Air Head Composting Toilet | Product Review | Eco-Friendly & Off-Grid Toilet

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  • Опубликовано: 14 дек 2024

Комментарии • 115

  • @gordonsteen8415
    @gordonsteen8415 6 лет назад +9

    Best compost toilet review on RUclips.

  • @ladyliberty8452
    @ladyliberty8452 4 года назад +4

    Appreciate the comprehensive details AND the editing that gets to the points !

  • @waltdurling9487
    @waltdurling9487 5 лет назад +14

    I've had my Airhead since early September. IO've never regretted getting rid of the regular water-wasting toilet. Never have to worry about the black tank or finding a dump. It saves water, too! Changing the coconut coir isn't difficult. It lasts me about 2 months before I change it. I don't need a second fan - very little, if any, smell. What does smell somewhat is the urine tank which I empty every third day or so. After urinating I simply spray a little vinegar in it. If in the desert, I walk a bit away from my site and dump it. If in campground, I dump it in campground toilet. The coconut coir goes into any convenient dumpster.

  • @royrobbins2214
    @royrobbins2214 5 лет назад +8

    Tom, I built my own composing toilet and it works quite well. The air head has gaskets that are actually defeating the fans purpose. As you know, the computer fan has little power and also it don't take much to stop the air flow. Try putting something between the gasket and see if it don't work better. It will dry out the compost and the airflow is better. I used an elongated seat with the child seat built in. NO GASKETS. I purchased a urine diverter and am going to run my pee drain into my black tank. Make the black and grey all gray and it will last a month. Eliminates the pee bucket also.

  • @simonbroddle754
    @simonbroddle754 6 лет назад +11

    Hi, I enjoyed watching the installation and review. One point, the toilet relies on aerobic bacteria breaking down the waste to form a compostable product. However, each time you empty the toilet you remove all the inoculum (the bacteria) so it has to multiply from scratch.
    Have you tried only emptying the bucket part way? Why not leave 1/3 of the waste in the bottom and use all this bacteria to initiate the bacterial multiplication earlier. That way it would compost more and breakdown quicker. Toilet bacterial inoculum will probably be species specific and will therefore benefit from this and reduce harmful species initiating.

    • @peterm.eggers520
      @peterm.eggers520 4 года назад +1

      In warm environment, the good (aerobic) composting bacteria multiply quickly. Just dump the solids out but don't clean unless it got wet and went anaerobic. Even then, adding a dry carbon source will fix things quickly. Too dry, and you will stop the aerobic bacteria from doing its job quickly, necessitating dumping sooner due to insufficient breakdown of solids.

  • @chriscodrington5464
    @chriscodrington5464 4 года назад +1

    Very thorough review with clear explanations and good notice of mechanical detail and the overall "feel" of the toilet. Nice job!

  • @ctndiaye1
    @ctndiaye1 3 года назад +1

    I bought an extra pee tank. It comes in handy. The giant coffee filters can be used when you poo. Keep the trap door closed and place filter on top of it. Poo drops onto the filter then when you're done, open the trap door. It's supposed to help keep the bowl cleaner in case your aim isn't that good.

    • @BillGreenAZ
      @BillGreenAZ Год назад +1

      Great ideas!
      I see that the Air Head Toilet website sells "paper carriers" similar to the coffee filters you mention.

  • @EYNugget
    @EYNugget 4 года назад

    Thanks, best video on compost toilet I've seen. Very comprehensive covering pluses and minuses.

  • @klausbrinck2137
    @klausbrinck2137 3 года назад +1

    There is paper-thingys, that look exactly like coffee-machine-filters, only bigger, and with a cut-out that belongs to the front (direction pee-hole). they are slightly waterproof, so, if you don´t take 30 minutes, the hole for solid materials is as dry and clean after use, as it was before use... You just spray some cleansing liquid on the pee-hole... I thought also of 3D-printing a siphon for the pee-hole, that´s airtight connected to the pee-flask-lid, so that when the siphon is full with pure cleansing liquid, the pee is airtight isolated in its flask, like the function of a siphon in a bassin or a normal septic toilet...

  • @hiennguyencong8190
    @hiennguyencong8190 3 года назад

    Great product!!! Would buy again.

