ISO Nature's Head

[UnicornWizard]

I'm looking for a nature's head composting toilet with the spider handle or the foot spider handle.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by UnicornWizard

I'm looking for a nature's head composting toilet with the spider handle or the foot spider handle.

Got a grand? I've never seen one for sale for less than the price of a new one.

[UnicornWizard]

Haha oh yup they do come with a price tag. You know, I see them every now and then on ebay & craigslist. I was about to buy one off craigslist last week, but found out it's the old model and the warranty is non-transferable. Long story short, I wasn't going to pay the asking price.

[musigenesis]

I was seriously gung ho to get one myself, but then I saw how easy (and cheap) the DIY variety is to make and I decided to go that route. $1K for a crapper is just so much.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I was seriously gung ho to get one myself, but then I saw how easy (and cheap) the DIY variety is to make and I decided to go that route. $1K for a crapper is just so much.

What I like about the nature's head is being able to turn it after throwing in some peat moss or whatever. I don't want to turn my crap with a stick.

But I'm also not spending a grand. I haven't seen a nature's head in person yet to reverse engineer it. But I'm sure there's some sort of farm implement I can figure out to use.

[Native]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

What I like about the nature's head is being able to turn it after throwing in some peat moss or whatever. I don't want to turn my crap with a stick.

But I'm also not spending a grand. I haven't seen a nature's head in person yet to reverse engineer it. But I'm sure there's some sort of farm implement I can figure out to use.

Farm implement...... like a pitchfork?

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by Native

Farm implement...... like a pitchfork?

How about the metal part of a tiller? Or a butter churn? Not sure I've seen either of those in person lol. I grew up closer to Los Angeles than Oxnard.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

What I like about the nature's head is being able to turn it after throwing in some peat moss or whatever. I don't want to turn my crap with a stick.

But I'm also not spending a grand. I haven't seen a nature's head in person yet to reverse engineer it. But I'm sure there's some sort of farm implement I can figure out to use.

My understanding of this is that the poo/peat churning thing is based on the assumption that the mess will undergo the composting process while sitting there in the terlet. But proper composting of human waste takes years, so there's not really any point to churning it in place. Just covering it as is and preventing the smell should be sufficient.

I'm going the DIY route myself, also because I'll be able to build it around/over the metal cover for the fuel pipe; I'll also be able to have it relatively low if I point it forward and have my feet in the tub (not sure I want to do that, though).

[EastCoastCB]

Folks like churning shite. lol

[kazetsukai]

I got mine installed this last weekend. Had to run a vent- out the floor, tee'd my grey tank vents into it, and then out the side to the roof. I installed the floor brackets- the screw holes don't align with them! The roto-molding means "up to a 4% difference" in dimensions from specification. My bracket keep the toilet just off of the floor enough to rock. Annoying!



$1000 poo bucket, probably not worth it in its current form. What would make it worth it: Maybe it would be if it was internally heated to accelerate the composting process. Sense moisture = vent. Sense dryness = heat to 130F. Don't give me a spider wheel or a crank, put a motor on it and churn every so often and after every use. THAT might be worth the $1k.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

$1000 poo bucket, probably not worth it in its current form. What would make it worth it: Maybe it would be if it was internally heated to accelerate the composting process. Sense moisture = vent. Sense dryness = heat to 130F. Don't give me a spider wheel or a crank, put a motor on it and churn every so often and after every use. THAT might be worth the $1k.

They do look cool, at least. I feel like I would have an easier time convincing a guest to use that thing than to use my DIY toilet. Fortunately, I don't want guests.

[banman]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

I got mine installed this last weekend. Had to run a vent- out the floor, tee'd my grey tank vents into it, and then out the side to the roof. I installed the floor brackets- the screw holes don't align with them! The roto-molding means "up to a 4% difference" in dimensions from specification. My bracket keep the toilet just off of the floor enough to rock. Annoying!



$1000 poo bucket, probably not worth it in its current form. What would make it worth it: Maybe it would be if it was internally heated to accelerate the composting process. Sense moisture = vent. Sense dryness = heat to 130F. Don't give me a spider wheel or a crank, put a motor on it and churn every so often and after every use. THAT might be worth the $1k.

