Sanitation Sans Holding Tank

[Angelgal918]

Help!
My little 22 is too small for anything but carry-out. The only head I have is a plastic can with a toilet seat on it, and I have no way of processing it. Any ideas besides installing a lot of plumbing?

[josrulz]

Originally Posted by Angelgal918

Help!
My little 22 is too small for anything but carry-out. The only head I have is a plastic can with a toilet seat on it, and I have no way of processing it. Any ideas besides installing a lot of plumbing?

I have no idea if it would fit on your boat, but have you considered a composting toilet such as the Airhead? I've never used it, but we are considering one. You can search for threads on composting toilets here on SailNet. Basically, it's a head that separates solid from liquid--the solids get composted and the liquids go into a container that can be easily emptied. They reportedly do not smell, which is a bonus, though they are taller than standard marine toilets though, so you'd have to check on whether it would fit in your boat. There's also a power requirement (very little) in the form of a fan, and a lot of people use a solar powered fan for this so it has no affect on batteries. Anyway, just something you might want to check out.

[saildork]

Angelgal, I have the same setup on my 22. I use a product bought at Wal Mart called Doodie Bags. They have a crystalline substance in each bag that deodorizes and gels the waste. They come with an attached ziplock bag that is very strong. When you have filled the Doodie Bag as much as you care to, you just roll the top of the bag down into the ziplock bag, zip it shut, and carry it to the dumpster. No muss, no fuss, no smell. Beats the heck out of a porta-potti with liquid sloshing around. Weighs nothing.

[tager]

Shitting in a bucket is the way to go. If you don't want to break the law, plastic bags work okay for sealing the smell in, backpackers and mountaineers do it!

[mitiempo]

They do?

[wind_magic]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

They do?

Yeah, haven't you heard, campers are afraid they're going to leave tracks in the grass these days.

Edit, which is really funny considering the History/Discovery channel's "life after people" shows that say that if mankind disappeared today there wouldn't be a trace of us left 1000 years from now, not so much as a piece of a skyscraper or a patch of interstate pavement.

[sailingdog]

You can get a small MSD-style Portapottie that allows you to connect the tank on the porta-pottie to a deck fitting and use standard pump out services... or not connect it and use it as a standard porta-potty.

[RXBOT]

Post 3 seems the easiest solution. Check threads on composting toilets 4 making a homemade one out of 5 gallon bucket ( INDUSTRIAL PAIL 4 oil,paint,square or round). Just line the pail you have with heavy duty garbage bag and add some kitty litter or shredded paper (office) for disposal ashore. Have men onboard pee in laundry detergent bottle and dispose over side to lessen liquid content.

[svHyLyte]

See Phillips Environmental Products Inc. for an easy, clean manner of dealing with the issue.

[tomwatt]

To clarify Tager's comment... in some areas of the wilderness, especially high mountain zones, the temperature never gets up to a point where waste will break down via microbial action, so it just stays. So the govt. has mandated carry-out for those areas.
Even in areas where the temps warm up, early spring hiking can be quite a chore for those with a sensitive nose, as nature attempts to catch up on the accumulation.