Great info ! 1) To prevent molding, prepare an additional block and let it completely dry in the sun, then sprinkle and mix whenever the composting material is a little wetter than coffee ground consistency. 2) For easy prep composting material, put 3 Coco Bliss coco coir blocks in 4 inches of water in 5 gallon bucket. It swells up and breaks itself into coffee ground like. (Save 1/3 for purpose 1) 3) to prevent stains, put 1 inch of white vinegar in urine tank before using. To clean, use 3 bleach tablets in some water and let it sit to remove any stains
THANK YOU for actually talking about a woman's time of the month! No one says anything about that in their videos even when I googled it no one really was specific.
You're welcome! I know I had a difficult time finding the same info and was worried about it when we got the toilet too. But now I know just how messy it really is haha. Just gotta be more diligent when cleaning that week is all but totally doable!
Best. Review. Ever. You two rock. I’m happy you mentioned the woman’s time of the month and the messy skid mark problems. Those were my questions that no one ever goes over. You two are brilliant!! Love it!!
We live on our catamaran and installed two of these on the boat and one in our Rpod trailer - so, so much better than what we had! The only con we have had is we have had bugs a few times. We do use the ground coconut so not sure where they came from. We read putting a moth ball on the little ledge inside the solid tank keeps bugs away. In the trailer is has changed our life! We dry camp for the most part and this saves SO much fresh water and extends the time needed between dumping our gray tank - and dumping the gray tank is not so disgusting. We love having these toilets! You did an awesome job explaining it!!
+Travel Small Live Big We agree that these are better than a typical black tank setup. We haven't had bugs yet so hopefully it doesn't happen! We'll keep the moth ball idea in mind it case it ever happens though. For the frequent boondocker I agree the composting toilet is fantastic! Thank you!
I’m saving up for a van and the “toilet topic” was one of the bigger things I was still trying to figure out. This is literally the best video I’ve seen for any rv/van toilet! Thank you both so much for posting, you helped out a shit-load! Lol
Very good informative video. I like this toilet and if I ever become a camper van person this is the way I will go too. No black tank frequent dumps to hinder the schedule and more boon-docking days. Thanks so much.
Put about 5 drops of Lemon Grass Essential Oil in the liquid holder. The inexpensive kind sold at Walmart is a great product. We also make a 32 oz. bug spray with lemon grass oil, cedar oil, peppermint oil (spiders hate peppermint), few drops of tea tree oil, 1 Tbs. Dawn detergent, and fill up the spray 32 oz. bottle with half white vinegar and half water. Shake well each time before spraying. Don't use Citronella Oil, because it's harmful to dogs/cats. (Google Citronella Oil.)
Good job guys. Thanks for doing a more detailed review than the others I’ve seen out there. I know it’s not a subject we talk openly about, but sh*t happens !
+G Keller Thank you! We're glad you found it useful! We tried to cover just about everything. If you've got any questions we didn't cover feel free to ask!
We really appreciated this video because in a very clean & tidy way you described how this composting toilet works and answered questions that so often never get answered. Thank you for creating this video.
Hi you two. I just found your channel and am working my way through your playlists. But when I came to this one about the Nature's Head composting toilet, I wanted to share our experience with it. My wife and I owned two different sailboats for the past 30 years. In the first one, which was a 26-foot trailerable, we used a chemical camping toilet for several years, but then we discovered the Nature's Head and made the switch. Best thing we ever did for that boat! We used that for the next 2 years and then moved up to a 34-foot sailboat that had a marine head and holding tank system. During the first year with that boat we discovered a serious drawback to having a blackwater tank. When that tank is full, you can't use the toilet anymore until you find a pump out station. You're done. That's horrible! Not only that, but we had some issues with the plumbing that convinced us to rip out the system and install a Nature's Head. In the 12 years prior, we never had a single problem with our toilet, so we decided to go with the same thing again. The worst part of the project was pulling out all the old plumbing (which was leaking beneath the floor) and getting ride of the sewage tank. But then we discovered that we had a bunch of usable storage space where the old tank used to be. Woo-Hoo! We can't say enough good about going with a composting system. Although we didn't live full time on the boat, we took extensive trips that lasted for several weeks. We found that the longer we left the solids in the peat moss to compost, the better it got. Never had a mold situation, but we never hydrated the medium either. The moisture that was in the solids was sufficient to keep the bacteria doing it's job to compost the stuff. Keeping the air flow moving is essential to keeping the bacteria alive and well. We did have an infestation of gnats once. Someone told us to sprinkle a few tablespoons of diatomatious earth in with the composting medium, and that killed off the gnats. No more problem ever. We recently sold our sailboat and bought a small travel trailer and are going to remove the toilet and install another Nature's Head. I am interested in how you plumbed the system to connect the old black tank so it becomes an extension of the gray tank. That is my plan as well. Thanks for posting your videos. They are very helpful.
