Nature's Head Composting Toilet

Can you post a link?  Composting toilet is on my wish list.

SilverHooligan posted:

Can you post a link?  Composting toilet is on my wish list.

https://community.lanceowners.org/top...-toilet-installation

thank you!

You bet!  

Here is a great simple way to then use your black tank as another grey tank -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1dXcBchbuQ

Now that I've had the unit in use for a full year perhaps I can finish my review.

The Nature's Head works by separating liquids and solids.  The liquids are very high in nitrogen.  You can pour them into any toilet.  (Or around trees.)  The solids are dried.  As they dry, the bacteria die off.  All that is left is fiber.  The solids can go into the landfill.  Mine looked so innocuous that I used them as a soil amendment for a tree I was planting.

The head is very easy to use and maintain.  Due to the way it's vented, I've never had any odor in the trailer.  It still looks great, and I find it far preferable to having an extra chore of dumping my black tank.

You do need to sit down to use the head, not a problem for me.  Though some men dislike that.

If there comes a day when I need to buy a new Lance, installation of a composting toilet such as a Nature's head will be my first mod without question.

My only ding is that the head is a bit large.  The competing air head is smaller.  I have a friend who installed an air head on his boat.  We both agree that the Nature's Head seems to be better designed.  Nature's Head has fewer moving parts to break and is generally sturdier.

As I posted elsewhere, it's April here in Alaska and I know we'll freeze up a few more times before summer.  But I'm able to camp in my winterized trailer since my toilet doesn't use water.  Since my trailer also serves as my power outage shelter; a dry toilet give far better functionality in those circumstances.

Should I ever find myself in need of a basement toilet in a conventional house, I'd opt for a Nature's Head before I installed standard toilet with an obnoxious macerating pump.

Nice 1-year review.  

Crude request perhaps, but do you have any pictures of the previously mentioned  innocuous chunk of dried up poopy ? I would be interested to see visual details on just how well the system works and what it produces in the end.

Grumpa, I can only second everything KeePee has said. It was the first mod I did on the 1995. Also if it goes a little dry on you just dump the coffee grounds in it every so often. No smell, no dump station needed. If really needed you can keep one of those "blue" sanitizing bars in the bathroom for that realistic black tank smell LOL. Sorry I actually thought about taking a picture last time I dumped it. I have used the moss and or coconut fiber, in ours I like the coconut fiber best and basically looks like coconut fiber with dry lumps in it .Hope that paints a picture for you. 

kaypee posted:

 

You do need to sit down to use the head, not a problem for me.  Though some men dislike that.

This one negative outweighs the many pluses. Surely there must be a way to overcome this issue. I mean, really, if we can write our name in the snow.........

Joel, Technically you can stand and use it with very careful aim. It is Natures Head suggestion to sit. 

gsymes posted:

Grumpa, I can only second everything KeePee has said. It was the first mod I did on the 1995. Also if it goes a little dry on you just dump the coffee grounds in it every so often. No smell, no dump station needed. If really needed you can keep one of those "blue" sanitizing bars in the bathroom for that realistic black tank smell LOL. Sorry I actually thought about taking a picture last time I dumped it. I have used the moss and or coconut fiber, in ours I like the coconut fiber best and basically looks like coconut fiber with dry lumps in it .Hope that paints a picture for you. 

Nice followup review Kaypee. The wheels in my head are turning. (pun intended) 

Great thread.  Thanks for the follow up.  Has anyone installed a composting toilet in a wet bath and if yes, how is it working, are you able to keep the shower water from the dry lumps?

gsymes posted:

Joel, Technically you can stand and use it with very careful aim. It is Natures Head suggestion to sit. 

My aims not what it used to be. Also I'm kinda glad there's no pic.  KAYPEE thanks for letting us know how it's working out for ya.

My dogs have terrible aim!  They pee outside though.

kaypee posted:

My dogs have terrible aim!  They pee outside though.

Now that's one uptown outback crapper. 

LJJ, my guess is that a Nature's Head would do fine in a wet bath. 

First, if the lid is closed, it comes down over the seat.  Any water splashing on it will roll down the side.

Second, if any water DID get into the bowl area, if the trap door for the solids is closed, you have a second layer of protection for your drying chamber.  Any water in the bowl is diverted in with the liquids.

