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Separating Compost Toilet - AC Electric - Urine Diverting - Self Contained


buchanan

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We are currently buying our third narrowboat. Previous two boats had pump outs (which is a hygienic way of dealing with waste?)

I am considering replacing the boats Thetford cassette with a supposedly eco 'Separett Villa 9000' (Separating Compost Toilet - AC Electric - Urine Diverting - Self Contained) or equivalent. Does anyone have an opinion on composting loos since this could set me back £1,000+!!!

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You could start here http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=89445&hl=and there is also another thread running on it. and then go to http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=89193&page=3#entry1950159

Edited by ditchcrawler
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This is under discussion on another thread.

 

To me the thought of having to store your 'droppings' on the boat for 26 weeks ( in plastic bags / tub) and then dispose of it all in a 'standard dustbin' just seems 'wrong' and a retrograde step.

Wondering if it would be legal to place the Bags in a Dog Poo Bin?

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We are currently buying our third narrowboat. Previous two boats had pump outs (which is a hygienic way of dealing with waste?)

I am considering replacing the boats Thetford cassette with a supposedly eco 'Separett Villa 9000' (Separating Compost Toilet - AC Electric - Urine Diverting - Self Contained) or equivalent. Does anyone have an opinion on composting loos since this could set me back £1,000+!!!

 

Toilets on this forum are much like batteries and always get several differing replies so you will be no further on when you have read all the replies laugh.png On a personal basis I prefer cassette type but at present have a pumpout cos I am fed up of removing them. The only toilet I would never fit even if they were free would be a composting jobbie. Each to their own. Put a poll on here asking how many peeps have cassette/pumpout/composting and then ask yourself why.

Edited by mrsmelly
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Wondering if it would be legal to place the Bags in a Dog Poo Bin?

 

Legal or not, it'd need to be a lot bigger than any I've ever seen!

 

From what I can gather, separating composting loos have a good and growing reputation. On the face of it they're a 'best of both worlds' option in terms of the cassette vs. pumpout debate - much less frequent emptying (of solid waste, anyway) than cassettes, but with waste still stored in a basically portable form for easy disposal in case of getting e.g. iced in with a full 'tank'. I believe CRT are OK with composted waste being double-bagged and chucked in their standard bins. The lingering question I have is over disposing of the urine, which still needs doing every couple of days. You're not allowed to pour it straight into the canal, having to take it to a sanitary station would put you back in cassette territory, and just pouring it away by the litre in hedgerows, woods etc. isn't always going to be possible or desirable, so I guess it's a case of making sure you moor somewhere near a drain?

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First .

If your going to fit a seperatte villa youd be wiser to get the 12 v version.

 

Second .

Read the other current threads . I personally feel that " waterless " toilets are potentially very good and a worthwhile idea . But - & its a big but , i also feel you need to be very responsible for the contents of this type of loo . Some folk have taken to the idea that its entirely ok to empy the contents into binbags & put them in the rubbish bin . Unbelievable isn t it , but it seems people are doing it .

So you will need to ask yourself what will you do with the contents because i assure you that after lets say , one months use , the one thing you wont be emptying from it is compost . The contents may be partially dried out , but by no means entirely. This will need to be stored , possibly onboard for quite some time until its even remotely reasonable to consider getting rid of it .

Personally , i think the Villa is less suitable than the Airhead or Natureshead versions but they look more "

domestic " dont they ? .

I think youd be wise to think long and hard before getting one but as i say i think if used responsibly theyre worthwhile . But the cheap versions are nothing but bucket & chuck it .

 

ETA : This has crossed over with the post above : you ll notice that the post above refers to binning the contents but my opinion is that its just plain wrong . Someone somewhere is going to working around this material and if CRT are saying its ok then they're irresponsible

Edited by chubby
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The trouble with composting bogs is temptation.