I appreciate both of you for the candor in describing how it all works. My question is: what size garbage bag fits so well like you demonstrated? I would hate to have it slip off (or tear) while upending the bucket!
Excellent review~! Very complete. I had a natures head and found many of the same things on my boat. NO smells and extended my range dramatically. I did have a problem with flies at one point but diatomaceous earth fixed that problem very quickly.
Wouldn't work for us, but I do appreciate the explanation Dave & Jenny! We do tend to use RV parks more than boon docking, and when on the road a fair bit, finding dump stations isn't all that hard. We have a Class A diesel pusher, and all our tanks are large. Unsure if they make many bumper pulls with large tanks...but something I might watch for! A well done video, which I'm sure will be helpful to many, and I appreciate the editing that goes into the finished product as well!
Wow thanks Rick!! We had gotten a lot of questions about our toilet so we decided to go ahead and make a video explaining it. Composting toilets definitely aren't for everyone but we wanted to get the information out there in case some people have never heard of them before and let them know there's a second option to waste disposal. And actually we started shooting this video on the ground because we didn't want to set the toilet on Grandpa's table, but then he came outside and said "You can use the table if you want." So he knew and offered the use of his table haha. It's just an outdoor table not used for eating on. We disinfected it afterwards.
Thank you for the explanation of how to use the composting toilet. I also think the pros outweigh the cons. One thing I might suggest is using composting bags instead of regular plastic trash bags.
You're welcome, we're glad you like it! For the frequent boondocker a composting toilet is a HUGE plus. However, I don't think it provides much advantages for someone that stays in RV parks most of the time.
Thanks so much for your video. We tried peat moss and it didn't work. We built our own Natures Head, but made it electrically driven. The peat moss was too heavy. Changed to Coir and it worked. Just a tip. You don't have to break the coir up. Hard work man :) Just pour water. We did drill some big holes in it first, but just water also works, and then you break off the soft top pieces as they expand.
Thanks guys. I just bought 6 acres, and I am trying to homestead. Will start with a nature's head (already purchased) as I get the property developed further.
Thanks for the video. We only boondock 7 to 10 days at a time every few months, so I think we will stay with our current setup. The composting toilet seems well suited for full time RVing.
I'm picking up my first travel trailer in one week. I am a RV newbie. Your videos are well done and very informative and like anything else, everything's better with kitties and puppies. I've learned a lot from both of you. Your installation videos are top notch. Manufacturers should hire you to do their assembly/installation videos. I have to compliment you on how eloquently you presented such a potentially gross topic. Solids and liquids? You crack me up. Next time I have to go number two, I'm going to announce that I'm going to take a solid. All the best to both of you.
Thanks for making this, I understand it so much better now, than after watching a variety of other videos ( which just left many questionmarks). And thanks for talking about the nitty gritties.
Thank you for the great info,we were talking about it. We have the same trailer as you but it's a 2600 tb. Bunkhouse .keep up the great videos . Have fun stay safe . We are freezing up here in Michigan.
great information, and better than going to the site. it's nice to see people that don't have any interest in the company show you how it really works, with all the pros, and cons. i am wondering if something would work like this in my basement. i live in a 600 square foot 100 year old house, and digging up the floor to install a flush toilet is out of the question
Thanks for the intro to composting toilets. We will stick with our black tank. It seems to be less work and we have enough tank space for our boondocking stints.