I live in a cool, damp climate and wasn't sure if the head would work for me.  So far, so good up here.

kaypee posted:

LJJ, my guess is that a Nature's Head would do fine in a wet bath. 

First, if the lid is closed, it comes down over the seat.  Any water splashing on it will roll down the side.

Second, if any water DID get into the bowl area, if the trap door for the solids is closed, you have a second layer of protection for your drying chamber.  Any water in the bowl is diverted in with the liquids.

I live in a cool, damp climate and wasn't sure if the head would work for me.  So far, so good up here.

If this is true why is good "aim" ( beyond wife's expectations   )  even necessary?  I'm also curious how much, umm, activity a Natures Head can handle over a period of time, before it's prematurely full.

I looked at the installation videos and set of instructions that are on the Nature's Head web site and discovered that the 830 might not have enough room for an install.  The width I have available is 19" and the unit is 17.4" wide.  The literature shows that there is 2" needed for the sideward movement to unmount the toilet for it to be emptied.  I need to do some more research.  One concern was the location of the fan mounted on the side of the toilet getting wet.  Many put the fan on the other end of the vent so that it draws air from a distance.  Air Head fits in a smaller space but I am not as impressed with the design features.  I'll keep looking, not in a rush to swap this out yet.  I think I almost have my DW convinced, however, it would good for her to experience the event before we purchase one.  That would sell her for sure.

I will admit that the head takes up some precious bathroom real estate.  The size did give me some challenges with the installation.

Up here, there is either no dumping where I camp, or a single dump station where there is often a long line.  If I was camping in full service sites routinely, the expense and hassle of the mod would have ruled it out for me.  Though now that I've used it, I'd want it in any RV simply because I find it more pleasant.  (I know that sounds pretty silly, but it's accurate.)

Great summation Kaypee.

Our next TT (years from now) will either have a cassette toilet or a composting toilet.  And the black tank will be used for additional grey water right from day 1.

Your input on this continues to be very valuable.

You got me thinking so, I got my wife to surf the net with me.  We spent last night looking for compost toilets.  Here are the 4 major makers that I found.

Natures Head
http://www.natureshead.net/tin...SKnswCFZNgfgodIB8G-w

Air Head
http://airheadtoilet.com/

Separett
https://www.separett-usa.com/i...terless-toilets.html

C Head
http://www.c-head.com/

All four have advantages.  One thing that the C head focused on was taking the urine and directing it into holding tanks instead of the bottle in the front.   Every one of the toilets I searched had the capacity to accomplish that task.  I don't yet know how easy it would be to have it done.  If I were to remove the existing toilet, put a permanent plug in the toilet flange and then fiberglass over the hole, it would improve the size of my wet bath.  All of the toilets function stand alone without having to be mounted.  They are mounted to make certain that the contents don't spill while driving down the road or for marine applications during rough seas.  Once the fiberglass is in place the toilet can be hooked up to the venting, and a pipe installed to the urine collector that would lead to a drain pipe connected to the gray tank under the sink.  With the black tank need eliminated, I would then combine the gray and black tanks by installing the external valve.  The capacity on my gray is 17 gallons and on the black is 19 giving me a combined tank of 36 gallons.  Currently I fill the black tank first.  The overall volume going into the black tank would be decreased by 85% giving me the ability to use the freed up tank for shower and other gray water needs.

What am I missing?  Has anyone else hooked a composting toilet up to have the liquids continue to drain into the holding tanks?  If so, how have you done it?

I should mention that my DW was totally on board.  The ability to use the toilet in the winter would be by hooking back to the holding bottle for liquids.  She loved the idea.

Jim -

Here is some very good info. (you have to ignore how over-the-top upbeat they are):

http://www.gonewiththewynns.com/composting-toilet

http://www.gonewiththewynns.co...toilet-big-questions

http://www.gonewiththewynns.co...-fleetwood-excursion

http://www.gonewiththewynns.co...cks-solving-problems

http://www.gonewiththewynns.co...e-rv-black-grey-tank

Over the top upbeat people give me a rash.

GRUMPA posted:

Over the top upbeat people give me a rash.

I agree.  Then I can promise you that those 2 super-sunny characters will make you - 80's term on its way - gag.   

