compost toilet for 17' Casita

[Rattlesnake Joe]

Anyone know anything about these expensive compost toilets for rv's? Found the cheapest one on the net for $875. I have had a leaky toilet for some time now. Tried to fix leak and failed. Don't want to buy a regular $200 plastic toilet for 17' Casita because I am almost 300lbs and 6'3" tall. I may just be too much weight for the plastic toilets ha.

[charliej]

Joe, I don't know about composting toilets, but you can install a porcelain Sealand toilet in the casita. It's just like home. Larry at little house installs them and could probably guide you on doing your own. It's on my to do list.

[kirkman]

Here is my favorite one it is designed for use on a boat. Very strong!
Nature's Head Composting Toilets - The environmentally sustainable waterless toilet for Your Boat, RV, Cabin, Big Rig, Barn, Workshop, or Yurt!

[deryk]

I contemplated it...heard airhead is a good one. Im happy with my porta potty


Deryk

[David Tilston]

I am not sure how composting toilets cost so much. The alternative is a 5 gallon pail with a seat.
Throw in some peat moss when you are done, stir and put the lid on. Just don’t urinate in it.

[Bob Miller]

Dometic makes a very nice porcelain loo for less than $150. I have installed three of them and every one is happy with the "Just like home" feel. Add to that a maceator (?) system and you will be set.....

[deryk]

I boondocked all last year, so I like the idea of not haveing a blackwater tank. The places I stayed all had either outhouses or porta johns so you could dump a porta potty in it, or the pee diverter bottle on the composting head. I was giving it alot of thought!

deryk

Air Head Dry Toilet: Marine Composting Toilet with Compact Convenience: How it Works

[Larry C Hanson]

Hello Joe,

Have been using a Nature's Head for 4 years full time.
It is much easier to deal with than a normal RV toilet
and black water holding tank. I think it would be
strong enough to support you.

GL Larry H

[deryk]

Looks Great Larry! Yeah I am in agreement... the black water tank is great if your staying in an rv park... but if your heading out into the woods the composting toilet is real nice. I contemplated installing one on my last boat when I rebuilt the pump assembly and 2 months later was acting up again... its nice just pour out the pee bottle and your good to go!

deryk

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Larry C Hanson

Hello Joe,

Have been using a Nature's Head for 4 years full time.
It is much easier to deal with than a normal RV toilet
and black water holding tank. I think it would be
strong enough to support you.

GL Larry H

I'm glad to have the opportunity to ask some questions about composting toilets of someone with long experience:

How do these toilets accelerate a process that under ordinary circumstances takes a relatively long time to happen? ( That is, transformation of the waste to a pathogen free and more or less odor-neutral material.)

And

What do you do with the "compost"?

Thanks!

Francesca

[Larry C Hanson]

Hi Francesca,

The Airhead and Nature's head are different from
the normal composting toilet in that they separate the liquid and solid wastes. The liquid goes in the
front bottle and can be disposed of in a campground head or? The solids go in the rear compartment and are mixed with peat moss when the handle is cranked. It takes about 2 gallons of peat moss to start the thing. With just one
person using it full time the liquids need to be emptied every third day and the solids every 2-3 weeks. Since the solids are mixed with peat moss they do not smell bad. I usually service mine
late in the afternoon after having used it in the morning. The waste can go in the trash in a paper grocery bag. I'm not sure if it is the best thing for the land fill, but it is surely not as bad as all the paints and other stuff people dispose of. Since I use mine all the time I have a finishing chamber I put it in for a month before disposing of it. After that time in the big plastic vented tub it just smells like the peat moss. It is probably not pathogen
free like the big home units put out? Not sure on that.

A true home style large composting toilet has a
much bigger chamber for the wastes to decompose
in. The chamber must be kept at least at 55F or
the composting action will stop. That is why most
of the home ones have some sort of heating
element to make sure the composting does not
stop. Also, the large units have to evaporate all
the liquid and/or have a provision for overflow
of the liquid waste into some sort of container or
system.

When I use the toilet I have a bottle of water/vinegar mixture that I squirt about a tablespoon's
worth in the front part of the bowl after each use.
It also helps to rinse the front liquid container after
emptying but it is not absolutely necessary.
Also, I do not put toilet tissue into the rear bin but
have a small covered bucket to deposit it in.
WARNING: Always remember to open the little door
that covers the waste bin. Forgetting to do so can
make an unpleasant mess.


