Installing composting toilet December 28, 2018, 07:26:37 pm HelloWe own a 30ft. Island bed lazy daze rv with at the moment 167000 miles. We have renovated to make more livable for when we start full timing. What I'm interested in is installing a natures head composting toilet. Does anyone have any experience in removing the black water tank or is the raise part of the floor part of the tank. I have no clue. I want to thank you for any help you all can give, and maybe just maybe if you see flashing lights running down the highway, it's just us saying hi. Bbq and a beer anyone
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #1 – December 30, 2018, 03:33:04 am We have plans down the road to install one of these so we have read about installations.Many people leave the black tank in place (clean it and cover it) since the compost just wants a flat surface to sit on. Note this can be convienent if you (a future owner) want to move back to a regular toilet. It can also be used to store additional grey water - giving you a larger grey water reservoir.The raised part of the floor is likely not part off the tank but holds the drain pipe leading to the tank (our model TK has the tank right under the toilet so no raised area, but others talk about the elbows in the drain pipe between their toilet and their tank.).The compost toilet tends to be taller than the regular Rv toilets) so depending on your configuration including any build up above the floor the seat could be up high (I think at least one person just built a step, others were ok with it).Gone with the wynns installed one and took a video of how they did it, but he admits he is not a handyman and when they moved to a new Rv it was installed for them. Here is their videoHow To Not Install a Composting Toilet in an RVLast note one person posting here about installing a compost (I forget their LD model) said they were limited to one brand as the other brand(s) would not fit into the space they had. So I would suggest checking out measurements well and doing a dry fit (putting into place) before doing your actual full install.JaneSent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #2 – December 30, 2018, 09:28:26 am I would think the most difficult and problematic part of a composting toilet in an RV would be the vent. Do you really want another hole in your roof?
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #3 – December 30, 2018, 09:38:23 am Quote from: Sawyer - December 30, 2018, 09:28:26 amI would think the most difficult and problematic part of a composting toilet in an RV would be the vent. Do you really want another hole in your roof?The vent can be aimed down or out the side. It doesn't need roof venting (at least on a Natures's head).I saw a great review of composting toilet use by The Fit RV on youtube. They reviewed good and bad after using it for a year or so https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM71d8wMuUUBasic take was they'd do it again, but it isn't all flowers and sunshine. 1 Likes
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #4 – December 30, 2018, 10:54:00 am Quote from: John and gaby - December 28, 2018, 07:26:37 pmHelloWe own a 30ft. Island bed lazy daze rv with at the moment 167000 miles. We have renovated to make more livable for when we start full timing. W'd sure like to welcome you to this LD neighborhood. And we're looking forward to hearing more about your renovations and perhaps when you have time, some pictures of your work. Best of luck with your full timing plans.
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #5 – December 30, 2018, 11:40:00 am Quote from: LindaB - December 30, 2018, 09:38:23 amThe vent can be aimed down or out the side. It doesn't need roof venting (at least on a Natures's head).I saw a great review of composting toilet use by The Fit RV on youtube. They reviewed good and bad after using it for a year or so https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM71d8wMuUUBasic take was they'd do it again, but it isn't all flowers and sunshine.If I'm not mistaken anything but a roof vent requires constant running of a fan
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #6 – December 30, 2018, 12:33:29 pm I have never read about one with a roof vent. The vent is out the side. Yes they have a continual fan but it is a very small one and dc12 so not anything I have heard problems with (likely want it off if Rv in Storage).Linda I saw that review also. Their first one shortly after getting it did not paint things in a good picture and made me reconsider a composting toilet. But their current one is well balanced with what they liked/disliked and a nice overall critique of composting toilets.JaneSent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #7 – December 30, 2018, 12:37:59 pm Quote from: JandS2 - December 30, 2018, 12:33:29 pmI have never read about one with a roof vent. The vent is out the side. Yes they have a continual fan but it is a very small one and dc12 so not anything I have heard problems with (likely want it off if Rv in Storage).JaneSent from Yahoo Mail for iPhoneI considered a composting toilet for my off grid home to save the cost of a septic system but since my house is post and beam I couldn't go up through the wall to the roof without an exposed vent pipe. The fans for side vents seemed to use too much power to me but that was ten years ago and maybe they have made advances in this technology.