Yeah composting toilets definitely aren't for everyone. I think the main advantage to them is if you boondock A LOT they let you essentially double the amount of time you can be out at a boondocking location by using no water and doubling your gray tank storage. But if you don't boondock very often it's probably not worth it and best to stick with a conventional RV toilet.
This is a great point. Thanks to this presentation am thinking of doubling the boondock ability for my lance 24 foot trailer. Converting the black to a double grey. Then I can still empty the gray into five gallon buckets for transport to dump station. Cheaper than a external dump tank. Bucket costs $10. External good dump tank is $100. Yes I know these compost toilets cost $1000. How much are the coconut bricks? And compostable dump bags?
Thank you so much. This was so informative and appreciated. I am about to go into van living for a year. A toilet is imperative for me. Your review was so good and you so honest, bless you and again thank you.
Before we even used our new rv, we installed the Nature's Head composting toilet. The black tank is an extra grey water tank now. We are happy with our decision.
That is exactly what we did too! We bought the RV already with the intention of replacing the toilet with a composting toilet so our black tank never got gross. We connected our black tank and gray tank together for double the gray tank storage!
Thanks for this, cause I've never seen how to set up this type of toilet. I've seen on another channel where a person created his RV from a former ambulance. He had a natures toilet as well. He replaced the number one, tank, ran a hose to a newly created 9 gallon "yellow" tank. Since you have a black tank and not using it, modifying the number one part of the natures head, is something to consider.
I would love to get one like yours. But it will be a project for down the road sometime, if ever. I love the idea of it, but I'm gonna try to keep within my 39 gallon limit in my black tank. I don't think its going to be an issue, especially since the guys in my family will probably do the liquid business in the woods. We shall see! I admire your energy and handiness! You guys have done very well with the challenges thrown your way.
We really like our composting toilet but I don't fault anyone for sticking with the conventional RV toilet. The composting toilet in our opinion is more for those that boondock A LOT - like us! I also go out to "water the plants" whenever we are in a remote campsite so that the liquids tank in the composting toilet fills up slower so I don't have to dump it as often haha. Thanks Chris!!
Good video guys. Have you tried just pouring warm water on the brick and let it sit for 20-30 minutes then brush off the loose stuff and add some more water, it's a heck of a lot easier than what you are doing 🙂
Hi, Enjoying your videos. Thank you. How heavy is the toilet? I did not realize you lift the entire toilet out of the bathroom and take outside to dump.
Oh, I wanted to mention since you all have in other videos thought about getting a Class A RV...Check out auctions, especially charity auctions. We purchased a 1999 Tropi-Cal 37ft Class A, RV with two slides, 80k miles, everything working and only one previous owner (the original owners) for $3900. When the husband became ill they donated their RV. It needs cleaned though! There was still a bar soap in the shower, but it enabled us to get a nice RV for cheap. Nobody really knows about this non-profit auction so things go for crazy low. If you are serious about it, check out auctions. No need to pay outrageous costs. Oh almost forgot, the previous owners just paid $10,000 a year ago to put a new roof on it, so we were super happy for that and don't have to worry about leaks.
I have one of these but we used it only once. We used peat most and it seemed a lot quicker and easier than the coco coir, but then I haven't been out on the road with ours. We got one because we were having bathroom renovations done and had only one toilet.
Honestly don't think I could do that, the poop and pee take-out and emptying AND cleaning up. Gagged while watching. I'm much better with dog poop any time, any place. But my own? Nahhhhhh...... I'll deal with a black tank as a solo RV'er. Thanks, tho, best explanation of a composting toilet out there! :-)
Very thorough review.. Thanks, I'll stick with my black tank since we have 2, 45 Gallon ones, LOL.. Ms. DreamRider isn't as brave as you guys? Pulling a black tank lever whoas seem a better option for us. We don't do 1/4 of what you guys do. Keep up the good videos. We love seeing you guys. Stay safe..