For casual use of a RV I think these are just the
ticket. Here are links to the two small simple ones
that I am aware of.

Nature's Head Composting Toilets - The environmentally sustainable waterless toilet for Your Boat, RV, Cabin, Big Rig, Barn, Workshop, or Yurt!
Air Head Dry Toilet: Marine Composting Toilets - Environmentally Friendly Marine Composting Toilet System

Please feel free to ask any other questions.

Take Care, Larry

[Francesca Knowles]

That's very interesting, Larry!

I had no idea that liquids were separated and that bulking agents were added to the solids...

The thing is, it's hard for me to see the advantage over a regular porta-potty if one still need empty the liquids in an appropriate place. About 95% of what we humans excrete is liquid, and if one doesn't put paper in the unit there are no "discernable" solids when a porta-potty is emptied. And the former Health Inspector in me is uneasy about the notion of putting essentially untreated adult human excrement in a dumpster....

On the other hand, my own ability to rationalize these things has somehow made it O.K. to dispose of my own toilet paper that way! ...

Thanks for the information!

Francesca

[David Tilston]

Larry, Why is toilet paper not compostable?

[Larry C Hanson]

Hello David,
Toilet paper is compostable but the solids chambers in
these little toilets fill up before true composting takes place
I believe. To me it is more of a feces drier than a
composter except in summer where the 'pile' stays
quite warm. The reason I don't put paper in the toilet
is that the toilet seems harder to crank sooner so
that more frequent emptying is required. I generally
wait until the cranking becomes difficult before service.
Larry H

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

Why is toilet paper not compostable?

It is - the linked Nature's Head site says to put the tissue in with the solid wastes... although it will break down more slowly. In their Installation and Users Guide, they say:

Toilet paper is typically placed in the toilet. Since paper products do not decompose as quickly as solid wastes, they will be visible long after the solid matter has broken down. Any type of toilet paper is acceptable; less substantial brands (such as marine or RV paper) will compost the quickest.

Larry explained why it makes sense for him to not put it in, which makes sense to me... although perhaps not enough to convince me to handle it separately.

[Francesca Knowles]

The toilet paper problem is one that has occupied my thoughts for some time.

(Side note: I try not to think about what this says about my priorities...)

Anyway...

Toilet paper is the number one scourge of RV loos large and small. In porta-potties, it plugs/hangs up at emptying time; in black-tank equipped units there's the condition known as "The Poo Pyramid"- wrongly named in my opinion since it's composed almost entirely of contaminated paper- "poopier mache", if you will. HUGE quantities of perfectly clean water must be added to the tank solely to prevent this problem, and to flush all that stuff out. What a waste!

What if a nice, neat means of paper disposal were available for the prevention of these dread conditions?

My latest R&D project surrounding this important question has to do with the perfection of an invention that will cleanly and instantly incinerate toilet paper. So far, most details as to how it will work elude me but I expect it to take the RV world by storm when I'm finally ready to roll out an invention that presently exists only by way of the name I've given it:

FRANCESCA'S HANDY DANDY INSTINKERATOR ®™



Francesca

[Thomas G.]

Anyone that has traveled in Latin America has seen the stinky little wastebaskets next to all the toilets. So, separating the used toilet paper has precedent, though I can't say that that I like it.

[Francesca Knowles]

It's true that paper-separating can be gross if not properly done...which of course means "the way I do it.

If one uses paper towels instead of tissue and is a "buncher" rather than a "sheet-counting folder", grossing-out is reduced to the barest minimum. A sprinkle of borax in the dedicated, kept-closed plastic bag...done!

Francesca

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Anyone that has traveled in Latin America has seen the stinky little wastebaskets next to all the toilets. So, separating the used toilet paper has precedent, though I can't say that that I like it.

Ha, you don't have to even leave the U.S. of A. to find that.

It's also a carryover in the U.S. by ex-pats of those countries, that have to seperate out paper due to marginal sewer systems, to the south of us.

Here in SoCal it's common to see wastebaskets placed beside toilets, not because we need to seperate used tissues, but to keep piles of soiled tissue off the floor where it will be thrown unless there is a basket.

When in Rome... yadda, yadda, yadda

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

The toilet paper problem is one that has occupied my thoughts for some time.

My thoughts tend to be occupied with more pleasing thoughts. But hey, to each their own.