  • @iBugerJHX
    @iBugerJHX 4 месяца назад

    love your videos!!

  • @dr.winner2516
    @dr.winner2516 5 лет назад +5

    Connecting the pee thing to grey tank would be helpful

  • @BillGreenAZ
    @BillGreenAZ Год назад

    I think this is a great device because I don't want to invest in a black tank (I'm starting from scratch) and don't want everything that goes with them.
    This also seems better than a cassette toilet as far as getting rid of waste.
    I also like that you can pee in the same bowl. Some composting toilets have a pee collection system outside the bowl.

  • @rhondawright8521
    @rhondawright8521 5 лет назад +1

    This was very helpful. I will be getting a teardrop. I want the compost toilet straight away.

    • @RoadGearReviews
      @RoadGearReviews  5 лет назад

      Glad you found it helpful. The composting toilet would be very useful in a small teardrop trailer as the tanks will be so small.

    • @WonderfulPresent
      @WonderfulPresent 4 года назад

      Did u end up putting this in your teardrop? I'm thinking of one for my tent, but it seems so big for our needs. Weekends, at this point.

  • @Rocki5pr
    @Rocki5pr 6 лет назад +2

    Great review. I occasionally consider getting a composting toilet, but there are a few factors that keep convincing me it would not be a good fit for me at the moment so I stick with having a cassette toilet ...

  • @jssh1974
    @jssh1974 3 года назад

    Chlorine gas can also be released when bleach is mixed with urine, such as when cleaning the area around a toilet or when pets stains are cleaned. Both chloramine and chlorine gases are immediately irritating with a very pungent odor, causing watering of the eyes, runny nose and coughing

  • @snowbirdgardener
    @snowbirdgardener 3 года назад +1

    Have you ever left the composting toilet outside your rv? Will it vent by itself in that case?

  • @LSwaggy
    @LSwaggy 5 лет назад +2

    Would this thing survive in a wet bath?

  • @craigbrowning9448
    @craigbrowning9448 3 года назад

    Especially guys can still use a liquid detergent bottle to do #1 to reduce early filling of the urine diverter.

  • @sweettina2
    @sweettina2 5 лет назад +2

    You sold me! I need one for my tiny house, you've helped my search tremendously! Thank you! Happy trails...

  • @carolxavier4388
    @carolxavier4388 4 года назад +1

    Do you have any idea how much the composting toilet bottom section weighs when full or empty?

  • @WereReallyRelayCamping
    @WereReallyRelayCamping 5 лет назад +4

    more more and more plastic bucket companies are going to realise that with $0.50 of plastic they can either make $1 plastic buckets, $10 festival buckets or $1000 posh buckets...
    This isnt a negative comment on the quality of this at most $5 of plastic, but a snide remark at the fact that these companies are robbing us blind on these things which they have not developed, but just copied from a generic idea.

  • @AW-Services
    @AW-Services 3 года назад

    Love to see the real testing to see who can aim a turd in the hole without shit all around the bowl

  • @matiasgonzalez2764
    @matiasgonzalez2764 2 года назад

    Hi! How do you hook your fan up to solar? What’s the setup to connect it with a panel?

  • @bobbreckenkamp4641
    @bobbreckenkamp4641 4 года назад

    Great review, but two questions: 1) You mention the fan has to be installed to avoid smells and speed up the process. I see about 50% of the reviews state no smell NOT using the fan, while others recommend the fan for the odors. Any thoughts on that difference of thought? and; 2) You mention that sometimes after a week or two the solids become water-logged. How is that happening sometimes and not others? Is there a way to prevent it? What is the moisture from? We plan to use ours on sporadic weekends throughout 6 months of the year, and primarily just one person. So, the thought of water-logging is a little concerning. Great review, thanks a lot!

  • @tibortoth-torma6883
    @tibortoth-torma6883 5 лет назад

    Nicely done vid, Tom. Thanks!