Thank you for this video. I am moving to an RV next spring and along with solar panels, i will be having a composting toilet installed. I hate dealing with black tanks!
Thank you for this. Very interesting. But I'm curious about putting the waste into a plastic bag and throwing it in the trash. That seems like it will never actually compost. So it's just like pooping into a giant diaper.
Kudos to you for making the move to a composting toilet! I wonder if you could use cardboard boxes to dump the compost so it's still biodegradable still and not wrapped in a plastic bag the won't degrade for a long time. Humanure is ok for flowers and some fruit trees (not sure I'm right on that but check out the Humanure Handbook or Google search... it would save a lot of water but its got to be done correct or it could affect the water... rambling on.) Separate humanure for non food flowers from other non humanure compost for food. When boon docking where do you dump your urine every 5 days? I don't know what I'd do in my trailer with a leased space in a suburban area if I had to take my urine and use a public bathroom or at the club when I shower would be cumbersome. Seems like I'd save time going to the dump every month to every two months or more BUT I'd be carrying urine to dump somewhere every week. Interesting trade off Is it worth it? Not much time is saved for me... maybe for you since you boondock more?... sometimes I have to pay $10 to dump....I'm sure there's a price somewhere. Close to a grand $ on Amazon. Gonna have to wait on that.... I'm thinking lithium battery for a 12 volt fridge first, maybe just use propane for cooking and maybe a lp generator back up energy for rainy days. Thanks for the video.
In an RV park with hookups you still need to keep your black tank closed, or you end up with what is called a "poop pyramid". So then you need to remember to check the levels or empty once a week. I'm mostly boondocking and getting tired of planning my travels around dump stations. Composting toilet is coming this summer.
We are very happy with our composting toilet and the flexibility it gives us. We don't worry about where the nearest dump station is since we have such large gray water storage. It can be a hassle in some cases but for the frequent boondocker it is very useful.
Are you familiar with the YT channel called "Cruising the Cut"? It is about an Englishman who lives full-time on a canal boat, which in some ways is like full time RV-ing. He did an episode about various kinds of toilet. His boat has a cassette toilet, but he discussed a tank and composting toilets. The composting toilet he showed didn't use either spagnum peat moss or coconut coir but cedar shavings.
The down side is its expensive and people have this model of composting toilet complain to me that the seperation process and little water added and end up getting rid of thiers for just a 5 gallon bucket and tiolet seat. I use just a 5 gallon bucket and wood chips a huge bag i get from walmart for my compost tiolet, i just dump it in my backyard. The process you use to dump your compost tiolet reminds me of cleaning out the cat litter boxes my cats use
Hi Guys! You mention that you looked at other composting toilets. I would like an honest appraisal of why you decided against the C-Head if you looked at it. You've made very nice video but from all the negative responses it needs to be kept in mind that most of the issues you point out don't necessarily occur with a C-Head. As the inventor of the C-Head, I like to distance my product from the competition. It is a different design and basically has a much easier and cleaner operation at every level. It uses a variety of readily available and inexpensive mixing mediums so no breaking down with water is needed. It seldom requires any ventilation because you empty it more often which is a plus for many reasons. You don’t need to remove the toilet to empty it and the operation is simple, clean and quick. Rarely is there any clean up needed after use and the C-Head has easy, clean work arounds for diarrhea and periods. And giving the toilet a total top to bottom wipe down takes maybe 5 minutes. For Boondockers who don’t want to dump their urine in the woods, the C-Head also has accessories that allow you the option to plumb the urine into the black tank through the existing toilet flange and since you are only filling the black tank with concentrated urine it takes a long time to fill it up, significantly extending the time between dump stations and eliminating any issues with solid waste. With respect to any composting toilet, it is better to use a solution of CampaChem and water in a spray bottle to rinse out the urine bowl. It will keep the urine from smelling when you pour it out in a public restroom and it smells nicer than vinegar. Composting is “mold”. If you let any composting toilet sit for a period of time, especially if peat moss is your medium, you are going to get mold growth. Another good reason to empty your composting toilet once a week rather than once a month. Same goes for insects.