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #8 – December 30, 2018, 01:26:27 pm Sawyer, you might go revisit this. Also there is already a roof vent for toilets li LDs (and should be for all RVs) to be used as needed. But I think the wall ones are more efficient (shorter run of pipe)For your home - there is a way to filter and vent to the inside of a house - used when it is too difficult to get to the roof (for standard toilets sinks etc). It might work for a composting toilet though I would check with the manufacturer. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-Sure-Vent-2-in-x-3-in-PVC-Air-Admittance-Valve-160-DFU-39220/204723342 That link is one model just to give you an idea. I first ran into this about 2002 when I rearranged a bathroom moving all the fixtures around drastically. Though with what I know now I think the plumbers could have tied into an existing vent to the roof but didn't want to make the effort. There does need to be a vent into the room - but often that can be done inside a cupboard so it is not very visible. These vents inside the wall work fine - no smells or other issues. And it is part of plumbing codes so passes inspections.JaneSent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone 1 Likes
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #9 – December 30, 2018, 01:48:02 pm You could always hang one of these on the back of the rig:Bath2Go pop-up outhouse bolts to a camper van to go on the go
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #10 – December 31, 2018, 08:49:17 am Quote from: JandS2 - December 30, 2018, 01:26:27 pmSawyer, you might go revisit this. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Oatey-Sure-Vent-2-in-x-3-in-PVC-Air-Admittance-Valve-160-DFU-39220/204723342JaneSent from Yahoo Mail for iPhoneI'm confused on this sure vent. Are they saying you don't need a fan running 24-7 now?
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #11 – December 31, 2018, 12:47:58 pm Sawyer - yes that is correct. This is for standard water flush toilets - it allows air to be pulled into the pipe when the toilet is flushed. Just like typical vents in house roofs for flush toilets there is no fan.The water in the p-trap under the toilet is the big thing that prevents smells from coming back into the house from the sewer system. The vent is needed for the flushing and p-trap system to work - not because it directly stops smells but because it keeps water in hemp-trap.Composting toilets are different as they have no p-trap filled with water so they need to vent smells outside with the fan which I am sure also helps keep the moisture down.Wikipedia talks about the p-trap and has a section under venting where they discuss venting and the "air admittance valve" which is the general name for that device to use when you can't vent to outside. (I never remember that name.)Trap - Wikipedia(plumbing)JaneSent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone 1 Likes
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #12 – January 02, 2019, 06:22:32 pm I've like the idea of a composting toilet. The problem that I've always run into is where do you store the spagnamoss or other composting mixing material. On our 24ft Twin King we barely have enough room to store all our food and supplies much less a 'bale' of moss. 1 Likes
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #13 – January 03, 2019, 12:48:21 am Hi John and Gaby, I wanted to share my experience with a diversion toilet. C Head is the name of it and we have had it for 2 years and we love it. No fan is needed and it is a very easy install. We have a 1999 30 ft. Island bed. the city water comes in under the original toilet so we had to build up floor about 4 inches. The C Head fits perfect in our bathroom. I am from west Tx. and have seen severe droughts so I love not using precious water to flush. I really love not having to worry about the black tank. Ya'll can look this toilet up and you tube has info also. I would be more than happy to give more info if it is something ya.ll might think about. We installed the shorty version in our bath because the others would be to high for us to sit on. The man who developed the C Head is so nice to talk with. I can clean ours in less than 5 min. I use tire shine on the inside of bucket and it is so easy to clean. hope this helps! Salhapatica 1 Likes
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #14 – January 03, 2019, 11:41:58 am The link for the C Head toilet:C-Head portable composting toilet system
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #15 – January 03, 2019, 12:04:37 pm Some friends of ours started full timing in a 30' Airstream about 4 years ago. They had never owned or traveled in an RV before then. They had a composting toilet installed before picking it up from the dealer.Two things they mentioned to me that they didn't like about the experience. The frequency with which they had to dump the container of urine and the fact that the solid waste really wasn't held long enough to completely compost given the two of them and full time use.Perhaps newer technology has changed or improved on that.Jim
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #16 – January 03, 2019, 12:22:16 pm Quote from: Jim & Gayle - January 03, 2019, 12:04:37 pmTwo things they mentioned to me that they didn't like about the experience. The frequency with which they had to dump the container of urine and the fact that the solid waste really wasn't held long enough to completely compost given the two of them and full time use.So, what do you do with the resulting fluids and solids? It's still consider to be hazardous and cannot be legally dumped on the ground. You still need to find a RV dump or legal sewer to dump in.Other than saving water, what is the great advantage of a composting toilet if you still need to store and legally dump the remains?Larry