  • @jameslaiola4976
    @jameslaiola4976 9 месяцев назад

    I love this toilet❤

  • @josepinchero
    @josepinchero 4 года назад

    couple questions: (1) does peat moss work as well as coconut husk? (2) you said you put bleach in the urine pot...but then you empty out into the grass/woods. will bleach kill the grass? maybe vinegar is better eh? thought i heard that a teaspoon of sugar helps? (not sure). (3) do you dump the solids bag into a dumpster or bury it?

  • @vin9976
    @vin9976 4 года назад

    Hey man, are you guys still liking this over anything else? I have a pickup camping coming (Scout Kenai) and get to choose my own toilet or their built in Thetford Cassette toilet. I'm leaning towards the Airhead but have no experience with either the cassette or composting. Its my wife and I, plus two kids camping on long weekends, a 2 week trip or so and then some short ski resort parking lot trips. It seems like the airhead would give us a lot more capacity than the Thetford. If we are boondocking somewhere for a week or two...could we simply just dig a decent hole and bury the semi-compost solid waste from the airhead? Any advice is appreciated!

  • @FINfinFINfinFINfin
    @FINfinFINfinFINfin 3 года назад

    This guy knows his shit.

  • @FayeCalder
    @FayeCalder 5 лет назад +1

    Thank you for sharing this toilet!
    I have learned a lot and I’m new to your channel.
    MommaFaye

  • @chickencat1559
    @chickencat1559 5 лет назад +1

    I agree with that.

  • @renilda2222
    @renilda2222 3 года назад

    Thank you for the video. Unfortunately it will not works for myself because I can't figure out how to wash myself instead of using toilet paper that I never use.

  • @peterm.eggers520
    @peterm.eggers520 4 года назад

    The urine tank can be replaced with a line to the gray water tank.

  • @Chantwizzle
    @Chantwizzle 5 лет назад

    I've seen people route the pee to the black tank and the poop to the peat moss bucket. Seems like you'd go further that way. We're considering this for our boat cuz we've already had a hose pop from bees getting in the air vent and blocking the hose. Tank couldn't vent and there was too much pressure. Thankfully our tank is in the bathroom closet and not under the bed like most sailboats.

  • @gjonesii
    @gjonesii 5 лет назад

    Excellent and informative vid. Thanks

  • @carolhewett4378
    @carolhewett4378 5 лет назад

    If you lived on rural property and were very responsible could you not dump the solid waste into a large composting outdoor bin for further decomposing then dump into your property or garden. One concern is contaminating your well water with pharmaceuticals especially birth control pills. Would the waste burn in a biomass stove or would odors make this too impractical? As for urine it's my understanding if it's diluted with 10 parts water it can be used as fertilizer. Any thoughts on this? Good video. It helped me decide to forego a Natures Head purchase altho I do agree that you need air to get past the gasket. I've left compost behind for months only to return to a totally smaller decomposed odorless mass, amazing.

  • @flyshacker
    @flyshacker 6 лет назад

    So, you still need to find a dump station for your grey water, right? Just not as often? Or do you find a place to drain it while you are boondocking?

  • @johnwang9914
    @johnwang9914 5 лет назад +2

    Diverting the liquids from the waste is called a dry earth toilet. What the diversion does is keep the decomposition aerobic instead of anaerobic. It's anaerobic decomposition that stinks. Frequently stirring the solid tank increases the oxygen level for aerobic decomposition. You do the same with your garden compost pile, stir frequently to encourage aerobic decomposition. If you don't have composting material, leave half of the waste in the bucket, the partially decomposed material will act as composting material for new material. Ideally you would want what you left in the bucket to have already decomposed for several months, the bucket isn't large enough for this but it'll be better than not having any composting material to mix new material with. Larger dry earth toilets would operate this way with only half the wastes removed at a time and only fresh peat moss, coconut husks, dry leaves, grass clippings, newspapers or whatever added if the wastes become too wet.

  • @mulie55
    @mulie55 6 лет назад +1

    Very good review . I'm trying to decide which brand for my RV . But . . . what are the coffee filters for ?

    • @johnwang9914
      @johnwang9914 5 лет назад +5

      Same thing as with those portable camp toilets that have a bowl and a trapdoor to a storage cassette. You line the bowl with the filter, do your #2 and open the trapdoor for everything to drop through. That way nothing touches the bowl or trap door to stick to. You can also put down three strips of toilet paper in a daisy flower pattern to line the bowl. Just Google how to use a portable camp toilet.
      You can also make coffee with the filters, just try to do so instead of using them with the toilets.

