Composting Toilet

for what it's worth, this is the one on our sailboat:

http://airheadtoilet.com/

If it aint broke don't fix it.

also i'd be interested to see where most municipalities stand on placing it in a public compost bin. those industrial compost piles most likely get hot enough to kill most the pathogens but i'm not sure. i know they don't want you putting dog or cat feces in them because of the potential bacteria.

i would plan on using the compost...but if you fill up before you can make it home there are other options.

plus i'd say it would still hold several advantages over black tanks or cassette toilets. separating the liquids and solids so you have a solids tank that can last for weeks. the moss or coco coir you put in there begins the composting process so that doesn't reek when you empty it. also you have something that you can empty somewhere besides an rv dump.

What would be the POINT of having a composting toilet if you are not going to use the finished compost on your garden or someone else's?

Because that's what a real composting toilet does -- it turns poop into healthy fertilizer for growing plants. The result is not something you dispose of in a sewer.

sleepy wrote:
To haul somewhat expensive peat bricks would be a pain for me. The $1,000 composter plus tax, shipping, parts etc might be a good price, I don't know... but you have to remove an expensive system that functions well and that you had just paid for when you bought the truck camper.

If you're doing a custom build or your toilet takes a **** on you (pun intended) is probably more the target audience.

sleepy wrote:
Now, with my breif read... the deal killer for me is having to maintain the unit at 55°F or higher... that would be a pain... I have been in Yellowstone when it was 10°F at night and stayed in the area for long periods..... what do you do with the cold, wet, peet/poop when it won't compost? when the urine won't evaporite? Can you use a pump to empty it? Or do you have to disassemble it to take the base tank somewhere to empty it?

Our camper is always at 65 degrees during the winter, even if it's below zero outside. toilet is in the bathroom, which is heated, so no problamo. with 2 20lb tanks of propane we can last just over 3 weeks in single digits. urine doesn't evaporate. they're stored separately and you dump the gallon (or so) jug whenever it's full. the poop should be fairly dry so it shouldn't freeze too solid even if it does freeze.

sleepy wrote:
Our first truck camper had a Porta Potty... 1969/1970, it was heavy when I was young... now it would be impossible for me much of the time. But knowing how much effort that took and how often.... on the composter 40 pounds vrs opening a valve....no way, I'm getting close to middle age (if I live to 150 or more.)

keep in mind since urine is separate it won't be like the porta potty. no urine in that compartment means 40 less pounds per week!

sleepy wrote:
Do I have to haul extra propane or put the composter between me and my wife under the comforter to keep it warm?

again it's in the heated bathroom (at least in my camper it would be) so no extra heat just keep your camper heated.

sleepy wrote:
I hope that one of you will install a composter... share the install, and report your experiences.

hopefully i'll get one and i'll definitely report back. could be at least a few months though.

I just looked a both products...

Reading the favorable comments (only favorable ones are in the links).... but Odor is mentioned a lot.

To haul somewhat expensive peat bricks would be a pain for me. The $1,000 composter plus tax, shipping, parts etc might be a good price, I don't know... but you have to remove an expensive system that functions well and that you had just paid for when you bought the truck camper.

Now, with my breif read... the deal killer for me is having to maintain the unit at 55°F or higher... that would be a pain... I have been in Yellowstone when it was 10°F at night and stayed in the area for long periods..... what do you do with the cold, wet, peet/poop when it won't compost? when the urine won't evaporite? Can you use a pump to empty it? Or do you have to disassemble it to take the base tank somewhere to empty it?

The volume of the composter units is actually quiet small which is a plus... until it doen't have the correct conditions to function properly.... then I'd have to find a new solution every couple of days. I'd probably shut it down and use a Home Depot bucket and do what I'll be a lot of others do.... pour it over the side when no one was looking... never complain, it might prevent a sale in the future.

Our first truck camper had a Porta Potty... 1969/1970, it was heavy when I was young... now it would be impossible for me much of the time. But knowing how much effort that took and how often.... on the composter 40 pounds vrs opening a valve....no way, I'm getting close to middle age (if I live to 150 or more.)

Do I have to haul extra propane or put the composter between me and my wife under the comforter to keep it warm?

So far... 15 minutes to use a dump station doen't sound so bad... It take 2X as long to fill the freshwater tank... and I'd have to do it anyway.

I hope that one of you will install a composter... share the install, and report your experiences.

BTW... I have one of the few models of TC's that is 11' 11", the biggest TC's made.... none are over 12 feet long in the bed... so size does matter. I don't have room for the stool that I'd need to climb up and perch... I need it to get in the bed already

19" deep, 18" wide and 20" tall. there is no separate large holding tank so it's all contained within that space. someone apparently fit one in their lance 850 so i'd say there's plenty of space in most larger truck campers. http://airheadtoilet.com/testimonials/http://airheadtoilet.com/testimonials/ they've got some pics at the link.

again, they might not work for everyone. site says 1 month of solid waste from two people before it has to be emptied. works perfect for me. i can take a trip for up to a month, come home, let it compost for a few days or weeks before we leave on our next trip. or take a week or two trip, come home without the worry of the black tank freezing or needing to empty it and i can take another two week trip. i think they said the smelly part of the composting process is done within a couple days. the bottom bucket detaches from the assembly and you can put it into a bag and toss it in the trash or use it as compost (on non-edibles).

you can use coco coir bricks for your medium that goes in the tank. they've very compressed.

i think they said the full load of solids is around 40 pounds, so, not light but doable for most.

since it's all contained in the cabin it needs no extra heat (provided you keep it at least 55 inside. the fan runs 24/7 but only uses about 2 ah a day if i remember correctly. there's an agitator to assist in the composting process, give it a few turns after you use it then let it sit.

there seems to be lots of people who love them in rv's and boats. i'm sure it's not a perfect solution but neither is a black tank in my opinion.

Back to the composting toilet: Questions...

How big are the composter toilets?

What is the smallest size that will function?

Where do you haul the "mulch" that you have to add to the evaporated solids? How much do you have to haul?

How lomg do you have to wait to remove the compost?

How do you get it out of the composter? shovels or buckets?

Our Lance 1161 truck camper is 11' 11" in the bed, about as big as they get.

We have less than 16 sq ft of floor space between the water tank and the rear cabinates... the other areas to stand are the shower pan and the inside steps going out the door on the passenger side.

Space is very limited in our TRUCK CAMPER... I had to search hard and measure carefully just to add our Platcat vented catalytic heater... it sticks out in the walk space 3 1/2" and is less than 14" along the side... i.e., about the size of a box of cereal stuck on the wall at floor level.

I have no more room to give inside the living area.... It would be a bugger of a job to remove the existing holding tanks,and add a new system. then after filling them and having too wait how long to shovel out the compost?

Note... We personally dump our built in holding tanks every 7 to days and take on fresh potable water. We have done it this way for all of our trsvels... 49 states and most of Canada since 2003.... and as I have mentioned before a whole lot of nights avoiding camp grounds... 1245 so far... every day just forr recreation... we don't live in the camper even though it might seem that way to some folks.

I'm pretty sure that it is too late for us to change waste treatment but composting might be perfect for some of you

I hope to see more comments and information... it is never to late to learn.

Thanks for sharing.

Chet