Installing the Nature's Head dry composting toilet

I have been reading the excellent reviews on this toilet system and decided to try it out. www.natureshead.net/

The unit installed is the Nature's Head dry composting toilet with spider wheel. Amazon has it for $910.00 with free shipping or you can get it from a local dealer. I got mine from a boatbuilder in Ladysmith, British Columbia.

The Nature's Head composting toilet meets all "No Discharge" regulations and is a U.S Coast Guard Approved type III marine head. It is constructed of very strong rotomolded plastic, stainless steel and brass and is designed for rough use in a marine environment

It seems that 2 people can use the unit exclusively for 2 + weeks without dumping compost and refilling with coco husk fiber or peat moss. If you are a weekend camper they say it will last the season. The longer it digests the better. The pee bottle has to be dumped every 2 days or so if two people are using the toilet.

It will just fit in the existing Thetford space on a 2720SD with no modifications to the drivers side wheel well or the wiring going behind the Thetford. The fit is snug but for the permanent installation it will be secured on an angle (see last photo) by floor screws. For now it's floating on the floor but secured for travel by the bathroom wall which folds over it.

To install it:
1) Remove all the Thetford stuff and use a suitable material, plywood, heavy rubber... to provide a new floor surface under the nature's head base. (this is a test system so until the toilet proves itself I am keeping the old plumbing in good shape in case I need to re-use it). A permanent installation would level the floor by removing the 4" flange.

2) Cut 2" holes in the cabinet and the side (or floor) of the trailer for ventilation and install the Nature's head vent hose and the external vent. I used the thruhull 1 1/4" fitting provided with the toilet and sandwiched it behind a battery vent cover to add louvers. Mine exits the trailer near the grey water tank air vent, a floor exit for the vent would have been better because the fan could run with the TM closed up. I shut it off now. Something else to do for the "permanent installation".

3) Install the fan wiring supplied by nature's head along with the fuse holder in series with the +12v supply. Power can be tapped at the scotch locks previously used by the Thetford wiring.

4) Remove the left (as you face the front of the toilet) 1 1/4" vent connector on the new toilet by removing two mounting screws. This is needed for the unit to fit in this space. The filter stays in place because it is bolted to the upper section of the toilet so this connector wasn't needed.

5) Slide the unit into position and attach the hose to the unit using a 1 1/4" PVC street elbow. Plug in the fan assembly.

The unit is installed for test purposes. Permanent installation would level the floor and provide a lash down to hold the unit in place.

We are just headed out on a 6000 mile trip to visit various relatives across the country.

This removal of the requirement for full hookup to live in the trailer for extended periods gives us many more options for camp sites. For instance..Hornby Island is a beautiful spot. It has one of the most beautiful natural beaches in Little Tribune Bay. It is only 30 miles away but two ferry runs away making it remote. There are campgrounds but none offer sewer service or pump out. The rule here is 0 impact so everything that comes in must go out. They do let you water their lawn and hedges with grey water and if you don't have to dump black water then you can be great on a power and water site for a prolonged stay.

Peter

Just a few notes:
1- Thoroughly rehydrate coir before use. Currently 5 quarts water per block of coir. We use a 5 gallon bucket and place 4 1/4 block pieces in the bucket along with 5 quarts water for a day. Then we transfer it to 1 gallon zip locks for storage and use.
The coir should be as wet as a well wrung sponge. When a ball is squeezed in the fingers a few drops of water appear between the fingers.
2 - On a new batch. Not having a starter or innoculant from a previous compost may create a delay of decomposition for 2 or 3 days which starts the batch with a backlog of waste to process.
3 - All of the mass lost in the fecal matter is being expelled from the head via the fan and vent. Try to keep this hose as short and free of bends as possible. 2/3 of Carbon is oxidized and exits as CO2. Water vapor is transported out of the head by the fan. Nitrogens are fixed in the new hummus.
4 - Any ammonia smell means not enough coir. Make up for lost volume of compost with more coir until dumped. Don't run out of water, carbon or oxygen. Good news is just add more carbon and it will clear up very quickly. Add lots of carbon. The C:N ratio should never get this bad. The aerobic bacteria are definitely dominant. The anaerobic are pushed out pretty fast once the oxygen and C:N ratios are good.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Now THIS is fascinating. I've heard mixed reviews about these while in use in cabins and such, so I would have never attempted to install one in an RV. But I'm really glad someone did, so now we can know for sure.

I can't wait to hear about your experiences with it, and your extended trip is a perfect time to test it out.

You are a true pioneer!!

Dave

I have seen these in a few remote locations in National Parks in NE. Seemed to work well. You might want to experiment with a removable extension on the vent to get it above the roof.