I just saw a review of the C-Head and it’s actually amazing how convenient it is. I had a few concerns with the natures head and the air head with the designs and the C-Head perfectly addresses them. When I start my conversion I am definitely getting the C-Head
You're welcome, I'm glad you found it useful! Composting toilets are great if you plan on boondocking often, it really helps us stay out at our site longer.
@@FateUnbound even if ur using the RV in the driveway or backyard as a 'guest house' they are great. hooking up to the home sewer line can be a pain or, i've heard, not exactly legal in some cities. Of course living in the thing at all might be illegal these days too...sigh!!
You too are really cute together. I have discovered that Life together is really about working through every day life/chores together and squeezing out as much joy as you can out of those things. You seem to be doing a good job of that.
Ummm. Does it have an option to leave a solid tank LINER? Like in a cat box? It seems you would have to scrub out that poop tank before refilling it with the coco brick.
From what I've heard, you don't completely clean out the tank. It's necessary to have residues for some kind of beneficial bacteria to grow. Otherwise, manufacturers would have created disposable liners for easy removal.
@@TimeIdle there actually are liners for some compostable toilets, but that's more plastic in the environment - sort of defeats the purpose of a composting toilet. And yes, bacteria remaining on the surface of the tank after dumping it will innoculate the composting medium and kick-start the composting process.
Used a Nature's Head for 5 years on a sailboat. Support from the company is very good. Never had an issue with mold. I had a couple times were I forgot to empty the urine soon enough to where it back flowed into the solids and that was a joy to deal with. The biggest issue I had was bugs(also used coconut). I think what happened is if you don't use enough material when you prep the solid container you can get a little bit of odor. Then bring in fruit flies into your living space(garbage/fruit) and they can move into the head. If they lay eggs, it's real hard to clear them out. Ultimately I decided not to go with a composting head in my RV. I don't mind dumping since moving the RV is easier than moving a boat and I already need to dump a grey tank(old boats don't have grey water tanks).
After using a standard black tank for 6 years with zero problems I now have learned why I won't go to a composting toilet. I can empty my black tank and back flush several times in about 15 minutes may be once per week. The main draw back of a composting toilet as you showed is physically removing it from the RV and reinstalling it. Not everybody is physically capable of doing this or wants to handle the stuff that comes out of the solid section. The water section needs to be dumped as you said every 5 days or so, so where do you go to dump it? If we're careful we can boom dock for 7+ days before we need to refill the water tank and dump the holding tanks. By that time we need to make a food run anyway. Thanks for your video, we learned why we'll stick with the black tank.
Very good pro and con list! We've thought about adding this ourselves, but still aren't 100% sure what style of RVing we will be partaking in haha. Good info to think over though for the future, thanks for sharing! - Shane
Thanks Shane! Honestly in all depends on how much boondocking / dry camping you plan on doing. In our opinion, that is the biggest advantage of the composting toilet. It REALLY helps you stay out at a boondocking location longer by erasing the black tank and basically making it a second gray tank, and it uses zero fresh water. We don't fault anyone for sticking with the conventional RV toilet - composting toilets definitely aren't for everyone! If you've got any more questions that we didn't cover in the video ask away! I'll answer them honestly so you've got a clear idea of what living with a composting toilet is like. You can even email us at ourfateunbound@gmail.com to be more private. It's a pretty big investment so I'd want you to be completely informed before making the purchase.
Thanks for the offer guys! I will definitely contact you if we have any questions. Really does sounds like a good way to extend boondocking! How long does a batch of coco coir last normally? Thanks! - Shane
Hi! How many coconut coir bricks do you use each time you refresh after you dump? Also how much does it cost monthly for the bricks? Thank you for your time! We enjoy your channel! -JT
depending on your bricks no more than one. You want enough to make about 2.5gal of material. I keep a 5 gal bucket with any extra then if I'm bored, I'll break up a brick here and there just to keep it easy. Guessing you are wondering about the cost...no more than a few bucks a month depending on how often you need to dump the solids container. I do not moisten the coco coir before I need it though. Not sure that is a winning idea, don't know though.
