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Orientation for Composting Head?

5K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  Simply Sailing 
#1 ·
Hey all!

So next month we are gonna rip out the disgusting porta-potty on our boat, and install a new composting head (Nature's Head) in our Catalina 30.

I am thinking about how to install it, and was wondering if there are advantages/disadvantages to installing it facing forward, rather than facing to starboard. Would it be more or less convenient to use while underway if its facing forward vs side to side?

If we mounted it facing forward, it would be close to, but not on, centerline.

Any opinions, or better yet, experiences would be greatly appreciated.
thanks!
greg
 
#5 ·
We have an Air Head Composting toilet installed. It's athwartships. No issues beyond the fact that its a little taller (I built a little platform so you can rest your feet on it when sitting). We just replaced the original head with it.
 
#8 ·
Good point. I will grant that porta-potties are disgusting. We had one on a family boat when I was a kid. You never ever wanted emptying duty. Ever.

Composters are theoretically less disgusting, however, your last deposit is going to be pretty fresh when it comes time to wrap up and go. It's also going in a landfill that way. Plus, the pee bottle. That doesn't wig me out much, as I've had to go in a pilot relief tube more times than I can count. I even bring one unit aboard in the Fall, after we winterize the heads but have another weekend of winterizing. Much easier in the middle of the night to use a johnny bottle, then to walk ashore in the cold night. My wife, however, find the thing to be as tame as nuclear waste. I've been down the "pee is sanitary" route, but nothing doing.

And, for sure, operator error or malfunction on any marine head will cause nasty trouble. They all have their quirks.
 
#10 ·
Hmm, I would think that either an Air Head or Nature’s Head facing athwartships would not empty into the pee bottle if you seat “facing to windward” while under sail. Therefore if you are about to do both A and B you will be getting liquids into the barrel. Am I wrong?

Like - hey Skip, can you please tack? I need to pee.. :D
 
#11 ·
SVTatia -
Right, thats exactly what I was thinking about. Does anyone else wit experience using the Nature's Head have any ideas about whether or not the "pee trap" will function as designed if the boat is heeled?
Thanks all! I've never been so excited to install a toilet before :)
g
 
#12 · (Edited)
So, this is probably more than you want to know, but, here goes. Everyone pees sitting down on Zephyr, which helps ensure that urine goes directly into the pee holes. If a little goes into the barrel, no biggie. As long as you're not drenching the peat, it won't really have an effect anyway. But, having everyone sit down seems to work well for us.

Also, at the end of a sailing day, I'll usually empty a little water down the pee holes just to make sure the urine is "flushed". Then I wipe out the bowl with a clorox wipe. Easy easy.

As for comparisons with a marine portipotti... We had a normal marine head before, and you can read the horror that I found when I tore that thing out. I was always disgusted by that thing. The composting head is very clean, and very easy to maintain. It never seems "gross" to me.

** Edit: I wanted to also add that getting rid of the sanitation hoses and ripping out the holding tank really helped clean up the air in the boat too.
 
#19 ·
It seems to me that with the complaints of the Nature's Head not completely separating the liquid from the solid because the lip is not high enough, then it seems the for/aft or aft/for orientation should have less effect as the motion would mostly be side to side, not shifting the liquid to the solids collection as much. Have you thought to ask the manufacturer, it may not be worth rearranging the head over it as I can't think of many heads that would allow for much modification without major work as it is normally pretty tight.
 
#20 ·
Did you do the install, and how has it been working?
I'm buying a 1986 Catalina 30 mk II this weekend...and my wife is very happy about not having holding tank reek be a part of her life!
I found a new AirHead for sale and want to install it asap. Any advice would be very appreciated!
 
#23 ·
We installed ours fore and aft, but only because that's how the traditional marine head was installed before we replaced it. Installed athwartship, one one tack, the liquids will drain into the solids container when the back is lower than the front. Of course, this is only a big deal if you're on the same tack for days, but if you plan on doing long passages, it's something to consider. At an angle (as in, if it's installed fore and aft and you're heeled) a *bit* of liquids get into the solids container, but not really enough to affect the efficiency of the unit.

Just something to keep in mind, if you have options about how to install it.
Simply Sailing Online
 
#21 ·
A primary advantage of "composting" toilets is the minimisation of odour, not to mention that they are much less expensive to operate, especially for a boat that can contain only a small holding tank. Sprinkle a little coconut fibre on top of each deposit, and the odour disappears very quickly. I've switched over, having to custom-build because none of the commercially available devices would fit. Works just fine, and there are two fewer holes in the hull. As to the orientation question, ours sits at an angle because of space limitations, but is roughly fore and aft.
 
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