There is very little odor produced by this toilet if it is working properly and composting aerobically. I will not use it any other way. Venting through the side near the grey water vent should be ok for now. It is the same vent I used for the Thetford and that was smellier. Nobody ever noticed.

Peter

Well it has been 2 weeks and 3000 miles since we headed out with our new Nature's head composting toilet from Vancouver Island, British Columbia to Ottawa, Ontario.

It has been completely free of smell and has been easy to use and maintain.
Because we have been using the composting toilet for everything except for a few exceptions it has had a good trial. Temperatures on the trip were in the 80's and 90's most days with night temps in the 60's.

Because of the relatively high usage by two people we did have to empty the toilet after two weeks and refill with Coir (coconut fiber). We emptied it into a plastic bag lined 5 gallon pail with lid where it will continue to compost for a few weeks until we can dispose of it. The material at that point should be ready for disposal. If we were at home it would be added to our compost heap where it would finish decomposing.

We are going to be staying in this area for a month or so but the usage of the toilet will be reduced as we use other facilities as well. We probably wont have to empty/refill until we head back west in September.

Advantages:
1 - Absolutely no smell.
2 - No slosh.
3 - No need to dump black water every 2 days. No dump fees. Unit will go from 2 weeks to months before having to empty depending on use.
4 - 900 dollar price is offset by low maintenance costs.
5 - Unit is nice looking and well made. All components are good quality plastic and stainless steel.
6 - Emptying/refilling of the toilet takes 10 minutes and is a clean, simple process.
7 - The oxidation of carbon by the aerobic bacteria produces heat which keeps the decomposition going despite colder ambient temperatures.
8 - No deodorizing chemicals needed.
9 - No water required for use other than the water needed to hydrate the coconut fiber or peat moss. We do this before we leave home and carry the hydrated coconut fiber in 1 gallon zip lock bags (2 bags per refill).
10 - The Nature's head composting toilet is a USCG certified class III holding tank.
11 - An environmentally "green" solution.
12 - Usage may sound difficult but in reality it's pretty easy.

Disadvantages:
1 - Urine bottle has to be emptied every two days or so with two people using it. We dump it daily so we don't forget. This has not been a problem anywhere. It fits inside a re-usable grocery bag so you don't have to advertise what you are doing.
2 - Proper hydration of the coir can effect the ease of cranking the toilet to mix the contents and provide aerobic composting. This needs a bit of tuning but is not difficult. Once you get a good ratio of water to coir or peat moss cranking effort is reduced.
2 - If using full time, the toilet it has to be dumped before complete decomposition has taken place. Smell is minimal due aerobic decomposition but there is some when you are dumping, just wear gloves to avoid any remaining pathogens. Putting it in a plastic bag lined, 5 gallon pail for two weeks finishes the decomposition enough for disposal.
3 - If traveling for an extended period disposal of the composted material may be an issue. Personally I see no problem in disposal of material which has been composting for a month in a landfill but finishing the composting in a compost heap is ideal.

This is not for everyone. Poo phobics may have a hard time with this. For my wife and I this is a good solution which is making our TM more pleasant to use and expands our range of what we can do with it.

Peter

[ELM-JLM]

This is not for everyone. Poo phobics may have a hard time with this. For my wife and I this is a good solution which is making our TM more pleasant to use and expands our range of what we can do with it.

Peter

How do you clean the bowl after use?

Earl,

The way this works is that urine and feces are separated by the toilet as they are delivered to the toilet. There is a gate for feces which is controlled by a lever at the side. The bowl itself does not get hit by feces at all unless ones aim is off. Urine is routed to the collection bottle at the front of the unit.

If the bowl gets dirty a spritz of water from a spray bottle and some toilet paper are used to clean it up. The toilet paper is then put into the toilet for decomposition.

It sounds more complicated than it is. The unit is easy to use and stays very clean with very little maintenance. Since the bowl stays dry there is no scale to deal with. The pee bottle can develop some scale but can be cleaned by filling with Coca-cola which dissolves it.

So far our experience is that it is far easier to clean than the Thetford. This is a very ingenious design and the users manual is attached to this reply.

Peter

[ELM-JLM]

Thanks for the Users Guide! Very interesting method & operation!

Originally Posted by kokilo

Amazon has it for $910.00 with free shipping or you can get it from a local dealer.

Your right - this is not for everyone. I can walk to the vault toilet, campground toilet, or even dig my own latrine if i need to for $910.00

Good grief....

Very interesting, but a bit expensive just to go to the toilet.

[hoverlover]

Direct hookup dump or tote to dump, I'll stick with the Thetford. As long as I use the Thetford Blue, no odors, no problems.