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #17 – January 03, 2019, 01:17:12 pm " You still need to find a RV dump or legal sewer to dump in.Other than saving water, what is the great advantage of a composting toilet if you still need to store and legally dump the remains?"This always seems like such a lot of fuss to improve one's [toilet] lot so very little, whilst introducing more non-standard installation and disposal.Almost any campground will allow a passerby to dump at their site (for a fee, of course), but that fee can be close to the cost of staying overnight and utilizing ALL of their facilities to your advantage. If one's dumping need is weekly, or less often, then the pathway seems fairly simple.Check in and do everything you need to do to refresh everything for another stint on the road - bulk cook, shower, dump tanks, get rid of garbage, recharge batteries to full, and use all the electricity you need for any appliances. You can even converse with other people, read books/magazines/newspapers or watch a DVD from a campground's possible library, run your electric heater or air conditioner without worry, and anything else that requires more electricity than Big Red gives you on a daily basis.There is no shame in staying overnight in a campground for these purposes, even if they consider themselves to be fulltime boondockers. No one is keeping track! Virtual hugs, Judie•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #18 – January 03, 2019, 02:33:07 pm "It's still consider to be hazardous and cannot be legally dumped on the ground. You still need to find a RV dump or legal sewer to dump in."----Installing a compost toilet in my rig is not of the slightest interest to me, but I know that quite a few people have, and feel that it's a workable solution. YMMV, as always. From reading several the blogs and/or watching video reports of installation and usage, I get the impression (perhaps erroneously, but I suspect not) that there may be a good deal of coyote dumping of the used "block" and the contents of the urine container (particularly the latter) if a proper disposal location is not convenient. I have no horse in this race, and JMO, but I do think that it would be a real good idea for anyone considering the installation of a composting toilet in his/her rig to research the concept thoroughly and understand exactly what the pluses and minuses are of this method of waste disposal. 5 Likes
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #19 – January 03, 2019, 05:05:23 pm Quote from: salhapatica - January 03, 2019, 12:48:21 amHi John and Gaby, I wanted to share my experience with a diversion toilet. C Head is the name of it and we have had it for 2 years and we love it. No fan is needed and it is a very easy install. We have a 1999 30 ft. Island bed. the city water comes in under the original toilet so we had to build up floor about 4 inches. The C Head fits perfect in our bathroom. I am from west Tx. and have seen severe droughts so I love not using precious water to flush. I really love not having to worry about the black tank. Ya'll can look this toilet up and you tube has info also. I would be more than happy to give more info if it is something ya.ll might think about. We installed the shorty version in our bath because the others would be to high for us to sit on. The man who developed the C Head is so nice to talk with. I can clean ours in less than 5 min. I use tire shine on the inside of bucket and it is so easy to clean. hope this helps! Salhapatica It's been ten years since I really researched these things when I considered putting one in the house I was building. They have come a long ways in that time and if this c head had existed then I may have gone that route. The reason I can see for having one in an RV is water conservation when boondocking and I don't think emptying the urine diversion container outside of camp would be a big deal. No different than going outside to pee as I am prone to do anyway in this situation in oder to prolong the black tank filling up. Doubt I'll ever install one of these in my LD but I can see it's merits. One problem I do see though is the bag of peet which colddog pointed out
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #20 – January 31, 2019, 02:40:49 pm Before the fortunate event of finding our pre-loved 24TK. We had entertained the possibility of ordering from the Mother ship. Last spring I contacted LD and spoke with Todd. I asked if we could do any custom requests...."Like what" Todd asks. I share we were wondering if in the factory they could route the black tank to the grey tank. Then we could install our own Natures head composting toilet, and not use the black tank, but rather have two gray tanks. And Todd resoundingly said said "NOPE! anything else?" I meekly said, "no thank you". Just in case anyone is wondering what would Todd say. 4 Likes
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #21 – February 01, 2019, 01:36:31 pm That routing would be difficult in a TK - because the black tank is directly below the toilet with no pipes between.The Shower likely also dumps straight down into the grey tank (though I think that must have a p-trap so there must be a short distance between them, no p-trap for the toilet).But you could maybe accomplish the same idea (2 grey tanks) easier by routing the sinks to the black tank (installing a "black tank" with no toilet opening instead having an opening for the pipes from the sinks).The factory is willing to make some alterations (eg add electrical wiring where you want) but says no to many requests. Having any request planned out so the change is easy for them might get you that yes you want.JaneSent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone 1 Likes
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #22 – February 01, 2019, 04:13:10 pm Quote from: Joan - January 03, 2019, 02:33:07 pmFrom reading several the blogs and/or watching video reports of installation and usage, I get the impression (perhaps erroneously, but I suspect not) that there may be a good deal of coyote dumping of the used "block" and the contents of the urine container (particularly the latter) if a proper disposal location is not convenient. This topic has come up many times on the forum and I find it interesting that no owner, of a composting toilet, has told us how they dispose of the remains...legally or how often. Whatever is dumped is in a concentrated form.Larry 3 Likes
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #23 – February 02, 2019, 01:22:20 pm Larry yup there are some compost toilet owners (past or present on this forum). The two I saw discussing specifics on disposal of waste were You searched for Compost - Gone With The Wynns Andhttp://youtu.be/vM71d8wMuUUInterestingly wheeling it said Whole solids are fine they don't like the idea is dumping the liquid while boondocking (dumping every 3-4 days while boondocking for 14 days).JaneSent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
Re: Installing composting toilet Reply #24 – February 02, 2019, 02:48:06 pm Quote from: JandS2 - February 02, 2019, 01:22:20 pmThe two I saw discussing specifics on disposal of waste were You searched for Compost - Gone With The Wynns Andhttp://youtu.be/vM71d8wMuUUDealing with the solids "We seal up the bags and throw them in a trash can".Leaking with the liquids "We are going to be dumping this tank every single day"" We can use the our composting toilet consecutively for about four days before we need to take a break"Anyone interested in a composting toilet should watch the video start to finish.Sure looks appealing, can't wait NOT to get one.If that's what it takes to extend one's boondocking time, have at it.I think we will continue to dump once a week.Larry
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