  • @dsanford12
    @dsanford12 5 лет назад

    Did you eventually cover the other end of the outside vent so as to keep bugs from getting back into the toilet ?

  • @joshmcdaniels7219
    @joshmcdaniels7219 5 лет назад

    Does tp go in the solid container or a garbage can?

  • @rubyokosi8377
    @rubyokosi8377 4 года назад

    Great review pal

  • @johnwang9914
    @johnwang9914 5 лет назад

    They used to have an external vent cover which included a small solar panel to drive the fan. It was designed for the roof of a sailboat cabin. I wonder what happened to them providing that...

    • @markdiederich6811
      @markdiederich6811 5 лет назад

      I had a small solar powered fan on an airhead... it didn't always run and little bitty flies got in and I had to clean and scrape the whole thing... Airhead says don't run it with just a solar fan

  • @ToShrugOrNot
    @ToShrugOrNot 6 лет назад +5

    Where do you empty the liquid every day while boondocking?

    • @johnwang9914
      @johnwang9914 5 лет назад +2

      I suppose it would be like peeing in the wild if you just dumped it in the wilderness. I hear some people plumb it to their old black tank or to their grey water tank.

    • @johnwinnerdz1
      @johnwinnerdz1 5 лет назад +1

      nine cups of water to 1 cup of pee is diluted so the lake is fine poop should be dumped in safer way.

    • @Ryu-di9rp
      @Ryu-di9rp 5 лет назад

      Dig a hole pour in it.

  • @ohiobenz
    @ohiobenz 5 лет назад

    Do you actually use the "coffee filters"?

  • @gaetanoarnone1
    @gaetanoarnone1 6 лет назад

    great video.... thanks

  • @raulnetto4163
    @raulnetto4163 4 года назад

    Shipping for Brazil?

  • @dlfleischerlmt
    @dlfleischerlmt 4 года назад

    Where does the fan go

  • @jmb8155
    @jmb8155 4 года назад

    But awesome job presenting

  • @Ohsage1111
    @Ohsage1111 4 года назад +1

    Good info. Here's what confuses me. What in world makes this system 'eco friendly' when you're basically putting peat moss and poop in giant plastic bag and throwing it in a land fill where it does not decompose or compost?

    • @KirbyZhang
      @KirbyZhang 2 года назад

      I think a better solution is dig a hole and dump it in there.

  • @johnpuccetti6019
    @johnpuccetti6019 5 лет назад

    What happens to the toilet paper?

  • @TheWisdomVault2
    @TheWisdomVault2 Год назад

    Please how can I contact you

  • @hamidabushra4011
    @hamidabushra4011 5 лет назад

    how much and how i order um leaveing ksa

  • @peterdement
    @peterdement 6 лет назад +19

    Buy a spare pee bucket.

  • @billlong5979
    @billlong5979 6 лет назад +2

    Good review and I can tell you love it but I would rather deal with a black tank than a human litter box.

    • @takayama1638
      @takayama1638 6 лет назад

      Me too! Whew, that thing has to get nasty when you go baffroom (that’s how I say #2 for my dog. She knows it).

    • @johnwang9914
      @johnwang9914 5 лет назад +1

      The composting toilet is actually easier and less messy than dealing with the black tank. Besides the anaerobic conditions of the black tank is what produces the odour and methane and these composting toilets are aerobic to avoid producing those odors. With black tanks, eventually the odours seep through the pipes and the plastic tank and everything just reeks regardless of how much emptying and backflushing you do. That never happens with these dry earth toilets. You can empty the composting toilet anywhere you can dispose of a bag of trash and with continuous use by two people, the solids bucket will last about a month.

    • @janiceemory6800
      @janiceemory6800 5 лет назад +2

      A black tank really that’s Raw Sewage that’s poop and P mix together yuck. With compost it’s like a big bucket of dirt because it’s been broken down I would still wear gloves but not as nasty or smelly and slimy and liquidy yuck. I’ll go with the airhead anytime👍🏻

    • @StacyForest738
      @StacyForest738 5 лет назад +1

      No thanks on black tank for me, I would much rather deal with compost than raw poo stew sewage.

