Old worn out marine toilet flushed straight into the sea.
Ermott’s Landing, our little float-home in Cowichan bay Village, has gone green.
When our old marine toilet needed replacement, we decided not to buy another one of the same type, but instead to get something that would be of benefit to our environment.
At the same time, we wanted to lessen our impact on the ecosystem, even if just with regard to water consumption.
Therefore, we decided to install a composting toilet.
As many people know, Cowichan Bay Village shares a lot of characteristics with BC’s Capital city Victoria with regard to how it treats it’s waste.
We have regular garbage pickup, we recycle our newspapers, cans and bottles, we compost our table scraps (the crabs love meat trimmings) and just like Victoria, we poop by and large directly into the sea.
We get remarks about it all the time here in the village. People who live on land nearby look at our little community with jaded eyes, because, well… after all, they poop into the ocean don’t they?
Well enough of that, and enough of waiting for the powers that be to provide permission for the marinas to hook to the municipal sewer system. The politicians around here are very good at making a fuss when it suits them, not so good at actually moving forward on matters long outstanding.
After only a momentary debate, my wife and I decided to invest the $1000 required to begin dealing with our night soil in a different manner.
Composting toilets have been around for a very long time. Some might argue that the old fashioned outhouse was a form of composting toilet. When it filled up, you topped the pit with earth and moved the outhouse house to another location. A bit crude and occasionally not very sanitary.
However, waste systems which turned human night soil into fertilizer suitable for the flower garden have been commonly built into houses since the 1860’s. The Self Acting Earth Closet of 1881 was one such brand, the Envirolet of the 1970’s was another.
What a mess. Note the crowbar.
Unfortunately what these all had in common, was a bit of a smell. The phew that hangs around the two-holer attracting flies and hurrying users was not what we wanted in our tiny living space!
Another concern was size. The new commode had to be able to fit into the space formerly occupied by the old toilet. Many older composting designs were rather large, some extending to two floors with hundred gallon composting chambers. We knew we’d have to re-do the bathroom, but we weren’t prepared to alter the layout of our float-house.
Compact, effective and stink-free. This is what were looking for, and I think we found it in the “Nature’s Head” brand commode we selected.
Naturally we weren’t the first in the Bay to order one of these units, John and Catherine Dook had one installed on their boat a few months ago. We simply waited to see if they liked it or not and when they gave the green light, we hopped happily on the band wagon. Risk takers? Not us.
The Nature’s Head is simple to set up and install. The biggest problem was removing the old toilet. It came out in bits and pieces, all fastenings rusted hopelessly stuck from 10 or more years of use. Still, out it came, with the help of a crowbar and a few words that won’t be recounted here.
Once that obstruction had been dealt with, the supporting step was also removed. The new commode sits a bit higher than the old one, and the step was no longer necessary.
Installing the new commode is a simple as standing it on the floor, attaching the slip-fit air venting hose and plugging in the 12 volt power supply that drives the venting fan. Air is constantly drawn into the composting chamber by the fan, which then vents it out the tube provided. It’s not a huge amount of air, just enough to remove any odors.
We were lucky enough to be able to use the outlet hose which once served our marine toilet. No new holes to drill in the house! When we have refinished our bathroom and tiled the floor, we will install the two angle brackets which properly secure the commode to the floor. Admittedly, the removal of the old marine water flush toilet left the area a bit of a mess.
Nature’s Head in Position and hooked to venting pipe.
Once we had the unit set up, it was a matter of dumping in about 2 and a half pounds of peat moss. Liquids are collected by the front of the bowl and are stored in a plastic bottle, away from the composting chamber. Once a week or so, we’ll have to walk this up the dock to dispose of the contents in the marina’s land based flush toilet.
The solids go into the peat moss filled composting chamber and are mixed via a stirring paddle, which the user turns a few times on finishing. RV toilet paper is fine, as it breaks up nicely. Even our cat’s litter-box waste will be added to the mix, it’s that simple.
The entire process uses absolutely no water, other than what might be used for cleaning and the Nature’s Head people suggest a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water in a misting bottle. Think of the water that could be saved if everyone went to a flushless system like this.
After a month’s use (two people) you simply remove the top part of the commode, undo the two wing nuts that secure the base to the angle brackets on the floor and place a plastic garbage bag over the compost chamber. Now turn the compost box over and dump the dirt into the bag. You can put the bag into the municipal garbage if you want too, or use it to sprinkle the contents on your flower garden.
Pete’s Wild Flower Garden
I have heard of some people using it on vegetables. That’s a bit too brave for me. We have plenty of flowers and they will do very well.
So what are the benefits of one of these composting toilets?
Well, our wastes no longer go directly into the sea. (This puts us one up on everyone locally with a flush toilet, because eventually all the waste from the public sewers winds up … You guessed it, processed in settling ponds and then into the sea.)
We don’t need to hook up to any sort of pump out station.
The commode uses no water, a resource we are blessed with here on the Coast, but should learn not to squander.
Our wastes are converted into a useful material, which will make our flower garden more beautiful.
Because of the simplicity in keeping it clean and the venting system, we’ll never have to put up with any sort of “toilet smell”.
The new commode is nicer to sit on. That’s a bonus right there.
Bruno needs a commode…
Finally, once you get your head around the concept that your toilet is now more or less portable, needs no connection to a water source or outlet pipe and runs on just 12 volts DC (at about 4.5 watts, I’ll bet it could run off a small solar panel and motorcycle battery if needed.) it becomes a simple matter to imagine removing and discarding the marine flush toilet on your cruising boat.
Then you simply install a pair of those brackets that keep the Nature’s Head bolted securely to the floor, in the space where your boat’s marine toilet once was.
You’d probably want to install a site specific vent hose as well. The hose slips off and on the commode more easily than most vacuum cleaner hoses do.
Now when it’s time to go cruising, the commode is just another of those things you pack along for the trip, like a suitcase.
That might just be tomorrow’s project. I need to order a pair of those brackets, and an extra venting hose.
