Composting Heads

[deisher6]

I noted a much older thread on this subject from 2010.  Has any one installed a composting head in their '27?

This one looks promising. Easy to use, clean, install at least on paper.

http://sustainable-solutions.info/Index.htm

regards charlie

[skip1930]

It's kind of cool. And very tall ... I guess stuff does go down hill.
But do you really use the head that much?

I have a port-o-potty that fits under the cockpit sole on my CP-19 that remains unused in two years.
I just dumped out the tank of water and stored it last Friday.

Once you sail out past the three[?] or 12[?] mile limit, do what New York City does and open up the dump bottom on the trash barges that Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay had built years ago for the city. Oh sorry ... did I say that?

I have my 3 lb Hill's Brother coffee can on a bridle that has so many uses. "The Solution to Pollution is Dilution."

By the way, Wisconsin DNR has just found Asian Carp DNA in the Northern waters of Green Bay. 'Their Here'.

skip.

[NateD]

I've read good things from people who have converted, but it's often hard for true believers to admit things aren't all that great. What I'd really like to see is a few reports from people who bought a boat with a composting head and see how they compare it to a traditional marine head or porta-potty. I would check Practical Sailor if you're trying to choose between different brands.

[Tim Gardner]

I have been using a non-marine composting toilet in my dock "lighthouse" for about fifteen years.  It is a Sun-Mar  Excel unit.  It has been wonderful.  there is zero liquid discharge (it evaporates) and dry composted fecal waste mixed with peat moss.  Once per year dumping of the drying chamber drawer.  It works as advertised, absolutely.  I recommended this unit so often, I became a distributor for them for a while.

The marine unit bears all the same characteristics as the non-marine unit, except for an auxiliary holding tank for excess liquid waste.  This liquid can be recycled back to the evaporation chamber to reduce pump-outs of the holding tank.  All of these units use a carbon exhaust filter to eliminate waste odor above deck as they are negative air machines.  There is no odor below deck.  They are 12v solar/Bat  and 120v shore power swithchable fans on the exhaust stack.  Onshore, the evaporator plate runs on 120v to eliminate liquid waste.

I wouldn't hesitate to convert to the sun-Mar unit.  The liquid separation units assume you are going to free the liquid waste to the hydro- environment (water around your vessel).

Violates the zero discharge rule, as does relieving ones-self overboard.  ( a two hundred dollar fine and a class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia. Possible an indecent exposure sex crime as well  )

TG

[skip1930]

" dumping of the drying chamber drawer "

If the 'made for a boat' decomposing head has one of these and the contents are dumped into the water around the boat, does that reconstitute the solid waste to a liquid waste?

My third sailing buddy has had his CP-19 for over 30 years and just turned 83 years old.
He's a bit overweight like all of us and afflicted with arthritis and a bit unstable. He uses a cane. He's not about to go below to pee and surly it's a terrible idea for him to pee over the side.
It's a fact that most bodies of men recovered by the Coast Guard have their flies open.
He pees on the cockpit sole and wash's that out the scuppers with his can on a bridle. You gotta do what you gotta do. Were all men here.

I should add that older U.S. navy ships up until recently have a free flowing trough that flows sea water and waste over the side. When one is in a bolson's chair over the side scrapping and painting, It's "look out for sea puppies."

There is a lot of 'reading time' while on the head ... Dad told of a time he needed badly to take a dump and that the three hole-er head was occupied. He dutifully wadded up a bunch of paper, set it afire, sent it down the trough and the first guy to jump up made way for my dad. He always snickered with that story.

skip.

[Tim Gardner]

" dumping of the drying chamber drawer " is done on shore in "the flower bed".  A very safe disposal method, and Admiral approved.

I'm glad I'm of the modern Navy!  I'd hate to foul the air scrubbers with smoke from the paper waste in a head.

TG

[bobbar]

I noted a much older thread on this subject from 2010.  Has any one installed a composting head in their '27?

This one looks promising. Easy to use, clean, install at least on paper.

http://sustainable-solutions.info/Index.htm

regards charlie

I have installed a Natures head composting head in my boat. It fit in the same space as the manual flush head that the PO Bill had installed.
It needs to run a 12v fan continuously. However I had a solar powered fan in the head already so I connected to it. Everything works very well.

Bob
S/V Pooka

[deisher6]

Hey Bob:
Thanks for the scoop the head is still on my to do list.  Did you have to raise the shower seat...it looks taller than the stock toilet.
regards charlie

[bobbar]

Hey Bob:
Thanks for the scoop the head is still on my to do list.  Did you have to raise the shower seat...it looks taller than the stock toilet.
regards charlie

Charlie,
I removed the seat all together. But yes you are correct that the head is too tall to lower the shower seat. Another problem is it can be uncomfortable for a short person to use because of how high off the floor the head seat is compared to the standard head. All in all I like the head better than a standard setup.

Cheers,
Bob

[deisher6]

Thanks, for the scoop Bob.
regards charlie