Natures Head Toilet Installed

ClydesdaleKevin · September 14, 2012, 07:20 AM

Yep! Not for everybody, but if you do a lot of dry camping and boondocking or are a fulltime RVer, its the ideal setup, especially if you convert your black tank to grey and get even more greywater capacity.

Pricey, but for us it will save us a LOT of money in a short time...it will pay itself off in less than a year.

* A side note about Nature's Head customer service. I wrote them a letter telling them how pleased we were with the unit, but mentioned in the letter that the fan was now audible, whereas when first installed it was so quiet you had to put your ear next to it to hear it. They sent me a new fan, no charge! Coincidently, the fan on the toilet stopped making the humming noise as soon as the new fan arrived, so I put it in the cabinet as a backup. Just thought it was really nice of them to send out a new fan and housing priority mail when all I did was mention the mild increase in fan noise and ask if it was normal. Great company and great customer service!

Kev

Froggy1936 · September 14, 2012, 08:39 PM

Sounds like they care about their sh-- !!!!

ClydesdaleKevin · September 21, 2012, 08:03 AM

Because of a little bit of user error I had to dump the compost bin a few days early...was trying to go for a month to see what happens, but I goofed up a little. A few days ago I noticed the compost looked a little too damp when emptying the urine bottle. No odors at all, but the instructions for the toilet say to add a little dry peat moss if the compost looks too damp (it should stay looking like the slightly damp peat moss you add initially).

I made the mistake of adding a whole gallon bag of dry peat moss to the compost and mixing it in with the turn handle. Level didn't change right away and it brought it right back to what it was supposed to look like.

Over the next couple of days, it got harder and harder to turn the handle, and Patti was having a very hard time of it. I opened the bin, and the dry peat moss added had expanded when absorbing the moisture so the bin was now over 3/4 full and the handle very hard to turn. Oh well, live and learn! Next time I'll only add a couple of cups of peat moss if I notice the compost a little too damp!

Very very easy to dump the unit. You pull the hose and wire plug off the side, undo the latches for the top and lift it, remove the urine bottle, then slide the top to the left and it comes right off the base. I set the top in the shower while emptying the bin. Next you take a 13 gallon kitchen garbage bag...we use the ForceFlex bags since they don't get holes in them as easily...and place it over the top of the compost bin. They added a lip all the way around it, and the garbage bags fit tightly over it. Just remove the two knobs that secure the base to the floor brackets, turn it over, and shake it into the garbage bag. You have to beat on the sides a little like a drum so all the compost falls out into the bag, but it doesn't take long at all...super easy, and very light compared to a tote tank!

The toilet is small enough and well designed enough that I was able to complete the whole operation right in our RV bathroom.

So you put the compost bin back between the floor brackets, put the knobs back on, and then you have to add your fresh dampened peat moss. We have a 2.5 gallon bucket that is perfect for mixing the peat moss. The peat moss we bought is bone dry, sealed in gallon zip locks, so 2 gallons into the bucket, and 8 cups of water, well mixed in, is the formula we found for the perfect compost mix. That is just enough water to slightly dampen the peat moss without making it too wet. I suppose you might have to modify that formula if the peat moss you buy is already damp from sitting out in the weather, especially if there were any small holes in the bag.

Once mixed outside on the porch in the bucket, I brought the bucket into the bathroom and carefully dumped it into the compost bin...didn't want loose peat moss all over everything in the bathroom. Just a note...the instructions recommend you DON'T clean all the residual old peat moss out of the bin...you just leave it...it contains the bacteria that will make the next batch of peat moss start to compost the solids even faster than the very first batch you used.

Then you simply put the top back on...its a slide hinge on the back...reinstall the urine bottle, plug the hose and wire plug back in, clip the latches, and you are ready to go!

I am amazed at how well this thing works! When dumping the compost bin into the 13 gallon kitchen trash bag, there were absolutely no odors at all...it just smelled like dirt from your garden without a trace of foul odor at all...simply amazing! And that is after nearly a whole month of fulltime use!

The trash bag I put into our lined large bear proof garbage can on the porch we use here in New York, so by the time in makes it to the dumpster next week it will be fully composted from the last use.

The handle turns easily now as it should, and Patti is quite happy...lol!

I really really have to highly recommend this composting toilet. Wasn't sure if it would work as it should, but it sure as shite does...lmao!

And the toilet is just as clean as the day we got it. This thing is going to make my life a lot easier, and save us a lot of money!

