Pumpout boats do exist, I've used them on several occasions. These, however, are fairly rare, the most common is a pump at the fuel dock. A portable toile service company may pump out a boat, although I think it would be prohibitively expensive if frequently used. In our travels the typical cost for a shoreside pump out was about $5 and often free.
Composting heads
- Thread starter dLj
- Start date
a. I would never call something a desiccating head as a means of running down its usefulness. For a day sailor, who dumps the head after each use (that is what we do, because it is only used a few times each year), it isn't even a desicating head; we add some absorbant, make a deposit, cover it, and empty it within ~ 6 hours. If I were cruising i would function differently and I would use different equiment. But the head I have could be classed as holding, desicating (depending on the absorbant used), or mouldering (longer trip), depending on operation.
b. The only common category of mouldering toilets I have read of was in rural, poor communities, and they used wood cooking ashes as the absorbent (urine-separating type). In fact, the nutrient balance and odor reduction effectiveness of ash make it one of the best choices, since mixed with other organic material, it composts very well (WHO paper). I tested that for a while, and if I were in a cabin, ash might be my first choice ... but not in a boat. Slightly off topic, but it was interesting IMO. Real world. I believe the urine was infiltrated into the ground.
I did not intend to infer you would do that - if that is how it came across, my apologies.
I do find your description of dumping your head after a day use interesting. It has nothing to do with how I run my heads. I only dump my solids bin when it's full. If I'm not using the boat for a period of time, the solids bin sits like that without use for whatever time period that may be. That time frame may be many months. Can't say I even understand why I would dump the solids bin after a day trip.
I do dump the urine container frequently - but that's kind of part of using these heads.
One difficulty is that most of the research regarding composting lies in either large scale or applications that are a bit distant to boat type units. Urine in these larger scale applications poses it's own problems that don't apply particularly well to boat type systems.
One reason why I am pretty convinced that all of these boat type units are mouldering heads comes from the fact that your psychrophiles thrive in temperatures from 15C (59F) down to -10C (14F). Then you have the mesophiles that live in temperatures of 20 to 45C (69 to 113F). Now both of those temperature ranges are easily supported in the environment of CTs in boats. That upper end might be a bit tough as well as the lower end, but neither totally outside a reality of boat life...
Desiccation appears to simply be a technique to reduce odors in CT systems, primarily in mouldering CTs. Hence, all of these heads are technically mouldering heads. Now they may be using desiccation as an aid in odor reduction but they are mouldering heads. I'm certainly open to other interpretations. Just show me the data to back it up.
dj
DLj. I did read it.
It would appear your hung on the given name disiccating. I would let it go.
Thinwater has a good point in both paragraphs.
You know why human urine and wood ash pair so well together. They form fertilizer. When you burn wood into white ash you get calcium carbonate, and potassium,and nitrogen. The nitrogen is converted into nitrates eventually and that is what plants really like.
You clearly don't know me.... hahahaha
You posted this after the post I did above. How about if you let go of the term desiccating head and use the correct term mouldering head? Does that work for ya? hahahha
dj
Some reason I don't understand what you mean. I true discc blah dry toilet. Uses an airation tool to help air out the solids to dry and air is introduced into the chamber. But I don't see how it could be a mouldering toilet or another composting toilet. Based on that pdf you provided.
Edit: i just saw your post #25. I don't know you. That's right. How could I know you? I only have 35 posts on these forums. And we've never met. That comment really confuses me. But I'll let it slide.
I won't repeat myself. But as I click a repley you classically add a reply without my browser updating that you made one.
Without getting into the relative merits or demerits of the various sanitation systems, check to see if your boat can fit a different style toilet. I was all set to install a new Raritan Elegance in my head when I realized that it wouldn't fit unless I made major modifications to the head. On to Plan B. To the best of my knowledge all composting style toilets have a larger foot print than most (all?) traditional and modern marine toilets.
In fact, it is more often years between uses. No reason to leave it sit, since it could draw bugs. Probably not. I did test it at home first, daily, for over a month. Service is as simple as pulling the bag, installing a new bag, and tossing in a few cups of absorbant. Literally 30 seconds. It was specifically designed for this use. Similar to the no-churn C-Head. Cruising is different. This head would work for either, but it would be operated differently.
Desiccating Head. Yes, perhaps mouldering.
Interesting topic. I blew it off for years, and then discovered that it is a MUCH better solution for day sailers than typical porta-heads (lighter, no smell, easier to service, more capacity). I also tested it at home (basement bathroom) for long enough to believe it is a sound cruising alternative, particularly where pump-outs are few.
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How would we classify a cat litterbox? Desiccating, I think. The purpose of clumping litter, in part, is that it stabilizes the urine apart from the poop (it comes out of the cat in a different place), allowing it to be scooped and preventing the combination of poop and urine from stinking.
NOT sayin' you want to do this on your boat! It's been tried, and it's bad.
One downside of clumping litter, should anyone get that idea, is that with the bentonite additive, it really does not compost for beans. Big sticky lumps of clay. They use bentonite to cement oil wells. I compost a lot of stuff in my yard, but not cat litter. Doesn't work, not at all. Yes, there are non-clay litters, but the cat does not like them. Talk to the cat.
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Perhaps we should coin a new term - waterless toilets.
Then we can open it up to all sorts of new debates! Hahahaha
dj
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Never mind....
Now that would be real cruiser friendly... NOT...
dj
In all seriousness....
My wife went through chemo, and for her, the worst side effect was diarrhea. A day or two can lead to a burn, and continuous months don't invite thinking about. Within a few days, I read a few reviews and ordered a mid-priced unit with good reviews, and installed it the day it arrived. Remember, bidets are scarce as hens' teeth in the US; I think I have only seen them traveling in Europe. This isn't something the plumbing stores carried then (a little more common now).
It was a Godsend. Curiously, the cancer doctors were not aware of it.
But not really a boating topic. Just sharing. You never know where life will take you.
My wife went through chemo, and for her, the worst side effect was diarrhea. A day or two can lead to a burn, and continuous months don't invite thinking about. Within a few days, I read a few reviews and ordered a mid-priced unit with good reviews, and installed it the day it arrived. Remember, bidets are scarce as hens' teeth in the US; I think I have only seen them traveling in Europe. This isn't something the plumbing stores carried then (a little more common now).
It was a Godsend. Curiously, the cancer doctors were not aware of it.
But not really a boating topic. Just sharing. You never know where life will take you.
I lived in Europe for about a decade. Every single bathroom there had a bidet. You do also find them in places in Asia.
While it was a bit tongue-in-cheek that I have a bidet on my boat - I don't. However, I do have have one at home in our master bathroom. My wife insisted on us putting one in. They are really nice. Quite a step up in cleanliness from just using TP...
I hope your wife is now well beyond the need, if not, I wish her the best of luck.
dj
While it was a bit tongue-in-cheek that I have a bidet on my boat - I don't. However, I do have have one at home in our master bathroom. My wife insisted on us putting one in. They are really nice. Quite a step up in cleanliness from just using TP...
I hope your wife is now well beyond the need, if not, I wish her the best of luck.
dj