Composting Toilet
Full write up coming soon!
Our black tank developed a leak. While I was able to repair it, I still wanted the tank replaced. The lowest estimate I could find was $1300, which led me to look for alternate ideas. After many hours of Googling and YouTubing, I decided to install a composting toilet. We chose the Nature’s Head brand, because there are so many positive reviews form other full timers. The toilet costs a bit over $900, so I am saving $400 from a black tank replacement. I am still deciding on our final configuration for the extra tank we have now. For now, it doubles our grey water capacity, but I think I’m going to install a fresh water tank in the future.
As for how it works, well it’s better than your hoping because it is perfect. When peeing, for a man or a woman, the urine redirects to the front bottle. When pooping, it nicely falls through a large hole that has a door that normally covers it. We use sphagnum peat moss. The smell is nonexistent, and it actually smells less than when doing the deed in a normal toilet. I am told this is because of the separation of the urine and poop, but it’s also because of the small fan creating a small vacuum in the tank, minimizing your fresh creation from smelling up the room.
Emptying it is very simple. The urine bottle is simply just that. Remove it, pour it down a drain, then replace it. Done. The #2, which is now basically just dirt, is also easy. The seat portion of the toilet easily removes, and then a common 13 gallon trash bag fits over the top of the holding tank. Simply turn the tank over and the contents go in the bag. Tie the bag in a knot and throw it away. There is zero smell, other than dirt, and that is not strong at all. The #2 is now non hazardous, so it’s ok to just throw it away in any trash can.
Here is Nature’s Head brochure for their composting toilet.
I will finish this write up in the near future. See you then!
2 thoughts on “Composting Toilet”
I know a few people who use the composting toilet, and one night after too many drinks I did consider it for an hour or two.
It’s not for everyone, but for us it has been great. With a mix of us full timing in a campground and then boondocking for a month plus, it works very well for our needs.