I can not get rid of head odor and am thinking of installing a composting head. My boat is a 1997 Catalina 28. Does anyone have experience with this - both installation and use?
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vent your existing tank
Marianne: I would suggest that you first try putting a proper sized vent in your existing tank if it does not already have one. Many of the Catalina's have used the stanchion for a vent. This allows the tank to function but it does not get enough air to vent the tank properly. I would also suggest that you try Odorlos for a chemical if you are not already doing that too. I personally think that a composting head is about the nastiest toilet you could deal with, but that is just my opinion. They are not very user friendly if you have guests aboard.
Marianne: I would suggest that you first try putting a proper sized vent in your existing tank if it does not already have one. Many of the Catalina's have used the stanchion for a vent. This allows the tank to function but it does not get enough air to vent the tank properly. I would also suggest that you try Odorlos for a chemical if you are not already doing that too. I personally think that a composting head is about the nastiest toilet you could deal with, but that is just my opinion. They are not very user friendly if you have guests aboard.
It may not BE head odor.
(How many times will I have to post this? <sigh>... If you have odor inside your boat, it's highly unlikely that your holding tank is the culprit...'cuz unless a tank is leaking--which, if the tank is metal, is possible--odor from inside the tank has only one place to go: out the tank vent. So trying to get rid of odor inside the boat by eliminating odor inside the tank is just chasing your tail. The most likely sources of odor INSIDE the boat are permeated sanitation hoses, a wet dirty bilge ...a dirty sump...stagnant water trapped below the sole...even the chain locker. I get calls all the time from people who've replaced their whole sanitation system trying to get rid of what they thought was "head" odor, when all they really needed to do was clean their bilges...really CLEAN it, and flush ALL the dirty water out instead of only dumping in more bilge cleaner and/or bleach. Even if replacing your toilet and tank were the solution, I don't think a composter is the answer for your boat. For one thing, composters require power 24/7/365...temperature has to be above 70 F 24/7 too. So I think you'd be better off with the system you have once we can identify and eliminate the source(s) of your odor problem. What kind of odor are we really talking about--odor out the tank vent? Odor inside the boat? Or both? When, if ever, was the last time you rebuilt the toilet or even replaced the joker valve? You might want to check out the link below too.
(How many times will I have to post this? <sigh>... If you have odor inside your boat, it's highly unlikely that your holding tank is the culprit...'cuz unless a tank is leaking--which, if the tank is metal, is possible--odor from inside the tank has only one place to go: out the tank vent. So trying to get rid of odor inside the boat by eliminating odor inside the tank is just chasing your tail. The most likely sources of odor INSIDE the boat are permeated sanitation hoses, a wet dirty bilge ...a dirty sump...stagnant water trapped below the sole...even the chain locker. I get calls all the time from people who've replaced their whole sanitation system trying to get rid of what they thought was "head" odor, when all they really needed to do was clean their bilges...really CLEAN it, and flush ALL the dirty water out instead of only dumping in more bilge cleaner and/or bleach. Even if replacing your toilet and tank were the solution, I don't think a composter is the answer for your boat. For one thing, composters require power 24/7/365...temperature has to be above 70 F 24/7 too. So I think you'd be better off with the system you have once we can identify and eliminate the source(s) of your odor problem. What kind of odor are we really talking about--odor out the tank vent? Odor inside the boat? Or both? When, if ever, was the last time you rebuilt the toilet or even replaced the joker valve? You might want to check out the link below too.
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