  • @carsonc1272
    @carsonc1272 4 года назад

    I'm just an idiot but.... I don't think that I like 1. The hand crank being so low, making a person bend way over to use it. 2. A fabric handle for the urine tank has got to be a bad idea around body fluids due to its inability to be cleaned. 3. I'm also a little skeptical of poo not being mixed well because the crank doesn't scrape the corners of the tank.

  • @peterm.eggers520
    @peterm.eggers520 4 года назад +2

    Nearly all smell is generated "doing your business" -- the compost has a mild earthy smell.

    • @klausbrinck2137
      @klausbrinck2137 3 года назад

      There is paper-thingys, that look exactly like coffee-machine-filters, only bigger, and with a cut-out that belongs to the front (direction pee-hole). they are slightly waterproof, so, if you don´t take 30 minutes, the hole for solid materials is as dry and clean after use, as it was before use... You just spray some cleansing liquid on the pee-hole... I thought also of 3D-printing a siphon for the pee-hole, that´s airtight connected to the pee-flask-lid, so that when the siphon is full with pure cleansing liquid, the pee is airtight isolated in its flask, like the function of a siphon in a bassin or a normal septic toilet...

    • @peterm.eggers520
      @peterm.eggers520 3 года назад +1

      @@klausbrinck2137 Good idea. I just use a pee bottle. Working on a sustainable black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) bin with toilet seat top for solid organic wastes.

  • @RubenVenema
    @RubenVenema 5 лет назад +6

    Useage as compost just for non-edible plants? Why? We use cowshit and other animals poop all the time for our edible plants, so why not human poop compost?

    • @PawlSpring
      @PawlSpring 5 лет назад

      Human waste contains chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

    • @TXLorenzo
      @TXLorenzo 5 лет назад +1

      My understanding is that meat eating animals like dogs and humans can spread diseases that are not present in veggie eater's poop.

    • @DavesShed
      @DavesShed 5 лет назад

      Parasites are usually species specific. Or will only survive in a limited number of species. So you don't ever want to have a cycle that passes through a human. If you do have such a cycle (e.g. recycled water) then you need to make sure the treatment is accurate, reliable and monitored. None of which happens in a RV/camping or home garden situation.
      For example certain worms and other parasites that effect us such as giardia and TB can also be present in cows - so you don't use cow manure for edible plants unless it has first been composted above 55 C for weeks and preferably months.

    • @peterm.eggers520
      @peterm.eggers520 4 года назад +1

      Composting your own poop has no danger to your food plants as you would in worst case reinfect yourself. Compost left for a year to age is generally considered safe, and 2 years as safe ad any soil can be. Healthy compost will consume nearly all human pathogens in a years time outdoors. Even less time indoors, if kept warm AND aerated.

    • @peterm.eggers520
      @peterm.eggers520 4 года назад

      @@mattmathew6706 Tampons and periods are not a problem, though tampons that are not biodegradable are kinda ugly in a garden.

  • @corrinegout8917
    @corrinegout8917 Год назад

    Well, that was unexpected

  • @amywalker7515
    @amywalker7515 3 года назад

    Just imagine how much fresh water we could save if everyone used this system just for the liquids. Clean water is getting scarcer. We need to stop wasting so much with half hour showers, tooth brushing with the water running the whole time, toilet flushing and lawn watering. If you've ever been to the 3rd world you can see what may be coming here sometime in the future.

  • @takayama1638
    @takayama1638 6 лет назад +2

    I just cannot help it Tom, buullllleeeech..... I can see ...no, y’all don’t want me to say...

  • @Wayoutthere
    @Wayoutthere 4 года назад

    Meh, Separett has a better design. Larger poopoo hole, no need to drag the entire toilet outside, no crank or smelly pee tank, just a hose that you can divert anywhere.

  • @nicholasplesko533
    @nicholasplesko533 4 года назад

    Use vinegar, not Bleach!

