Composting vs cassette toilet vs pump out

[Texasboater]

https://youtu.be/dYR6GPmDzVM?list=PLG5YKEqC5FquFfv8wzgz3OuVpJbZWBh2H

 

 

How to for composting loo.

[fergyguy]

Hi I saw that video as part of my research. ..don't think we intend using ours to serve tea on lol

[pophops]

I got froze in with my last boat the pump out turned into a nightmare!! In the end I had to get a tanker down to pump out the loo Composting loo now no hassles

I made it clear I was speaking only for myself. I'm not a 'proper' boater (holidays and weekends only) so I'm unlikely to get frozen in.

Just gave my point of view. Wouldn't dream of criticising others for their choice.

[peterboat]

I made it clear I was speaking only for myself. I'm not a 'proper' boater (holidays and weekends only) so I'm unlikely to get frozen in.

Just gave my point of view. Wouldn't dream of criticising others for their choice.

No problems, but for Martin he has to make the right choice he is going to CC so he doesnt want to be looking for pumpouts or elsan disposal points on a to regular basis [no pun intended]. As it is a new build it would be nice to get it right first time not second

[TheBiscuits]

We replaced a cassette with a composting loo. We would not have had a pumpout in the first place.

 

We have a Separett separator which works well, and are firmly in the camp that "my body separates it, so there is no benefit in mixing it back together!"

 

A gallon of urine is no big problem to dispose of, and we do so every day. We empty the "solids" every month whether we need to or not.

 

100 gallons of partially fermented mixed waste would be a nightmare, even if the magic pumpout takes it away. We also do not like "splashy fishes" so dry waste works fine.

 

The solar panel sorts out the desiccator fan so we do not begrudge the electric to keep it running,

 

We do not use a system that requires extra dry cover material to be added, so are not adding to the waste.

 

We do rather startle our boaty friends by not wincing if they need to use the loo!

[peterboat]

We replaced a cassette with a composting loo. We would not have had a pumpout in the first place.

 

We have a Separett separator which works well, and are firmly in the camp that "my body separates it, so there is no benefit in mixing it back together!"

 

A gallon of urine is no big problem to dispose of, and we do so every day. We empty the "solids" every month whether we need to or not.

 

100 gallons of partially fermented mixed waste would be a nightmare, even if the magic pumpout takes it away. We also do not like "splashy fishes" so dry waste works fine.

 

The solar panel sorts out the desiccator fan so we do not begrudge the electric to keep it running,

 

We do not use a system that requires extra dry cover material to be added, so are not adding to the waste.

 

We do rather startle our boaty friends by not wincing if they need to use the loo!

Same loo as mine nearly five years or might be six very pleased with it although fan is getting noisy so new one needed very soon

[Starcoaster]

My water tank lasts a month. My pump out tank lasts 3+ months. It all depends on the size you have installed.

 

I've never used a composting loo so can't comment on them. I love the idea of them but they're very bulky and need a constant 12v draw, albeit a low one

 

People use the term "cassette toilet" to also mean more than one sort of loo: the porta potti and the fitted cassette toilet. The former is little more than a glorified bucket which fills in about two days and the top has to be detached from the base and put somewhere while you walk the bottom half to an Elsan point to pour the lumpy waste down a giant toilet. The latter is built in, often the cassettes have greater capacity but the emptying method is the same. I've used both types and like neither of them: too much faff, the need to store spare cassettes or worse: full ones, they often dribble when being transported or removed, plus having to get so up close and personal with one's waste isn't my idea of fun twice a week. Also I've yet to use one on anyone's boat that doesn't smell either of poo or chemicals. People get used to their own loo smelling and don't always realise how it smells to other people.

 

I have some technical corrections here...

some composting toilets do not need a 12v supply. See here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/compostingloos/

"The former is little more than a glorified bucket" I can't agree-portapottis might have used to look like this:

 

But today they look like these two:

A porta potti fills in the exact same time as a fitted cassette-they have the same 21l bottom half, aside from the now rarely-seen smaller ones-no one that I know has a small one.

Maybe even less fast, if your cassette has a flush connected to your water system... they are also the same height as a regular bog (another thing people often assume is that they are lower), and not like some pumpouts that I have used with small tanks under them, leg-swingingly high in the air!

 

When you detach the top from the base, you put it onto the next cassette... The same as you would with a fitted one? Either type's users may or may not have a spare, but anyone who lives aboard will, for this purpose at least.

I've never noticed the waste to be lumpy, and the emptying hole in my nearest elsan is maybe 3" across, so I'm sure I'd have noticed.