What YOU described might actually work as a composting terlet!

What they're selling is a fancy litter box -- since NO composting is actually occurring on anybodies bus or boat...

That said, I should think 'kitty litter' would be more effective and cheaper than using peat moss to cover yer pOOp!

If my build goes that far I'll be building a human litter box -- its biggest 'social' crime will be the use of plastic bags...

[dan-fox]

I plan to do something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oI6ZspTkEk

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by dan-fox

I plan to do something like this:

That design offers quite an advantage- the bucket can be lined with a bag. Can't really do that with the current designs.

[dan-fox]

Yeah, you could if you wanted to. IMHO you'd have to work out something to keep the bag from participating in the mixing action; something like a wire framework gardeners use to grow tomatoes on, but fitted closely to the inside of the bucket to keep the bag in place.

Another level of complexity; another something to clean and maintain. Personally, I'm willing to get in there with a pair of latex gloves and some paper towels as needed. KISS.

[banman]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

That design offers quite an advantage- the bucket can be lined with a bag. Can't really do that with the current designs.

Originally Posted by dan-fox

Yeah, you could if you wanted to. IMHO you'd have to work out something to keep the bag from participating in the mixing action; something like a wire framework gardeners use to grow tomatoes on, but fitted closely to the inside of the bucket to keep the bag in place.

Another level of complexity; another something to clean and maintain. Personally, I'm willing to get in there with a pair of latex gloves and some paper towels as needed. KISS.

This changes my thinking (still a long way from doing...)
Since my bus use will be campouts, not full timing, and I live on ½ acre -- I actually could compost my pOOp!

Instead of a bag liner -- either make the gear on the bottom of the bucket a "quick-change" gear to put on another bucket or,
Just stack two buckets -- there's probably enough friction between two HD buckets for that to work. Then toss a lid on the bucket and take to wherever you're doing your secondary composting for easier carrying.

It would not take a lot of fan to maintain positive air flow and in a bus used like mine, pretty easy to have a pvc stack you put on the bus as part of setting up camp/remove for driving. Lets see, if you used a larger diameter pipe so you could mount a wind turbine on the top of the stack it should be enough to pull air w/out any electrical use. Hand crank...

[kazetsukai]

I think venting and auto-agitation is sufficient for the toilets themselves. Even if what I suggested (heating) were in the toilet, as long as the toilet is in use, you're going to be adding more waste that needs time to decompose.

It would be better to move the matter from the toilet to a secondary bin that agitated and heated it. Since the toilet can be emptied every two to four weeks, it would be at least that interval before new matter was added to the secondary bin- giving a good amount of time for the composting process to work. Anything added to the secondary bin would not need to be vented much either, since it was being vented during its stay in the toilet.

And to that end, I wouldn't bag in the toilet itself, but bag what comes out of the secondary bin.

[Native]

All good thoughts going on in this thread.


If one were to use a secondary storage, then one would have to plan for that storage in the buildout. Of course this is for those that really want to compost the excrements out of existance. I am sure there are folks that would insist on doing this to "save the planet". ... but just how much of a secondary box would be needed to store it all for a year? Also, since it is a continual process, new non-composted material would be added once a month. How does this affect the composting and ultimate disposal?


For us, we use a 5-gallon bucket with a "13-gallon tall kitchen" plastic trash bag as a lining. We then have the bottom of the bag lined with absorbant pads then add kitty litter on top. We only use this for the overnight stays on the road and have only needed to use it for urine so far.

[banman]

When I said "secondary composting" I was referring to a proper on the ground location in my back yard where the dried pOOp! could compost quickly...

Short term or long term on the bus there is only storage.

Since most people by their own accounts here take the "composted waste" from their "composting terlet" on their bus, put it in a plastic bag, and toss it in somebodies dumpster.

ALL they are doing in fact is drying their pOOp! before throwing it in somebodies trash. There is NO composting (by definition) in that scenario. It's no different than when I clean up after my dog and drop it in the trash...

[Native]

Good point, Banman, good points!