a microwave in the photo's' so I'm not sure who to believe. Richard at Eco-toilets advised to have the engine running when it was being used to top up the batteries and suggested it be used once a day - say at night when there is little power being used, which then makes you think that it's a bit impractical and how much noise does it make?

 

There you've got me going again!

[Alan de Enfield]

That's a battery killer - you would need a dedicated battery bank and charging system just for the toilet. Not very green. Using all that fossil fuel and putting all those emissions out into the air, all that energy expended to mine the lead and process it into batteries.

 

A bit like (allegedly) the manufacture of Solar Panels produces more "non-green" emissions than they ever save during their life

 

Does Richard at Eco-Toilets know that you cannot run your engine after 8pm ?

[peterboat]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to give me some advice.

 

My first choice of composting loo's is a Separate Flame which seems to be the best possible way to get rid of everything and just be left with a cup of white ash which you can empty anywhere, but I can't find anyone who has ever used or had one fitted on a boat and I'm advised that I wouldn't be able to use it due to the amount of power it requires to nuke the contents either hooked up or out and about!

 

A urine diverting composter still leaves you with the problem of getting rid of the urine, which seems to defeat the object. Also I was told by a Villa owner (toilet not a place on the Riviera) that it was difficult to get rid of the produce as they didn't even like you taking it to the local refuse dump. After months of research and hours and hours deliberating about it I've decided to have a pump out as the composting loo is just too 'iffy' (not niffy!). You know what you're getting with a pump out! It's tried and tested and as far as I can see, apart from the cost of pumping out and the possibility of being frozen up in Winter, there are few downsides. My boatbuilder says I can have a composting loo installed later if I didn't get on with the pump out - which seems a good compromise.

 

In response to the suggestion of the urine going straight in to the canal I was told that urine was a fertilizer and would promote the growth of weeds besides being against the C&RT rules.

 

Again, Thanks

Do be careful my pumpout failed twice and I was frozen in once more than enough to put me off them for life. CRT says you can double bag the waste and put it in the bins at their waste points. I give mine to my friend who composts it or bury it which works well. The urine just pour it on waste land it makes the grass green cant really see the problem. I think however you need to find another boat builder no freezer or microwave what a pxxxxxk

 

Peter

[greenboater]

Hi Peter,

 

When you say your pumpout failed twice - what was the problem? I understand that you can dispose of wee on waste land but I didn't want the hassle of storing it and then having to carry it around. Which is why I was so keen on the Flame incinerating loo.

 

Thanks for the advice tho' - I'm beginning to realise that my boatbuilder is not very flexible, not open to new ideas or discussion about anything he hasn't done before!

[mrsmelly]

Hi Peter,

 

When you say your pumpout failed twice - what was the problem? I understand that you can dispose of wee on waste land but I didn't want the hassle of storing it and then having to carry it around. Which is why I was so keen on the Flame incinerating loo.

 

Thanks for the advice tho' - I'm beginning to realise that my boatbuilder is not very flexible, not open to new ideas or discussion about anything he hasn't done before!

 

If I were PAYING a boatbuilder with my money he/she would be doing as I requested, they are not building/fitting it out for their use with their money.

 

Tim

[greenboater]

I totally agree but it's difficult to pin him down to specifics and I'm a 100 miles away and only possible to get there once a week to check on what's being done. I'm embarrassed to say I went about the whole situation in completely the wrong way - almost how not to go about having a boat built. Saying that tho' I do think he knows what he's talking about it's more that I don't!

[Texasboater]

Check out those flame loos on You Tube. One in particular is pretty disgusting. The Company that makes them also has some vids. Looked to me like you would need a chimney that Fred Dibnah would be proud of !!

[peterboat]

Hi Peter,

 

When you say your pumpout failed twice - what was the problem? I understand that you can dispose of wee on waste land but I didn't want the hassle of storing it and then having to carry it around. Which is why I was so keen on the Flame incinerating loo.

 

Thanks for the advice tho' - I'm beginning to realise that my boatbuilder is not very flexible, not open to new ideas or discussion about anything he hasn't done before!

It was about 2 days after I picked up the boat 5 of us on the boat and it just expired fortunately the seller replaced it free it was a lee sanitation macerater never found out what went wrong. The second time was in Stone we had been for a curry which gave us serious trotts my then partner managed to drop a button down the loo wrecking it completely. The last and final straw for me was when we were frozen in for months just as the nearly full lean started. I sold the boat soon after and looked at none with pumpouts.

 

Peter