 

With the urine there is the temptation to pour it in the cut. With the buckets of poo the temptation is to double bag it and bung it immediately into the CRT waste bins instead of storing it for the necessary six to twelve months. (According to this website http://www.eco-toilets.co.uk/faq-storage-and-composting/)

 

Nobody on a boat would ever do either of those things, obviously.

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The trouble with composting bogs is temptation.

 

With the urine there is the temptation to pour it in the cut. With the buckets of poo the temptation is to double bag it and bung it immediately into the CRT waste bins instead of storing it for the necessary six to twelve months. (According to this website http://www.eco-toilets.co.uk/faq-storage-and-composting/)

 

Nobody on a boat would ever do either of those things, obviously.

If it were possible to accelerate the Decomposing process,one use for the resulting Product could be Solid Fuel?

 

Some Nations Utilise Mule and Andromedary "Logs" for this ?

 

CT

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I'm still in the planning stage but seriously considering the compost option. My initial concern was how to get rid of the waste but then thought about actually making compost. I've read that the composting process is accelerated if warm and there's the Hotbin that the makers claim will get the process down to 30-90 days. Not sure I'd go for that at £185 but a modified wheely bin with internal insulation and a rigid plastic liner, cut at the bottom to create an access hatch might be an option. It could be kept onboard (outside) or at the mooring. The added advantage of a wheely bin would be that if it was kept on the boat, it could be dragged off for a time when guests were around etc.

 

More on the Hotbin here: http://www.littlehouse.co/2016/10/get-hotbin-composter/

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Someone somewhere is going to working around this material

 

Well, yes, but someone somewhere is already working around the dog poo and nappies already left in normal refuse bins, and presumably this is considered safe and appropriate. Although I wouldn't by any means dismiss concerns that the waste should be properly composted first, which does raise questions about storage on board. One 'bucket' in use under the loo for six months while a second sits out on the deck?

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One 'bucket' in use under the loo for six months while a second sits out on the deck?

I thought the bucket under the loo was only good for maybe a month (for two people), and that it takes 26 weeks (6 months) to compost? If that's the case then you'd have six buckets of festering poo littering up your boat at any one time.

One 'bucket' in use under the loo for six months while a second sits out on the deck?

I thought the bucket under the loo was only good for maybe a month (for two people), and that it takes 26 weeks (6 months) to compost? If that's the case then you'd have six buckets of festering poo littering up your boat at any one time.

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I need to do something about my toilet. After 11 years the vacuum pump on my Vacuflush is still going strong but the 2 cassettes aren't as sealed as they once were and they're at least 130 quid each to replace! If I have to replace the base unit with the pump in future that's over £300. So I was thinking about an Airhead Composting toilet and NB Valerie's blog gives it a very good review contrary to the detractors on this forum (who I doubt have ever actually used one).

 

http://boatlife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/what-every-woman-wants-for-her-birthday_20.html?m=1

 

http://boatlife.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-airhead-marine-composting-toilet.html?m=1

Edited by blackrose
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I'm still in the planning stage but seriously considering the compost option. My initial concern was how to get rid of the waste but then thought about actually making compost. I've read that the composting process is accelerated if warm and there's the Hotbin that the makers claim will get the process down to 30-90 days. Not sure I'd go for that at £185 but a modified wheely bin with internal insulation and a rigid plastic liner, cut at the bottom to create an access hatch might be an option. It could be kept onboard (outside) or at the mooring. The added advantage of a wheely bin would be that if it was kept on the boat, it could be dragged off for a time when guests were around etc.

 

More on the Hotbin here: http://www.littlehouse.co/2016/10/get-hotbin-composter/

 

I'm still in the planning stage but seriously considering the compost option. My initial concern was how to get rid of the waste but then thought about actually making compost. I've read that the composting process is accelerated if warm and there's the Hotbin that the makers claim will get the process down to 30-90 days. Not sure I'd go for that at £185 but a modified wheely bin with internal insulation and a rigid plastic liner, cut at the bottom to create an access hatch might be an option. It could be kept onboard (outside) or at the mooring. The added advantage of a wheely bin would be that if it was kept on the boat, it could be dragged off for a time when guests were around etc.