Kev

joanfenn · September 21, 2012, 08:45 AM

Yes, it is a great little invention. Works like a charm for us. We are not full timers like you and Patti but definitely like the ease of use of this toilet. Spent a whole week camping in the trailer the week before last and never noticed any bad smells at all, even with the bathroom door open. Got home and dumped the toilet into our compost pile out back to use next year in my flower beds. We will be using it in our motor home also. That is a definite. Just have to get some extra clamps for the floor, we have an extra fan that the company sent with the toilet and still have some of the exhaust hose left over from the install in the trailer. So it certainly won't be too expensive to install in the motor home at all. It is light enough to carry from one to the other depending on what we will be using for our getaways. Great not having to look for a place to dump the black water tank.

joanfenn · September 21, 2012, 09:15 AM

Oh yes and I forgot to add that the fresh water savings is great also with not wasting water with a conventional RV toilet. With the trailer and two people using this toilet our fresh water lasted five days instead of the two days that it did before. We carry extra fresh water with us on our trips and we only had to dump one five gallon jug into the tank on day five. After we got home the trailer tank was still 1/4 full. Great toilet.

tiinytina · September 21, 2012, 10:13 AM

Just a reminder from your resident Horticulturist... if you are adding the compost from your toilet to your compost pile do not use the compost in your vegetable garden beds..... in a perfect system compost piles will reach 140F which is pasteurization. Most home piles are not perfect systems and the presence of coliform bacteria

may still be found. Same reason you should not use the compost if there is dog waste in it or meat scraps..... N:(

Tina
Certified Professional Horticulturist
Plant Pathologist

joanfenn · September 21, 2012, 10:52 AM

Yes you really have to be aware of where you put it. That is why I said flower beds, and it is great around the trees and shrubs also. Thanks for pointing that out Tina.

Froggy1936 · September 21, 2012, 11:15 AM

After reading the procedures for installation and emptying (not to mention having to sit ) I do not see where this would be any easier than a partial packing every 2 weeks (useing the campground restroom as much as possible) to drive to dump site. Then reset up camper seems a lot easier than dealing with all that .

ClydesdaleKevin · September 22, 2012, 08:00 AM

Yep Tina, the instructions for the toilet definitely make it clear not to use the compost on anything but ornamental plants.

And for Frank, this toilet isn't for everyone, but for fulltimers that do a lot of dry camping its the prefect solution. When we set up camp at a Renfaire, the toilets and shower houses are usually disgusting, so we elect to use our own potty. Most Renfaires don't have a dump station, so you have to pay the honey wagon guys 20-45 bucks to come dump your tanks. New York has a dump site, but its not accessable from even a small vehicle, never mind pulling your RV up to it...you have to dump your black tank into a tote tank, tow it over with your car as close as you can get to the dump site, then drag the heavy tank by hand the 50 yards or so over rocks and roots and gravel. North Carolina and Arizona don't have dump stations at all, so you have to either pay the honey wagon guys, or pack up the camper and drive off site...not as easy as you might think with how narrow the roads are in Renfaire campgrounds, especially once everyone else arrives and has their vehicles parked everywhere...drive down to a campground...the nearest one to NC is 20 miles away, AZ has one right down the street...and pay them to use their dump station since you aren't camping there. Oklahoma has a dump site, but again, no way to get your RV anywhere close to it, so its the heavy tote tank dragged by hand most of the way.

When we dry camp we are out in the desert...BLM lands and National Forests in the winter. No dump sites and a VERY long drive to anywhere that we can dump the black tank.

So for us, the composting toilet is the perfect solution. It lasts a whole month or more of fulltime use...occasional use would probably last a single person a year! Its very easy to install, very easy to use, and very easy to dump the compost in the 13 gallon trash bags. Dumping the urine bottle every few days might sound annoying, but its way easier to dump that than it is to dump a 35 gallon tote tank, and way less smelly...lol! We just carry that over to the site porta potties or bathrooms and dump it in.

So again, not for everyone, but for fulltimers and those of you who do a lot of dry camping, its the way to go.

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · September 22, 2012, 08:05 AM

Oh yeah...and the process for us to actually partially pack down the RV to bring it to a dump station...never mind the vehicles parked everywhere at a Renfaire campground...involves unstaking the awning and rolling it up, dropping the antenna, making sure everything on the counters and table are secured, and a whole list of other tasks before we can even move the RV off site...then getting back to camp and backing the RV into a tiny campsite, leveling it all over again with leveling blocks, plugging back in, bringing the awning back out and staking it down, etc.etc.etc...

Way easier to just dump the lightweight compost bin once a month or so, and walk the urine bottle down to the portapotty every few days...lol!

Kev

Acuda4me · September 24, 2012, 11:47 AM

Okay, I have a question no one has asked yet: Does the fan run all the time? Does that mean this is a full-time draw on your batteries?

joanfenn · September 24, 2012, 11:59 AM

Hello: The fan runs all the time to keep odors out of the bathroom. It is a small fan about the size of a computer fan with minimal draw on the batteries.

