Composting toilet anyone?

[Amarmstr]

My daughter bought a trailer and is going to live in it on our property. She is looking at a Nature’s Head composting toilet. Has anyone installed one of these or something similar in their trailer?

Thanks!

[PlayersZ28]

There's a ton of info including videos of install/usage/mods for composting toilets on the net. For a parked trailer it would save dumping. If it's going to be on hookups then probably not needed.

[Al97]

I recommend the C-Head composting toilet. I just put one in my new Jayco trailer so I never have to deal with the black tank....ever.


It is less expensive than the other brands but is very simple and ingenious in concept and gets great reviews.

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by Al97

I recommend the C-Head composting toilet. I just put one in my new Jayco trailer so I never have to deal with the black tank....ever.


It is less expensive than the other brands but is very simple and ingenious in concept and gets great reviews.

I wouldn't mind putting one in my fiver as it's the black tank that limits our boondocking stays although we can go ~2 weeks with the 50g

[Bassdogs]

There have been several threads on the subject of composting toilets over the last couple of years. My sense is that there is a whole lot of miss information and lack of understanding how these things work and what it takes to keep them working. One thing to keep in mind is that if you disconnect the regular toilet to make space for the compost unit you would have to reinstall it later if the use pattern were to change.

These things are expensive and take an adventuresome sort of person to "enjoy" all that is involved in keeping one of these things healthy and functioning as intended. The occasional grinding of peat or straw into the solid waste is one of the typical duties of ownership. The composting process takes weeks or months to cycle thru and in the meantime you have solid dehydrated human waste mixed with peat in a container at the bottom of the unit. This could be trading what some feel is a discusting process of emptying the black tank into a tote and then dumping the contents into a septic or sewer system for a different but similar process of pulling the compacted bag of solid material and disposing of it somewhere???.

[SloPoke]

Here is a healthy (ha ha... pun intended) discussion on the same subject, along with lots of external reference and opinions. A MUST READ for anyone considering the CT.

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...eca-41542.html

Honestly, These things remind me of when I used to have to dump the "Porta-Potty" in our old trailer. I eventually made a rule that "The first person who uses the Porta-Potty on a trip, is the one who is responsible for emptying it when we return from the trip - No exceptions on who it is". It was NEVER used again!

[SloPoke]

If you have the only place to dispose of this is to Bury it - based on the law. Putting it in domestic trash containers is not allowed.

Regarding byproduct regulation, several US states permit disposal of solids from composting toilets (usually a distinction between different types of dry toilets is not made) by burial, with varying or no minimum depth mandates (as little as 6 inches). For instance:

Massachusetts: "Residuals from the composting toilet system must be buried on-site and covered with a minimum of six inches of clean compacted soil.[22] Massachusetts requires that any liquids produced but, "not recycled through the toilet [itself be] either discharged through a greywater system on the property that includes a septic tank and soil absorption system, or removed by a licensed septage hauler."[22]
Oregon: "Humus from composting toilets may be used around ornamental shrubs, flowers, trees, or fruit trees and shall be buried under at least twelve inches of soil cover."[23]
Rhode Island: "Solids produced by alternative toilets may be buried on site," while, "residuals shall not be applied to food crops."[24]
Virginia: "All materials removed from a composting privy shall be buried," and "compost material shall not be placed in vegetable gardens or on the ground surface."[25]
Vermont: "Byproducts may be disposed via "...shallow burial in a location approved by the Agency that meets the minimum site conditions [required for an onsite septic tank-based sanitation system]."[26]
Washington: models its extensive regulations for what it refers to as "waterless toilets" on the federal regulations that govern sewage sludge.[27]


"Heck, if I have to go dig a hole out there to empty this darn thing... I might as well squat over that hole now and save myself the gag of emptying it later" -- Mike J.

[PlayersZ28]

I would think that most users of composting toilets dispose of the processed solid matter in a regular garbage can. When we pick up after the dog while out for a walk the little bag goes into the garbage, can't be any worse than that.

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by PlayersZ28

I would think that most users of composting toilets dispose of the processed solid matter in a regular garbage can. When we pick up after the dog while out for a walk the little bag goes into the garbage, can't be any worse than that.

Maybe so but there is a big difference on the laws for handling human waste and animal waste. The states vary but when one of your neighbors notices what you are doing [after you brag about the new toilet] you might be surprised when there is a knock on your door and an official looking vehicle in your drive.

I'm not going to drop a dime on my neighbor as where I live is very rural but in most urban areas you never know.

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

Maybe so but there is a big difference on the laws for handling human waste and animal waste. The states vary but when one of your neighbors notices what you are doing [after you brag about the new toilet] you might be surprised when there is a knock on your door and an official looking vehicle in your drive.

I'm not going to drop a dime on my neighbor as where I live is very rural but in most urban areas you never know.

They must do things different down in your area then. Up here (and pretty much everywhere) human waste is considered non-hazardous and can go out in regular garbage. The stuff coming out of those toilets is better for the environment than what ends up in diapers and those go in regular garbage as well.

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by PlayersZ28

They must do things different down in your area then. Up here (and pretty much everywhere) human waste is considered non-hazardous and can go out in regular garbage. The stuff coming out of those toilets is better for the environment than what ends up in diapers and those go in regular garbage as well.

That is a bold statement and I would have to challenge your "pretty much everywhere" human waste is considered non-hazardous statement. Supporting evidence please??

