(5 bricks of 500 grams may be substituted). Most of us put the bag of used material in the trash dumpster — it’s perfectly legal, just as putting disposable diapers in the trash is legal. Or try Chip Drop, a website that matches arborists with people who want free wood chips. There are two of us aboard full-time. Coco coir is a better alternative to peat moss thanks to the fact that it’s renewable. I have the smaller C-Head and use peat but am also very happy to have made the switch. Composting process requires aerobic bacteria to work. Yes also, to the learning process for female positioning. I had been wondering if rid-x would work. In Florida, for example, you have to be 12 miles offshore to dump. Appreciated the honesty and candor (and humor). . Furthermore, it can be grown in a variety of climates. Alternatively, you can try this peat and hemp mix from Sun Mar. Should you buy a composting toilet? Before use, it is necessary to add compost material to the base of the unit. 2-day delivery . Most composting toilets use slow, cold composting conditions, sometimes connected to a secondary external composting step. They’ll work just like regular wood chips, but with the added benefit of composting faster at the end because microorganisms are already present. We will be installing a Thunder box in our catamaran, really just a big plastic bucket toilet, complete with a toilet seat and lid. Ensuring you have the best cover materials is essential for the smooth running of your waterless toilet. Does the waste continue to compost in the bag? The Nasty Truth of RV Composting Toilets | Drivin' & Vibin' It does not smell. We were then told to use just 5 cups of water per brick . If you ease the sheets a bit so that you don’t heel so much, the pee will find its appropriate spot. My experience is the same as Hugh’s. Contents of the solid waste container must be kept moist, not wet, and remain separated from the liquid waste. You’ll need to have a absorbing material to make sure your compost toilet works properly. HH is really good at ordering in product so access is good.Will be switching to it when we do the next changeover. Only disadvantage I’ve found is how quickly two thirsty people can fill a gallon jug. Click here. I get it for under $20/gal on Amazon every 2 1/2 to 3 months. . We take a long (3 months or so) live aboard cruise each summer. This is the cheapest option and a great way to utilize local resources. Or I should say my progress ; ). An 8-ounce spray bottle lasts us over a year. Carbon provides energy to the microorganisms that break down the organic matter. We left some solid waste in our tank over the winter and it still is not completely composted. Crumble coconut coir disks into the composting toilet’s solid waste reservoir. Bugs can be a problem. Most shavings are fine to use. It’s very absorbent, so good at removing excess moisture. They also use smaller blocks than most sellers. Nature's coconut coir is a 100-percent natural by-product of harvesting coconut. We put ONE of those into a TWO gallon Ziploc with one cup of water. For Canadians, we found coir in stock at the Home Hardware. Gardeners routinely use the powder form of diatomaceous earth as a form of pest control, and it can also be used in a composting toilet to control gnats and flies. I don’t use a fan, but I did screen the vent hose. I’ve read too many forum posts about how (ridiculously) long the high dollar heads can go between medium changes. So here’s the dilemma: add too much water and you’ll have a foul seepage around the crank handle; don’t add enough and it will absorb water from the waste deposits and expand and overfill the compartment so that the handle won’t turn. It expands tremendously as water is added. Filed Under: Living on a Boat Tagged With: Boat Maintenance, Composting Toilet. The amount of and type of carbon you use is particularly important if you want fast compost. We use 1/2 of a pack at a time and mix it into the fresh compost when we change it. Sustainable, Off-grid Solution. Bulking material helps dry out the contents of the solid waste reservoir, creates airflow, facilitates decomposition, and nutralizes odors. First off, it’s important to know that we’re using coconut coir as the “composting medium” as opposed to peat moss. [Se update above for new level. legal? Composting material. Because most coconuts are grown in Asia coco coir has a relatively high carbon footprint compared to other resources produced in the USA. So I have the fan at the toilet and the fan (about 20 feet aft) at the Y-valve. I love the idea but wonder how this works for long offshore passages. Some of the challenges you wouldn’t have with a Air Head. We take a detailed look at the pros and cons of composting toilets to help you make an informed decision. The book has a wealth of information