However, they are really knowledgeable and share quite a lot with the interwebs community.  

I have to agree that the Wynn's perkiness can be a bit much.  Even when they're saying some pretty harsh things about the way RVs are manufactured it comes across as rough as if an extra ice cube was perhaps in order for the iced tea served at lunch.

To give them the credit, several of their videos have piqued my interest.  They have some nice information on solar and inverters.  And they are self proclaimed "poop experts."  Composters have a really bad reputation up here from pipeline construction days.  They were not up to the demand that was made of them and it was not a pretty situation.  The very chipper presentation from the Wynn's didn't carry the trust factor that, say, Bill Bye the Science guy would have generated.  As it happened, their information on the Nature's Head was good.

And if they can't call you handsome; they can at least call you handy.  My installation went MUCH more smoothly than Jason's evidently did.  I snapped photos of every step and it only took three hours.  If I hadn't needed to troubleshoot the wiring I could have done it in half that time. In fact, don't watch that video unless you need a serious ego boost.  The typical LOA member is very handy!

Like KayPee I had to modify mine to make the situation fit. The only thing I have done since installing was to purchase an extra liquids container. One thing I did not mention in my installation post is I cut the handle to the latch that hold the top onto the bottom section. This allowed me to move the entire unit about another inch to the left hand side as viewed. If I was using it in a wet bath I would eliminate the fan and go with a solar vent top. 

Red Barchetta posted:

Jim -

Here is some very good info. (you have to ignore how over-the-top upbeat they are):

http://www.gonewiththewynns.com/composting-toilet

http://www.gonewiththewynns.co...toilet-big-questions

http://www.gonewiththewynns.co...-fleetwood-excursion

http://www.gonewiththewynns.co...cks-solving-problems

http://www.gonewiththewynns.co...e-rv-black-grey-tank

 

 

I saw them all a while back.  I showed them to my DW last night.  We are leaning toward Natures Head.  It appears to have more what we are looking for.  The big issue for me is can it easily convert to allow the liquids to dump into an on board tank.  I'll probably end up calling when I get a chance.  

A few of the youtube videos we watched last night showed toilets that I wouldn't want to use.  One was absolutely were filthy, and so was the language of the hostess.  

I'm sure he's looking down and very proud.....

"Thomas Crapper did not invent the flushing toilet, nor does the word crap derive from his name."  (in this case that is a piece of tom crapper, er poop decomposing)

Well, that stinks.

@Jim, you said: Once the fiberglass is in place the toilet can be hooked up to the venting, and a pipe installed to the urine collector that would lead to a drain pipe connected to the gray tank under the sink.

Am I understanding correctly that you're suggesting draining the urine collector into your gray tank along with other waste water created when washing dishes, showering, etc.? Shouldn't you then always dispose of your mixed "gray" water in a human waste repository? Otherwise, gray water can often be disposed of less formally, namely, on the ground in many places. I know gray water disposal varies considerably, but seems like this idea may limit your options. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong here.

You are correct.  The advantage is that I could revert back to the jug on the front of the Natures Head for collecting the liquids if I need and then circumvent collection of the black water liquids in the gray tank.  I see it as affording me the best of both worlds.   If I have collected urine in the gray water tank I plan to dump at a designated dump site.  That is not to say that once urine is collected in the gray water tank I will forever thereafter dump the gray tank at a designated dump site.  

I should mention that I have never dumped my gray water on the ground or any place other than a designated dump.  I might need to in the future, but to date, I haven't needed to.

Jim,

I think you could accomplish your mod. What you would need to do would be to buy two liquids jugs.  Modify one of them by inserting a bottom drain.  From the bottom drain you'd connect the line.  You'd have to drill out the bottom side of the main unit and make a slit about 2 times the height of the line.  Then you'd need to rout out a bit of the floor to accommodate the line as it feeds back under the head to drain into the black tank.  The Oatey plug that you'd use to cap the tank will require modification to accommodate the line.  You won't have a perfect gravity fed slope, but it should be all right. 

To change to vessel collection, pop off the quick connect, and lift out the modified jug.  Put in the standard vessel and you'll be in business.

Seems like a lot of work for not much payoff.  But that's how I'd do it.