  • @paulgee4336
    @paulgee4336 5 лет назад

    That is a crappy design for the cranked aerator. It never hits way too much of the content. They are all like that, except the C-Head seems better.

  • @debinvenice
    @debinvenice 6 лет назад

    Why not route the liquids into the black tank?

    • @waltdurling1137
      @waltdurling1137 6 лет назад

      That pretty much defeats the whole purpose of this toilet. Not having to deal with emptying or cleaning the black tank is a huge plus, along with not having to use any water with it. I just empty the contents into a plastic bag when nearing full, and toss it into the nearest large trash can or dumpster.

    • @debinvenice
      @debinvenice 6 лет назад +3

      If the black tank can become an extended gray tank, routing liquids into it makes a lot of sense to me. Having a black tank of liquid should not be a problem as you still have to empty the gray anyway. To the purpose of the toilet is about avoiding the "sewage" created by normal black tank usage (along with prolonging boondocking capabilities) which doesn't mean the black tank is no longer useful.

    • @johnwang9914
      @johnwang9914 5 лет назад

      A lot of people do that but you would have to do so yourself so depending on how good a craftsman you are, the appearance might suffer.

  • @lgmnowkondo938
    @lgmnowkondo938 6 лет назад

    but there would be shit all over the place half the time...does everyone hit the target for solids 100% of the time...I think not. I would literally just dump right in the bucket...and never ever pee inside.

    • @johnwang9914
      @johnwang9914 5 лет назад

      The trap door is closed when you are performing the act. You line the bowl with a coffee filter or with three strips of toilet paper so nothing touches the bowl and trap door. Thus is also how you use those portable camp toilets where the bowl has a trapdoor to the storage cassette below.

  • @MycSailor
    @MycSailor 4 года назад

    Pine sol

  • @upriver7047
    @upriver7047 6 лет назад

    The only improvement I see with this system is that you would conserve your water usage greatly. You're still having to deal with your own waste and on a daily basis rather weekly or longer with a black tank. Hooking up hose is more gross than bagging your poo? I don't get it.

    • @johnwang9914
      @johnwang9914 5 лет назад +7

      The decomposition is aerobic so odours and methane are not produced. With a black tank, it's an anaerobic environment, so sewer odours and methane will be produced eventually seeping through the plastic pipes and tanks and everything will reek. This is what people replace the tanks and pipes from old sailboats and RV's. Also, keeping the solids dry means you can store a lot more of it, with two people using it every day, it usually only happens to be emptied once a month, it's the urine that needs disposal every few days but if you pipe that to your old blackwater tank, it would take a long time to fill. Basically you would have to empty these dry earth toilet systems less often than a black water system.

    • @sweettina2
      @sweettina2 5 лет назад +2

      @@johnwang9914 You're so smart! I've learned lots from your comments, thank you!

    • @markdiederich6811
      @markdiederich6811 5 лет назад

      On my composting toilet on my sail boat I only empty it once a month.. I've been using it daily for 5 years.

  • @georgejustgeorge
    @georgejustgeorge 4 года назад +2

    I ordered one of these Airhead toilets. It took 2 months to get here and the install has been troublesome, to say the least. The instructions are poorly written and I emailed the company to get some clarification. They were extremely rude. Also, the fan I received was defective. I got a three paragraph email from their general manager, berating me for getting upset that I received a defective product. He basically told me that there are bigger problems in the world than my non-functioning toilet that I paid $1100 for and advised that I return it because they refused to help me any more, since I was rude to them in my email. Don’t expect a positive customer service experience from them. Toilet has been sitting in the kitchen of my RV for about two weeks while I struggle with the install and Airhead refuses to answer any of my emails because they are “triggered”
    It’s sad that we live in a world where we aren’t allowed to be upset about a defective and disappointing product. American industry is dying a long, slow death and companies like Airhead are not helping the situation.

  • @jmb8155
    @jmb8155 4 года назад

    Sounds like a lot of work and don't see the benefits.

  • @RUreddynow
    @RUreddynow Год назад

    It looks too tall ugh

  • @CosgroveNotts
    @CosgroveNotts 4 года назад

    This very complicated just for a crap.

  • @bigfatburn6229
    @bigfatburn6229 4 года назад

    Ewww