 

More on the Hotbin here: http://www.littlehouse.co/2016/10/get-hotbin-composter/

 

You could save a load of money and have more space inside the boat by not having a loo at all and just keeping a wheely bin out on the front deck with a little step ladder next to it. Only to be used at night or on remote moorings of course.

 

.................Dave

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I need to do something about my toilet. After 11 years the vacuum pump on my Vacuflush is still going strong but the 2 cassettes aren't as sealed as they once were and they're at least 130 quid each to replace! If I have to replace the base unit with the pump in future that's over £300. So I was thinking about an Airhead Composting toilet and NB Valerie's blog gives it a very good review contrary to the detractors on this forum (who I doubt have ever actually used one).

 

 

Never having used one doesn't seem to stop the detractors of Ecofans from voicing their uninformed opinions, why should detractors of Ecobogs have to suffer living with one before explaining why they choose not to?

 

 

(Spellcheck hellcheck edit!)

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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Never having used one doesn't seem to stop the detractors of Ecofans from voicing their uninformed opinions, why should detractors of Ecobogs have to suffer living with one before explaining why they choose not to?

 

 

(Spellcheck hellcheck edit!)

Nobody needs to live with any type of equipment before explaining why they choose not to. However, if they haven't lived with that equipment then their review will have a lot less credibility - in my opinion anyway.

 

That seems so obvious to me it shouldn't really need explaining.

 

For what it's worth I've owned 2 big Ecofans but sold them as they didn't work on my boat. I always said they might work better on a narrowboat where natural convection currents in the air might be more limited, but on my widebeam my temperature gauge located 24 feet away from the stove indicated no difference with or without the fans.

Edited by blackrose
  • Greenie 1
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Never having used one doesn't seem to stop the detractors of Ecofans from voicing their uninformed opinions, why should detractors of Ecobogs have to suffer living with one before explaining why they choose not to?

 

 

(Spellcheck hellcheck edit!)

It's because we can research, take all the evidence in front of us and inform an opinion on that.

 

To be honest if you want to do it right and not dump pee in the bushes/cut it doesn't seem to have any real benefit over a cassette toilet. I just now have to empty two containers! One every few days for pee and one every month, where with a cassette it's one every few days. The only advantage seems to be is the pee cassette is a lot easier to handle, so the every other day chore isn't as bad.

Edited by Robbo
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Don't know if this is the right place to post this but I have a Separett Villa 9000, 240volts for sale. Only used for a week after installation ( liquids only) as a down stairs toilet but disability got worse so had to rethink a different type of set-up.

It's complete with piping and tubs and instruction manual. Was thinking about £300 but open to offer.

If interested you can text me at Chessoll.hinchcliffe@gmail.com and I'll answer any questions you may have.

 

John Hinch

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You could save a load of money and have more space inside the boat by not having a loo at all and just keeping a wheely bin out on the front deck with a little step ladder next to it. Only to be used at night or on remote moorings of course.

 

.................Dave

No need to be discrete Dave.

Just sit with a fishing rod in hand, you'd be mistaken for gnome.

 

?

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After reading threads about compost loos on boats I still dont get it.

I would understand if on an online mooring with a bit of land. Land to store and let it compsost down. I'd build myself a cubicle/toilet on the bank and wouldnt need to use the loo on me boat. Job done!

 

Bin bags being dumped with general waste is surely wrong.

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After reading threads about compost loos on boats I still dont get it.

I would understand if on an online mooring with a bit of land. Land to store and let it compsost down. I'd build myself a cubicle/toilet on the bank and wouldnt need to use the loo on me boat. Job done!

 

Bin bags being dumped with general waste is surely wrong.

 

Talking sense will get you absolutely nowhere...............

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