adding a shower/head to my tiki 38'

[Rob Daigle]

I'm looking to put an "air head" composting toilet and a shower in "Pai Nai" aka "Pumpkin".  I'm planning on using the standard location in the main cabin and and I can't find much about it online.  I would appreciate any feedback or links on this....Toilets, through holes vs pump, interior paint/sealant, location, etc. 

Thanks for your input, Rob

[Rob Daigle]

  Thanks for all the great comments, I think something like the air head may work for us since it wont be in full time use. I'm a little worried about keeping the bowl clean....Seems that urine would just dry, stink and be hard to clean if not done every time when it is wet and if someone has diarrhea or misses the middle poop chute that would be even a bigger mess. How well does that coffee filter system work?  I've used home made systems that go right into a five or fifty gallon bucket and while you may see the poo from the last customer you will never have to clean a bowl. There is no urine separation system in these so you just have to limit the peeing. I've also always used worms in my systems and was thinking i could add worms to the airhead if it stays moist like compost should and is not a dehydrating toilet.

Rob

  

[Emma Watkins and Graeme Kelly]

We bought the coffee filters when we originally fitted the Airhead, but after some experimentation, didn't use them at all.  They add too much paper to the mix, and are awkward to use.  The toilet should always be used sitting down (by men and women), and you can manipulate the lever for the solids compartment as you go to ensure solids and liquids don't mix - with practice, you deposit the solids straight into the hole, and they don't get on the bowl much.  We also use a spray bottle with water and a bit of lavender oil, after you're finished to spray the bowl, a quick wipe with a very small piece of paper (into the solids tank), and she's all clean as a whistle.  We don't have a problem with the liquid diverter smelling.  If the liquid tank starts to smell, the smell goes straight up the pipe and out through the fan - this is the only problem smell we have, and it means that you need to empty the liquid container, and add some more lemon cordial.

We're also aware that peat moss is not environmentally friendly.  Every environmental solution always seems to require weighing up  the "least bad" environmental options.  Once the bacteria are all working well, our toilet doesn't use much peat moss at all - it's only required if things get too moist, or as a light sprinkle after you tumble to stop any immediate odours.  While we were in Asia a few years, we were unable to source peat moss, and used a ornamental plant "humus" available from gardening shops instead.  This also worked well, though slightly more bulky than peat moss.  The main thing is to have the bacteria working well - once this happens, the whole thing works without too much intervention or additions, it's almost pure poo and paper.

All the best,

Emma

[Budget Boater]

Where do dolphins, sharks, whales, and all the other carnivorous fish and waterborne mammals shit? What about all of those sea birds?

And how many of them are in/on the water compared to humans?

And where do waste water facilities located in the coastal areas dump the city's effluent?

[Robert Hughes]

I agree with Budget Boater on this!  Even better if the water's warm enough and there aren't too many people around, just go for a swim and make like a dolphin...  ;-)

After doing several repairs on a sea toilet when I spent a year cruising, I now firmly believe in "the simpler the better".  If you look at my profile picture, it's a "poo's eye view" from water level looking back up through the toilet on my Tiki...

[Ricardo Aráoz]

Actually just breathing is bad for the environment. The issue is how many do the breathing. We humans are too many so we must be careful with those things in which our number may be harmful to the environment. City's effluent is treated to elliminate the most dangerous bacteria, even so it can do a lot of harm to the environment. As for us boters, I think the responsible thing would be treating our effluents too, that would be composting or dropping them for treatment on land. That doesn't mean that you'll go to hell if you poo in the water, but the responsible thing to do is to treat it.

As for the peat moss, then it would depend on how much peat moss is being harvested, and which impact is the worst. I think treating our stuff is the way to go.

[Budget Boater]

Right! It is treated with lots of chemicals, including chlorine, of which most are not good for the environment, especially the ecosystems nearest land, like reefs.

Be careful of the propaganda.

What destroys underwater ecosystems more: boater's poo or chemical runoff and discharge from land?

Ricardo Aráoz said:

Actually just breathing is bad for the environment. The issue is how many do the breathing. We humans are too many so we must be careful with those things in which our number may be harmful to the environment. City's effluent is treated to elliminate the most dangerous bacteria, even so it can do a lot of harm to the environment. As for us boters, I think the responsible thing would be treating our effluents too, that would be composting or dropping them for treatment on land. That doesn't mean that you'll go to hell if you poo in the water, but the responsible thing to do is to treat it.

As for the peat moss, then it would depend on how much peat moss is being harvested, and which impact is the worst. I think treating our stuff is the way to go.