Plumbing - composting head

Lucky Dog

Lucky Dog

Member III
Any thoughts - I was at Strictly Sail in Chicago last weekend. I was good over all.

Natures Head is a composting head that does not require a heat source. The is a optional solar powered vent. It is a little taller than most marine heads.

Practical Sailor wrote a review about composting heads a few years back. They all required a constant heat source.

If it works sure would solve the plumbing problems.

ml
 
Sven

Sven

Seglare
Either http://forum.ssca.org/ or http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/ had quite a thread on them a while back (last 6 months ?). The consensus seemed to be that they actually work.

I don't know where you find peat moss while out cruising but there seemed to be alternatives. The only reported smell issues were from the liquids when the vent wasn't properly hooked up and that went away as soon as the vent was fixed.

These were reports from folks claiming to be actual owners including some owners who had just installed the systems and were trying to figure out the operational details. I think there were at least two manufacturers, maybe three.


-Sven
 
Lucky Dog

Lucky Dog

Member III
Thanks Sven for the links. 8 pages of posts and many links. One question left that I didn't find a answer to; What if you only use the composting head on weekends? Will the waste continue to decompose if not stirred?

Anyone using one?

ml
 
G

Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
Stirring the composting head.

Whether you stir the compost or not is your choice but be veeery careful doing so when you do. What the manufacturer doesn't say in their promotional literature is that if not stirred correctly, one can suffer severe injury to the hand, a flush wound. Just trying to be helpful and hoping that I can make someone smile at the same time, Glyn
 
S

sproption

Member II
E-29 and Composting heads

I too am looking at such an alternative. I do not think that Nature's Head requires a heat source. A 12 volt fan to move the air is the only electrical item I am aware of. My biggest concern is the fit in my head space on the E-29.

Does anyone with an E-29 have one?

The deepest part of the head space is a paltry 14" and 11" nearer the bow. I could mount fore/aft, but I am not sure there is room to disassemble or tilt back to empty.
 
R

Ray Rhode

Member III
From my review of the available info the biggest problem comes from the fact that the composting takes several weeks if not months. When the container is full it is not finished composting so what do you do with it? One suggestion is to have a second container to use while the first finishes composting. You then have to store and ventilate that container until it can be dumped.

Ray Rhode
S/V Journey
E35-III, #189
 
N

newpbs

Member III
Dump Time

The chamber is quite large. Sellers of these things claim that the main chamber can hold a whole season's worth of use for most boaters (not live aboards of course). The urine chamber would need to be dumped more often or pumped into an exiting holding tank. One of the manufactures offers an optional hook up for a pump. I, myself, really like the idea of a composting head, but I am concerned about what it would do to my resale value should I want to sell and move up.

Paul
 
Sven

Sven

Seglare
Paul,

newpbs said:
I am concerned about what it would do to my resale value should I want to sell and move up.
Click to expand...

You could keep the old head and re-install it when you get your next Ericson and take the composting head with you :)



-Sven
 
R

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
Maybe its me but I fail to see the point. There are numerous pumpout facilities where I sail. A composting design leaves me with a drying semi-solid load of excrement that I have to handle, literally, as opposed to a tank of wet excrement that just pumps out, usually operated by someone else. My standard setup works great. RT
 
E

Emerald

Moderator
I think I have to agree with Rob. I really appreciate the thought behind this technology, but I'd say my boat is the last place I'd want to get into using it. Convert the house first if you're into this. I see so many problems people have just maintaining a basic holding tank setup, not to mention all the other issues on a boat regarding mold, slime in the bilge, general dampness, and bugs - how about those tiny little black dots that run - if you've spent anytime poking about on older boats you've seen/erradicated these at least once, and then hopefully found the water leak :rolleyes: So, maybe I'm being crusty, but I'd hesitate to invite another level of maintenance, especially given how, umm, appetizing the potential cleanup is going to be. :cool:

Just my .01
 
Lucky Dog

Lucky Dog

Member III
I am replacing my plumbing system because what was in the boat when we purchased it didn't work, stunk, couldn't find parts for and looked way to complicated. I started look at self contained systems that include the portable "camper" models to Raritan. The boat show launched the idea of the composting.

Both portable wet verses dry. Any system seem to require a personal involvement and fears of visitors not following the "procedures"

ml
 
N

newpbs

Member III
Quote:You could keep the old head and re-install it when you get your next Ericson and take the composting head with you :)


Sven,
If I were to install a composting head I would want to do it right. The existing base for the head would need to be modified and plumbing would need to be removed. Reinstalling the old head would not be an option.

There are places available to me to pump out as well. I find that my 18 gallon tank just doesn't last me long enough during a trip. The composting head should give me more time between dumps. Pumping out also means an extra trip to the as dock that I would rather skip.
 
Sven

Sven

Seglare
newpbs said:
Quote:You could keep the old head and re-install it when you get your next Ericson and take the composting head with you :)
Click to expand...

I think my joke abut the upgrade out of necessity would mean another Ericson got lost in the translation :egrin: Maybe I'll try competing with some of Glyn's punning instead.



-Sven
 
R

rvivian

Member I
AirHead Toilet

I've had an Air Head composting toilet on my E-29 for a couple of years. It fits fine in the head space.

I think it works very well. We have not had odors, supposedly because the unit separates the liquid waste from the solids and we add sugar to the liquid container.
 
Sven

Sven

Seglare
rvivian said:
I've had an Air Head composting toilet on my E-29 for a couple of years. It fits fine in the head space.
Click to expand...

How do you handle the problem Ray mentions when it is time to empty the compost but the composting won't be done for a few weeks ?



-Sven
 
HughHarv

HughHarv

Hugh
FWIW, I read on another forum that it is possible, and less expensive to use pine kitty litter for composting. Albeit, have to put up with a pine scent on board.
 
R

rvivian

Member I
Sven said:
How do you handle the problem Ray mentions when it is time to empty the compost but the composting won't be done for a few weeks ?



-Sven
Click to expand...

We don't use the boat much (hardly ever) in the winter, so it just sits there and composts with an occasional spin of the handle when checking on the boat at the dock.

In the spring I dump what's left the bucket into a big black contractor's bag, take it home, and mix it into the compost pile, then into the landscaping beds.

In the sailing months, if it fills up with heavy use on an extended cruise, I do the same.

RWV
 
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