and actionable tips on choosing the best cover materials for your exact setup. Keep reading to discover the very best composting toilets available to buy today. Some producers soak the husks in saltwater. Eight months ago, we ripped out our standard marine head and replace it with a Nature’s Head composting toilet (note: should you decide to get one, using the links here will get you an automatic $25 off at checkout). Peat moss or coco coir would work well. Oh, we still use some diatomaceous earth as we don’t know if the problem would be worse without it, but a friend told us of another product that has helped far more: Rid-X Septic Tank Treatment Packs (Amazon). Just a few spritzes after every use is keeping the bowl clean and odor free. Some of these are great for composting toilets, and some are not. We’ve had about the same learning curve you did. Made from Coconut Husk - a byproduct / waste of the coconut processing industry, this compressed coir will expand up to three times its size when rehydrated with water. It’s made from coconut husks that might otherwise go to waste. I think the ultimate fiber for composting toilets is hemp fiber it is highly absorbent,, anti bacterial biodegradable reduces odor I am a NW distributor call me for more details. The Natures Head is smell-free when used with peat, sawdust or coconut coir and the 12v fan, also good news for those living in small campers. Coconut Coir is a natural by-product of the coconut growing industry. • Popular articles you may have missed So far, no disasters, overflows, leaks, or spills, and no odor at all. It takes up space and can tangle with the agitator. Instead of air fresheners, we found a product we like much better: Med-Aire Biological Odor Eliminator (Amazon) – it was designed for hospitals, nursing homes and the like to actually remove odors instead of covering them up. So, if there isn’t usually enough time for the composting process to work, and most of what is happening is the desiccation of the poo, how much is there a need for the composting medium? Bring the base of the compost toilet out onto the floor of your rig (if room) or a table either outside or inside your rig. It’s also not very nice, or healthy, to breathe in ash. I don’t HAVE to do this extra step. If your COIR / peat moss is dry - try adding some water to it. This mixture is specifically designed to work in a composting toilet. Are you still required to be 3 miles offshore to dump this without risking a fine? No smell whatsoever. Ideally, it should be chopped into pieces no longer than 3-4 inches. Did everyone just say they liked their composting head to justify having bought one? While these can be suitable resources for traditional garden compost, they aren’t so great when used as a covering material for composting toilets. This is a good material for covering up odors. Peat moss is so slow growing that it can be considered non-renewable. A strip would be way too big for the inside of my C-head, so I just break off about 2″ and leave it loose in the bottom, sealing up the rest for later. Seems to work. First I cleaned the toilet out with hot water, followed with a gallon of vinegar. This separation is key to its functionality. This is the “brown matter” that your toilet needs to activate the composting process, checkout my Guide to Composting to get an understanding of how the compost process works. As well as this, the book covers every topic imaginable surrounding composting toilets and how best to manage them. What Is Coco Pith. The best peat moss for composting toilets is either Premier peat moss, Hoffman peat moss, or Perfect Plants organic peat moss. It’s very good at preventing odors, and it’s easy to get a consistent supply. So, how are we liking it and what have we learned? A downside to both these methods is that they are DIY options. In many composting toilet designs, a carbon additive such as sawdust, coconut coir, or peat moss is added after each use. Many of the resources we suggest using are waste products from an already established industry. At this point I might add a little more water (but I’m talking 3 or 4 tablespoons). Works like a charm, and I have had no odor issues, and I did not have to cut a hole in the boat. Good summary. So, we got some (pricey) 1/2 starboard and made a little deck under the head with just enough width to set you heels on. It is so much better than dealing with a traditional marine head . So far, so good, pleasant, and free. Like Carolyn, we use the septic tank germs from the hardware store plumbing section to help turn poo into not-quite-poo more rapidly. causing them to dry out and die. Yes. Now we just pour in a cup or two of white vinegar every week or so. Peat moss and coco coir are particularly good at fending off odors. Covering materials, or brown materials, are that carbon source in a composting toilet and, therefore, should be carbon-based. Coconut coir is much more compressed than peat moss, so it takes a lot less space to store. Using a mixture also means you get a more diverse finished compost in terms of the microbes present. . What’s the best medium for using in an RV Compost Toilet? half is about 3 tablespoons. It doesn’t completely kill the odor in the tank but seems to make it more tolerable when emptying and we think more pleasant than vinegar. Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. We’re on our third season here in Nova Scotia with an Airhead on our Cape Dory 31. This natural material acts as a natural sponge, improves aeration, enhances decomposition, and absorbs water to help reduce odor. We have a Nature’s Head for an outdoor pool bathroom at our swim school. This problem was even worse on our boat, which has an elevated little deck in the head for head mounting. I just grabbed one out . Next day, I take a table knife and split up the coir in the bags and break things apart using my fingers. Thanks — Please provide a follow-up report in a couple months! The bucket costs about $30, the bags are about 10c each. Our problem was that it expanded so much with the moisture from the poo that it overfilled the container. It’s been three months since we wrote about “Installing a Composting Toilet.” We have no regrets about our purchase of a Natures Head Composting Toilet and life with the toilet has been great.. This is the best coco coir for a composting toilet, and is perfect for your Nature’s Head. Some always makes it there, but occasionally we get a puddle hovering at the back of the bowl. Anything you read will tell you to use various amounts of diatomaceous earth to get rid of them (see what we bought on Amazon). For example, our toilet is mounted athwartships against the port hull. Fortunately, we’ve been bugfree except for the time we had a guest who didn’t always close the lid. You’ll need to have a absorbing material to make sure your compost toilet works properly. And they love poop. I’ve even heard of people using sawdust from a lumber yard with no special preparation . When we purchased it we got a bag of coco husks if I remember rightly. We have found bags of sawdust readily available in supermarkets pet aisles in UK and so far in Spain and Portugal. Be warned – slushy toilet waste is an absolute nightmare to clean up! However, they don’t always make the best cover materials, and this can get hard in winter when the materials might be scarce. We’ve used a NH for two seasons on our Macgregor 26M . Thank you Do not over water the mixture. Disks are easier to crumble and ready to use in minutes compared to coir bricks. My husband and I have been cruising over 13 years and 12,000 miles, first on a Tayana 37 monohull and now on a 34' Gemini catamaran. Instead of adding vinegar to the liquids tank we’ve been using bio-enzymatic urine digester by nilodor. . We have had ours for 4 years, sailing the Pacific. One of our “experiments” was to try using just a tiny bit of water. Our Coconut Coir Toilet Brush is an earthy and natural cleaning tool to keep the environment in your house clean and safe. The fibers from the outer husk are extracted and used to make products like doormats, ropes, brushes, and mattresses. While the product is advertised as pet bedding, it will work well in a composting toilet too. How did you do this? I think it’s the dilution factor of coir vs poop. Coco Coir is fast becoming the best Medium to use in an RV Compost Toilet and even in some cases, for soil in Greenhouse farming because of it’s: Sustainability Low freight costs; High yield potential; Easy disposal of the medium after use. . Suitable for all standard size composting toilet reservoirs. There can also be a little smell when we’re underway and the vent is turned off. What’s next. I just want to make sure I’m storing, hydrating, and filling in the correct order. However, if the chips are too large, then they’re less available to any bacteria and won’t be compact enough to keep smells from escaping. This often comes somewhat compressed, so it can be easier to store. Once someone told us their mix ratio, 90% of our problems were solved. The agitator would be the proverbial poop on a stick. and in talking to numerous other people with composting heads, that seems to be the case for well over half of new owners. Such high usage has sure been a challenge! Click here. 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Long the high dollar heads can go between medium changes you can t. Of cereal Plants such as wood shavings, coconut coir from Amazon will not be anywhere close composted. Minutes to dump the compost to find a vent to screw in or did you remove the entire plate.
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