I can't agree that they often dribble either, when they get old you may need to replace the seals, but that is something you'd keep an eye on as part of your usual maintenance, because nobody wants sewage dribbling down their leg when walking, us primitive bucket crappers aren't actual swamp monsters!

It's true, some people can't hack the sight/smell of emptying a cassette-it doesn't phase me, but I think the fragrant chemical crap helps with that.

Conversely, the pump out at a certain large marina smells so horrendous when in use that I could not get within 20ft of the hose without feeling ill, it was a smell like nothing on earth, a lot worse than a cassette! However, the yard I use also has a pump out that does not smell in use at all.

[bargemast]

 

I have some technical corrections here...

some composting toilets do not need a 12v supply. See here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/compostingloos/

"The former is little more than a glorified bucket" I can't agree-portapottis might have used to look like this:

 

That's the right link, it's the same one as the one in post # 22 which doesn'do any harm, the more chance people get to make a better decision about the toilet system that's the best for them, the better.

 

Peter.

[adam1uk]

We are still contemplating a composting loo but the only one that would fit in the bathroom is the Airhead but that looks so ugly.

We have a wooden seat on ours, which makes it look a lot better.

 

Picture on the blog here: http://nbbriarrose.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/post-blacking-cruise-day-1.html

[the barnacle]

i think it depends on family size and use - if i were on my own compost looks perfect from the video posted earlier. plus no pipework and once in a while a good clean would have the toliet like new,

[BlueStringPudding]

We had our pump out taken out just over a year ago, and replaced it with a composting loo. We wouldn't go back. We're not liveaboards, and this means that we can empty the solids bin at the start of a trip, when it's been left for a few weeks to go dry and crumbly. There's no need to store it for months -- it all goes in a bag and into the bin. Emptying isn't the most fun thing you'll ever do, but neither is it unpleasant. The main thing to get it working right is to make sure no urine gets into the solids bin, which means everyone sits down on every visit, to aid separation. The pee bottle needs to be emptied every day, and this can be done at an Elsan, or its fine to be tipped into a hedgerow. CRT say not to empty it into the canal, as urine is a fertiliser and it encourages weed growth. I suppose the one slight downside is that the loo needs a 12 volt fan running all the time to dry out the contents. The draw is small, but it's still there.

 

We spoke to several people with composting loos on their boats before we took the plunge, and as I say none of us would go back. The loo doesn't smell like the pump out did, it's a long time between empties, and it uses no water. It's the way forward!

 

The emptying several days of pee into the hedges thing sounds great if you've never moored on a hot day where someone has done that. The whole towpath area stinks of pee. It's revolting. All the more delightful if you arrive on a colder day unaware it's been used as a latrine, and then the sun comes out a day later - it gagging. If more and more people opt for composting loos and do that, the canal system will smell like an innercity underpass. I'm all for composting loos, but the waste needs disposing of considerately.

Edited May 23, 2016 by BlueStringPudding

[BlueStringPudding]

Maybe if you read the stories of people that are users of composting toilets,( that can be as small as a porta-pottie) of which many where sure that they would never change their potable loo or pumpout loo against a composting version, you'll read that they're all very happy, and would absolutely NEVER go back to their previous systems, you'll have a better idea of make a toilet choice for your (new) boat.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/compostingloos/?ref=ts&fref=ts

 

Peter.

 

Can't say I've ever seen a composting loo that's as small as a porta potti. At least not other than a homemade bucket and sawdust one that requires very frequent emptying. The dry waste still takes 6 months to compost down, as I understand it and so needs to be stored or buried in a hole in the ground till that's done. So it's not without chores.

 

I did a lot of research into them while having my bathroom refit this winter just gone. All of the ones on the market (I didn't want a bucket type) were way too bulky for my bathroom and needed vent pipes running and holes cut in the roof or hull, and so were not an adequate replacement for my old macerator ceramic bowl, normal sized loo. So I bought another new macerator, ceramic bowl, normal sized loo instead

 

I like the idea of composting loos but want the tech to improve and design to significantly improve before I seriously consider it as an option. But that's just my choice.

 

But if you're having a new boat built then your options are much wider - you can build the bathroom around the loo of you choice if you want to opt for a composting loo.

[I Spartacus]

I have found this thread most interesting, having read previous topics regarding composting toilets I can see how views have changed regarding this subject. As I am at a stage of planning my new boat I have found the information and views in this thread very useful.

