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Old 11-16-2010, 07:43 PM   #1
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Composting toilets

Appreciate advice from anyone using a composting toilet in their SMB.
We're looking at Natureshead, Airhead, or Sun-Mar as possibilities.
http://www.natureshead.net/
http://www.airheadtoilet.com/
http://sun-mar.com/prod_self_mobi.html

Thanks!

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Old 11-22-2010, 09:18 PM   #2
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Re: Composting toilets

In this thread, go to the 36th page, post #355 to see the composting toilet. They have had good success with it. There were some news reports about the rig in other publications which quoted them on the toilet's effectiveness. You might want to post a question in the thread, or join the forum and P.M. them.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/s ... php?t=8936
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Old 11-23-2010, 08:00 AM   #3
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Re: Composting toilets

I laughed when i saw this

then read the stuff

very cool

Would install in a heartbeat IF:

1) i had a bigger rig
Ford E350EB would take up too much room IMHO
Sprinter, cant say

2) if I needed it or the wife did
THEN i would sacrifice space

Our $70 thetford pottie works great
small
fits in lower cupboard
lasts @ 4 days (if i pee outside or a gatorade bottle
easy to empty
does not smell

my 2 satang
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Old 11-23-2010, 10:49 PM   #4
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Re: Composting toilets

Jay's composting toilet gets mentioned and a little detail given halfway down this page:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40263315/ns ... of_energy/
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Old 11-24-2010, 12:24 PM   #5
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Re: Composting toilets

As a lead in to why i'm choosing to install an AirHead in our van...i've done a bit of research and for my wife's and my typical 4 to 5 day mini-adventures the Thetford Cassette would not really work for us since switching from a trailer base-camp (it was installed in our previous off-road trailer) to a van-base-camp. The reason is i found myself having to empty the cassette on the morning of the thrid day. For our boondocking in the Pacific Northwest and it's forests that would mean breaking camp and finding someplace to empty the tank such as a sani-hut or public RR.

Sooo... I will be installing an AirHead (i believe the EcoRoamer uses a NaturesHead) due to some reviews i've read suggesting the AH may be more comfortable to use. Both are liquid-seperating toilets which is the way i wish to go. That way i only have to empty the solids into the field/forest once every couple months, and liquids can water the plants if i mix it with the grey water from our shower. Both acceptable practices if done mindfully.
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Old 11-24-2010, 01:30 PM   #6
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Re: Composting toilets

In the article on Jay's composting toilet there's a sentence: "Liquid waste and gray (i.e., post-wash) water is slowly dumped onto the exhaust for conversion into steam vapor."

I tried to rummage around online to find out what this was about and could find nothing about dumping the liquid onto the exhaust. Can someone point me to more info?

Thanks!
Diana Tashjian
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Old 11-24-2010, 03:02 PM   #7
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Re: Composting toilets

Quote:
Originally Posted by diana@tashjian.com
In the article on Jay's composting toilet there's a sentence: "Liquid waste and gray (i.e., post-wash) water is slowly dumped onto the exhaust for conversion into steam vapor."

I tried to rummage around online to find out what this was about and could find nothing about dumping the liquid onto the exhaust. Can someone point me to more info?

Thanks!
Diana Tashjian
I know I've read about it in at least one other place, either here on SMB forum or on http://www.expeditionportal.com I'll search around a little and if I find it, I'll post here. Check back regularly for a few days. BTW, I know that some here on SMB forum have little cooking devices they clamp onto a hot tailpipe to quickly cook something immediately after pulling into camp and shutting the motor off.
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Old 11-24-2010, 03:23 PM   #8
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Re: Composting toilets

Another option would be to just buy another cassette for the porta-potty and swap it in when the other one gets full. This isn't my idea, it was suggested to me by someone at SMB.
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Old 11-24-2010, 04:55 PM   #9
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Re: Composting toilets

Yuppers on the duplicate cassette...it did cross my mind during the research phase. But where to put it in a RB van? And there is still the chemicals to deal with. I'm not dissing the Thetford at all, it was a great addition to our trailer base camp for three seasons! But for our current adventure rig i need to be a bit more creative imo.

On what to do with the liquids? There is much data on mixing the urine with grey water (the ratio varies from ~5(grey):1(urine) up to about 10:1 depending on what type of plants/trees to water. It is actually an excellent fertilizer/food for the vegitation. And talking to the forest rangers in the PNW they have no issue with it. When they get a bit testy is when one dumps kitchen sink water with food stufs in the area. That is a no-no. Hence, we never used the sink in our trailer. only the shower with bio-soap. excuse the ramble.
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Old 11-24-2010, 08:46 PM   #10
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Re: Composting toilets

Quote:
Originally Posted by accrete
excuse the ramble.
You have 4 posts. You have an additional quota of 4,996 posts in which to ramble, then you need to get serious.

We never put anything in the gray water that we wouldn't dump on the ground directly, which includes bio soap and at times varies with the area, whether we're in a campground or not, bear country etc.

Ramble on!
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