Each of us need to make there own decision if they are considering a CT. I have stated my opinion and stand by it. In reality almost all RV uses of a CT unit amount to little more than a fancy/expensive version of a porta-potty as the human deposits in them are slightly dehydrated p^^p mixed with straw and a separate container of urine that have to be emptied at the end of a 3/5 or 7 day camping trip. In a long term use environment they have a chance of working as intended however "time" and "capacity" then come into consideration.

As an alternative to a standard RV system where a dump station is close by, it makes little sense to spend north of $1500+ and still have to handle human waste in a bag vs a tote with wheels.

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

That is a bold statement and I would have to challenge your "pretty much everywhere" human waste is considered non-hazardous statement. Supporting evidence please??

Each of us need to make there own decision if they are considering a CT. I have stated my opinion and stand by it. In reality almost all RV uses of a CT unit amount to little more than a fancy/expensive version of a porta-potty as the human deposits in them are slightly dehydrated p^^p mixed with straw and a separate container of urine that have to be emptied at the end of a 3/5 or 7 day camping trip. In a long term use environment they have a chance of working as intended however "time" and "capacity" then come into consideration.

As an alternative to a standard RV system where a dump station is close by, it makes little sense to spend north of $1500+ and still have to handle human waste in a bag vs a tote with wheels.

Here's alink to some reading I did: Where To Responsibly Empty Your Composting Toilet — Live Small | Ride Free - Sustainable Solar Powered RV

A porta-potti is a toilet seat strapped to a black tank. Nothing happens in there except storage. A composting toilet uses either peat moss or coconut coir as a medium to compost the waste materials (not straw, that's for horses). Once it's done it's safe to spread on your lawn if you wanted to.

If all you do is go on weekend or week long trips and setup where there's a dump station then there's zero reason to have a CT unless one believes them to be nice and green. For people that boondock for extended periods then it saves packing up and heading the to dump every 10-15 days.

If you have no need for one then it doesn't matter how the whole thing works. I've run into people while boondocking that have them and think they're the best thing. Especially in a small RV where there is very little space for a tank. I have no need for one at this point, if I had to choose between a porta-potti and a CT then it would be an easy choice.

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by PlayersZ28

A porta-potti is a toilet seat strapped to a black tank. Nothing happens in there except storage. A composting toilet uses either peat moss or coconut coir as a medium to compost the waste materials (not straw, that's for horses). Once it's done it's safe to spread on your lawn if you wanted to.

.

Straw or peat or coconut hair they are all medium that [drum roll] over time help the composting process take place. So back to my reference to a porta potty, without allowing the time that it takes for the composting to Work, a CT toilet is an expensive porta potty that stores dehydrated P^^p in a bag. 3 or 4 days, even a week later the stuff in the bag is still dehydrated P**p in that bag. Miixing in a straw like medium without time does little more than assisting in the dehydrating process.

An on the last part, we are in agreement, there are uses for a CT unit but most people don't understand the basics of how they work and find out too late that it was a bad idea.

The link you provided offers an opinion but falls well short of proving that this stuff is legal and safe in most locations.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by PlayersZ28

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For people that boondock for extended periods then it saves packing up and heading the to dump every 10-15 days.

That is not the real world experience our friends have at their cabin. A small family of four with two kids 6 & 9yrs.

The easy part -- They have to empty the liquid container every day, or risk it overflowing. Removing the container, carrying it out of their little bathroom, thru the kitchen and out the door. Fortunately for them, they don't have neighboors that are looking over their shoulder every time they go out the door to watch them find a place to pour bright yellow pee (pungent at times too).

The part I refuse to do after watching them -- Emptying the solids every 7-10 days. (more often if anyone has loose stool or diarrhea as they don't handle wet waste well) If you wish, you can try to work on the CT where it sits in the bathroom, get on your knees and your face in the aroma of the matter at hand. Gloves and protective gear on and start taking it apart, extract the waste that has not had enough time to adequately dry and compost (2-6 months) The real world is that it does stink until it has had a couple of months to actually compost. When you have to empty the CT every 10 days, you are emptying human waste and desiccant fiber from a container, NOT COMPOSTED Waste, it has not composted yet.

When this waste is placed in a sealed up plastic bag, the composting process ends right there, to break down the remaining solids, four components need to be in place - oxygen, aerobic bacteria, heat, and moisture. You still have a bag of human feces that is not safe to spread on your yard (I would challenge anyone to try - then call your Hazmat / fire-dept to come and clean it up)

If you are truly going to really compost the waste, you then need a composting station set up somewhere nearby (as far as possible down-wind from where you live on the property) to empty your bag of coconut poop into your composting station and continue the process for another 6 months until it is fully composted.

[PlayersZ28]

The OP hasn't been back to comment at this point.

I did skim thru this page but didn't see anything about disposal: https://compostingtoiletscanada.ca/natures-head/

I don't have one and don't expect to have one any time soon so my only experience is what I read. What comes out and where you can dump it depends I suppose on where you live. I have no further input or interest.

[Bassdogs]

I also think we are done on this one. All I wanted to contribute to the subject was for interested folks to truly study the subject before they drop some real serious cash on a Composting toilet. They are not plug and play devices and they are expensive.

[norty1]

I watched a video sometime back by a couple of fulltimers who were experimenting with one. It convinced me to stay far far away from the whole concept.

Nuff said!

[Tim15856]

I guess if you have money to burn, you could try the incinerator type toilets.

This Incinolet RV Toilet Lights Your Poop On Fire

Seem to solve some of the problems of a composting toilet.