 

I have always liked the idea about the composting toilet but also liked the idea of a pump-out.. as the OP asked how much water would it save a day, I also would be interested in this, how much water do these flush systems use per flush, at a guess I was thinking 2.5 lt but I have no idea.

 

Good input by all regarding this subject and a joy reading.

 

Mark

[Lysander]

I have always liked the idea about the composting toilet but also liked the idea of a pump-out.. as the OP asked how much water would it save a day, I also would be interested in this, how much water do these flush systems use per flush, at a guess I was thinking 2.5 lt but I have no idea.

 

 

We have a Vetus system. The Eco option uses 3 litres, the Normal, 4 litres.

[peterboat]

I think the pee smell is overegging the point I have been disposing of the pee for years now and no smell, this might be down to different spots chosen or the amount of rain we have to wash it in.

The grass is greener where I have poured it though so some good has come of it

I could never go back to pumpout or cassette both have problems that for me make them unsuitable

The solid part of my waste is given to a friend for his composting bin so is easy got rid of and he says soon disappears when his worms get to work

We have a Vetus system. The Eco option uses 3 litres, the Normal, 4 litres.

Thats a lot of water Martin time that by number of uses per day x 14 and thats how much water you need just for the loo

[ditchcrawler]

 

Thats a lot of water Martin time that by number of uses per day x 14 and thats how much water you need just for the loo

That is why I went for a dump through and not a vac or macerate , about a cup full per flush

[peterboat]

That is why I went for a dump through and not a vac or macerate , about a cup full per flush

My macerator toilet broke twice a right pain dump throughs are better

[fergyguy]

so far its looking like composting loo is going to be the way to go..plenty of time to find the right one for us..and ventilation system can then be built into the boats design so it should look neat and tidy.

[BlueStringPudding]

Macerator and dump through loos all use different amounts of flush water. Mine can dry empty so on water is wasted when just flushing pee. It also has an economy flush and full flush each using different amounts of water. Like I said before, just coz someone says theirs uses loads of water it doesn't mean everyone's does.

[magictime]

 

The emptying several days of pee into the hedges thing sounds great if you've never moored on a hot day where someone has done that. The whole towpath area stinks of pee. It's revolting. All the more delightful if you arrive on a colder day unaware it's been used as a latrine, and then the sun comes out a day later - it gagging. If more and more people opt for composting loos and do that, the canal system will smell like an innercity underpass. I'm all for composting loos, but the waste needs disposing of considerately.

 

...which is a pretty major stumbling block if 'considerately' means 'in a toilet or Elsan', because it puts you in the cassette user's position of having to plan your moving and mooring around the need to access an appropriate facility every couple of days. I suppose it would often be easy enough to find somewhere more out-of-the-way than the towpath to empty out, but it's still extra hassle. I wonder if some sort of filtration system, to make the urine suitable for disposal in the canal, might be workable? Ideally a plumbed-in system that just takes the diverted urine from the loo, filters it and sends it overboard.

[Starcoaster]

CRT have veto'd this idea, because the nitrate (or maybe nitrites, I can't recall) would lead to too much greenery growth in the canal if everyone did it.

[ditchcrawler]

From blogs I have read I think you will find some do dump it in the canal.

[Mendip-Locks]

CRT have veto'd this idea, because the nitrate (or maybe nitrites, I can't recall) would lead to too much greenery growth in the canal if everyone did it.

I think there is mileage in the idea of pumping the pee over the side if it is treated to be safe to return to the canal.

My idea being a reversal of Kevins idea to turn canal water to drinking water found here. http://wbavalon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/water-filtration-plant.html#comment-form

Would that work?

[peterboat]

I think there is mileage in the idea of pumping the pee over the side if it is treated to be safe to return to the canal.

My idea being a reversal of Kevins idea to turn canal water to drinking water found here. http://wbavalon.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/water-filtration-plant.html#comment-form

Would that work?

Apparently its the sodium and nitrates that are the problem and these are hard to filter out!! google is your friend

[adam1uk]

The emptying several days of pee into the hedges thing sounds great if you've never moored on a hot day where someone has done that. The whole towpath area stinks of pee. It's revolting. All the more delightful if you arrive on a colder day unaware it's been used as a latrine, and then the sun comes out a day later - it gagging. If more and more people opt for composting loos and do that, the canal system will smell like an innercity underpass. I'm all for composting loos, but the waste needs disposing of considerately.

Compared to the amount of urine deposited in any given field by a herd of cows or a flock of sheep, one pee bottle is minuscule. I can't say I've particularly noticed a pee smell emanating from every grazing field we've passed.