ClydesdaleKevin · September 25, 2012, 08:44 AM

Yep, the fan runs all the time...draws any odors for recent use out to the roof vent, and also helps with the compost process. Draws VERY little amps, so unless your batteries are already toast it won't draw them down.

Nature's Head also sells separately this neat little vent cover that powers the fan with a small solar panel, and has a battery that gets charged at the same time and runs the fan at night. Not all that expensive either.

Kev

Oz · October 01, 2012, 08:38 PM

After reading all this... I'm totally pooped!

:)rotflmao

Acuda4me · October 01, 2012, 09:05 PM

How about this: $800?!?
I almost crapped my pants when I saw how much they want for it!!!!!!

ClydesdaleKevin · October 02, 2012, 05:50 AM

Yep...800 bucks, and never have to deal with dumping a stinky sewer tank ever again, find dump stations, or have to pay big bucks to get your tanks pumped out. We camp 8 weeks at a time at Renfaires with no dump stations, so every week we had to shell out and average of 35 bucks. Two of the faires actually have a place to drag a tote tank to and dump, but 40 gallons of poo in a plastic tank is bloody heavy, time consuming, and did I mention gross and stinky?

We go on 2 long vacations a year, not including the little ones between shows. We dry camp and boondock during these times. If the black tank filled, we'd have to break camp and drive all the way to the nearest dump station or campground and pay to dump the RV...from 5 bucks at a Flying J, to 45 bucks or so because some campgrounds don't have a separate dump fee, but rather you have to pay for a night to use their dump station. So if you think now about your gas to get there and back to camp, your time which is worth money, and cost of dumping, you've just shelled out a big chunk of change!

These toilets aren't for everyone, and if you only camp once in a while in campgrounds, the expense might not be worth it to you. For us and other fulltimers, it will pay itself off in less than a year. Heck, in my opinion its already paid for itself just by freeing up more of my time, and eliminating my most hated of jobs when it comes to RVing.

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · October 07, 2012, 10:19 PM

The handle was getting hard to turn again, and the peat moss looked too damp, so THIS time I added 2 cups of dry peat moss, and problem solved! Easy fix, not nearly near full, the peat moss looks normal again, and the handle is easy to turn again, even for Patti with her RA. Its a learning curve!

Kev

joanfenn · October 07, 2012, 10:36 PM

Hi Kev: We found out that the peat moss I bought here was all ready premoistened so when I added what I thought was the right amt of water it got all hard to crank too. Like you said, it is a learning curve. But it is a problem that is easy to fix.

Still am glad we bought ours. We will be using it in the MH also.

ClydesdaleKevin · October 08, 2012, 08:31 AM

Yep, if the peat moss gets too wet, or is too wet to begin with, the handle gets hard to turn. By adding the 2 cups of peat moss to the bin and using the handle to mix it in it freed it right up, and made the peat moss look just like it was supposed to. Might sound like too much maintenance, but really its way easier than a conventional toilet. If for some reason you don't notice the peat moss getting too damp when you dump the pee bottle, you'll notice pretty quickly when the handle gets hard to turn, so its like a built in alarm...lol! I'd much rather have to simply add 2 cups of dry peat moss than open a ball valve and see the black tank filled right to the top and have no place to dump it!

I think these composting toilets are the best things to hit the RV market in years, and sure am glad we bought one! Thanks Joan for getting yours and posting the info about it and turning us on to this labor saving and clean alternative! It makes a whole world of difference.

Kev

Oz · October 09, 2012, 10:52 PM

So... you can lay out the dough up-front and, if you're a frequent boonocker, you'll be happy as a pig in poop in a very short time...

or... you can pay out the butt to the pooper-piper to dump your poo...

or... you can pray someone steals your poop. No, it's not the poop fairy... it's the...

Acuda4me · October 09, 2012, 11:05 PM

Potty mouth! ;-)

ClydesdaleKevin · October 10, 2012, 07:53 AM

:)rotflmao Too funny!

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · October 22, 2012, 08:23 PM

Its been just over a month and we changed the compost again. And again, no foul odors, just smells like peat moss!

This is one damn fine product and worth every penny to us! As time goes by my recommendation is getting stronger and stronger!

Gadgetman suggested another use for this toilet I didn't even think about...if your tanks are toast and your valves leak and pipes drip, its cheaper to get one of these then to repair all your old crusty holding tanks. Its a thought!

Kev

Oz · October 22, 2012, 10:53 PM

That would be a very good option instead of going through the time, cost and hassle of replacing a crapped-out waste system.

ClydesdaleKevin · November 28, 2012, 08:23 AM

Here's a pic of how we installed our Nature's Head composting toilet:

The little trash can next to the toilet is for the TP.

Kev