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Old 12-13-2015, 06:38 PM   #1
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bathroom/toilet

I'm wandering if anyone has successfully used a compost toilet in their bus. Pros. vs. cons...? or just a bad idea?..

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Old 12-13-2015, 09:08 PM   #2
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Quite a bit of discussion on that here. I am going the same route but will wait for qualified responses.
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Old 12-14-2015, 03:07 AM   #3
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I decided on getting one after watching a video by the Wynn family of the "Gone with the Wynns" website. They live full time in their motor home and opted for a composting toilet. If it's good enough for the lovely Mrs. Wynn, then I'm sure I'll be just fine. I've heard that some males refuse to sit down while going #1, so if that's a problem then I'm not sure what the workaround would be. Maybe a funnel. I'll be putting one in my bus, with the bathroom designed around the side emergency door so I can just open the door to grab the toilet to empty the contents instead of walking it through the whole bus.

Price might be an issue too, with the 2 products I know of coming in around $1,000. Personally, a black water tank is something I don't want to allocate space, weight and time for.

Other than that, I know nothing about regular RV toilets.
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Old 12-14-2015, 06:21 AM   #4
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i clean my own toliet, been sitting for years. most now build there own unit using a bucket and a seperate hole for urine. b t w you cant just throw it out the side door. if you divert the urine to your gray tank there wont be any odors.
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Old 12-14-2015, 06:46 AM   #5
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I was looking into doing a composting toilet too. I've lost the link, but there was even a video of a guy who even likes to stick his face down in the bucket after doing his business to prove how not smelly it is. I was curious about diverting urine to the grey water tank. Is that legal to dump just anywhere? How are you designing these toilets to divert the urine? Any links or photos would help.
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Old 12-14-2015, 09:04 AM   #6
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Composting does seem to be the wave of the future for converters. Especially appealing to anyone who has previously owned/maintained a blackwater system. I have mine ready to install.
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Old 12-16-2015, 03:13 PM   #7
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Check first with your licensing/titling authority in your state. Here in Washington a vehicle must have a toilet with a black tank that can be drained outside without removing the tank, in order to be titled as a RV/Motorhome. Only cabover truck campers are excepted from this rule. If you're converting a school bus, you're probably starting out with a commercial vehicle title, which will not only have a different cost to insure than a bus with a motorhome title, but may even be illegal for you to drive without a CDL. Which also reminds me: If your bus has air brakes, you may also need an air brake cert on your license.

If you can use a porta potti or composting toilet legally, then my recommendation is the porta potti. This is the most cost effective solution short of a simple bucket. Porta pottis can be purchased at stores like Wally's for less than $100. They're the easiest to dump because all you need is a standard plumbed toilet to dump into (think fuel station restroom when you refuel), so no dump fees. No ventilation plumbing required. And I believe the porta potti is more environmentally friendly because composting toilet owners (in boats and vehicles) tend to bag the solid waste and throw it in the trash. (Tiny houses on owners property may have the humanure option for the solid waste.)
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Old 12-18-2015, 06:02 PM   #8
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Link to composting toilets.
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Old 12-18-2015, 06:34 PM   #9
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i m o its 1000 bucks for a bucket and 2 liter bottle, i dont think so.
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Old 12-18-2015, 09:10 PM   #10
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I like my porcelain toilet , and black water tank, works great.
that's just me
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Old 12-19-2015, 09:34 AM   #11
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Old 12-19-2015, 10:31 AM   #12
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That's the route I'm goin'...IF I decide to do another bus conversion everything I build/install will be removable to put into the next project [bolted it]. Or could be removed to redo problem areas as in body work, floors, cross members etc.... if I decide to keep this one.
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Old 12-19-2015, 02:26 PM   #13
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ProMaster DIY Camper Van Conversion -- DIY Composting Toilet

I'm going to design one like this with a modified and repurposed hospital bed pan. I'm still not sure how legal it is to dump urine with grey water, but that's what I'd like to do.
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Old 12-20-2015, 09:57 AM   #14
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I'm planning on avoiding a black tank at all costs. Heck, right now its a bucket with cat litter so- anything is an upgrade.

I don't think all parts of Washington are that strict. Seems like plenty of folks have had their busses retitled with just 'intent to convert' and done fine. I doubt they'd get hung up on a black tank if you found the right person on the right day.
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Old 12-21-2015, 04:28 AM   #15
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been full-timing with my redneck version of composting toilet since August.

Once you get into the groove of "dealing with your poo", it is really no big deal. If you DON'T deal with poo, you are gonna deal with a stinky hose, every few days, or you will be stuck in some park, tied to some system.

If done anywhere close to correctly, there is no smell.
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Old 12-21-2015, 06:58 AM   #16
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I like my porcelain toilet , and black water tank, works great.
that's just me
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I like my porcelain throne. It's as nice as the one I have at home.
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potty.jpg   nice potty.jpg  
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Old 12-21-2015, 08:35 AM   #17
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Yup. I have the same one. Good 'ol Dometic 320. Nicer than some residential ones.

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Old 12-22-2015, 06:45 PM   #18
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We use sawdust and Kitty litter and if you take care of your business every day no smell and no black tanks and no plumbing. Everyone has their own priorities and the the things that matter most to them so you have to make your choices concerning what matters most to you.
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Old 12-22-2015, 07:58 PM   #19
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Everyone has their own priorities and the the things that matter most to them so you have to make your choices concerning what matters most to you.
Most important response so far, you need info on all your options. If shiny white porcelain was important to you, I am sure you would not have inquired about composting? I think you might ask yourself a few questions, concerning what is most important.

For me, mobility and freedom were and are most important. Being tied to a campground or dumping once every week was simply not an option. Not to mention the extra water (4-5x as much) needed to flush the porcelain god was a deal killer.

In fact, the ONLY reason I can't stay out in the woods for a month or more, is my small freshwater tank requires me to refill every 2 weeks. BUT, I do have all that room underneath to strap another fresh tank, since I am not hauling 100 gallons of sewage around.

And I will never trade my "poo patrol" duties for any of the "poo-hose" monkey duties......ever!!

You will have to deal with your poo, one way or the other, or pay someone else to do it.

Or stay plugged up permanently to the sewer-grid?
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Old 12-29-2015, 10:30 AM   #20
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And I believe the porta potti is more environmentally friendly because composting toilet owners (in boats and vehicles) tend to bag the solid waste and throw it in the trash.
There are of course some potential issues with throwing poop in the trash from a biohazard perspective - though we throw away baby diapers by the truckload every year - but:

Within a fairly short period of time, that poop (and peat moss/coconut fibre/wood chips/coffee grounds) is dirt. Regular, nutrient-rich dirt.

Have a read into what's involved in processing human waste in its effluent/sludge form, having come in through a toilet - spoiler: it requires an enormous amount of equipment, energy and water - and you might change your mind on that.

I don't think there's any contest when comparing the 'environmental friendliness' of the process; the only real questions (short of RV requirements - didn't know that about WA) are whether or not you mind handling poop-dirt, and if you're comfortable with the idea of storing crap inside your home. The way we handle our waste in the west generally makes us a bit uncomfortable with this, but I've lived in a sailboat and slept on a pillow of my own poop (ok, it was in a tank under the bunk, but still...) so I'm generally ok with it myself. But it's definitely a personal choice.

We will be using a composting toilet - and probably a manufactured one because a happy wife something something - and I will also be figuring out how to add a urinal too because screw sitting down to pee.
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