Good job with a touchy subject. It seems there are challenges to both a black tank and the composting toilet. Think I’ll stick with the black tank for the time being.
Yeah composting toilets definitely aren't for everyone! I think the main advantage to them is if you boondock A LOT they let you essentially double the amount of time you can be out at a boondocking location by using no water and doubling your gray tank storage. But if you don't boondock very often it's probably not worth it and best to stick with a conventional RV toilet.
Loving all your vids - thanks mucho for sharing your experiences! Question about composting toilets ... it seems to me that you should be able to put a plastic bag in as a sort of "liner" (much like the way you use plastic bags in a trash can), then add the coconut to the bag and put the lid on. That way you could just pull the bag out when it's time to change. Or am I missing something here? Anyway - thanks again for all the great info you've shared :)
I believe the axle for the rotating agitator is mounted through the side of the tank, so a bag would not be able to be dropped in. I'd design it differently, though. I would drop an agitator frame with a 90-degree gear drive coming from the top into the bucket, which could then be lined with a plastic bag.
Was always curious why. Thanks for the video. I think someone has scared you off of black tanks with horror stories. We certainly couldn't do this with our family. The amount of time spent keeping it clean would be obscene!
The main reason was to extend our gray tank storage, not so much eliminate the black tank. That was a major plus though haha. Yeah with more than 2 people per toilet it would fill up FAST!
That's what I was thinking. I don't have any problems with my black tank and this seems like way more work then just hooking up a hose and draining the tank.
As far as organic material, I think I would opt for pine horse bedding materials. Buy in bulk, naturally fresh, cheap, composts well, available anywhere. Thanks for the review . ;)
After watching your Composting Toilet video, I think dealing with a Black Tank is much, much simpler. If done properly, emptying & maintaining is easy with less potential of an accidental mess. That being said, we enjoy your videos and think you and Jenni are a nice young couple, so you will probably do well on RUclips once you are established.
We have considered putting this in our new (used but new to us) Class A, but husband does not want to have to dump it and would rather deal with the black tank (at least for now his tune may change in future). My worry is the bugs! That scares me having bugs crawling up and out while I'm using the potty lol
or you can also save a few one gallon milk jugs or even those plastic kitty litter bottles that hold several gallons will be handy as well if you are not able to take the bottle outside and empty it...who knows those full kitty litter bottles might get accidently put in the trash bin...oops! ;)
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Great info ! 1) To prevent molding, prepare an additional block and let it completely dry in the sun, then sprinkle and mix whenever the composting material is a little wetter than coffee ground consistency. 2) For easy prep composting material, put 3 Coco Bliss coco coir blocks in 4 inches of water in 5 gallon bucket. It swells up and breaks itself into coffee ground like. (Save 1/3 for purpose 1) 3) to prevent stains, put 1 inch of white vinegar in urine tank before using. To clean, use 3 bleach tablets in some water and let it sit to remove any stains
THANK YOU for actually talking about a woman's time of the month! No one says anything about that in their videos even when I googled it no one really was specific.
You're welcome! I know I had a difficult time finding the same info and was worried about it when we got the toilet too. But now I know just how messy it really is haha. Just gotta be more diligent when cleaning that week is all but totally doable!
Best. Review. Ever. You two rock. I’m happy you mentioned the woman’s time of the month and the messy skid mark problems. Those were my questions that no one ever goes over. You two are brilliant!! Love it!!
Could you possibly line the bin with the plastic bag and just take the bag out rather than dumping it?
@@joycemiller6215 not with the Nature's Head...the mixing arm in the solids container gets in the way and pretty much just tears up the bag.
NOBODY else has mentioned mold. That part was the most valuable for me.
@@dethmaul I’ve heard people talk about mold and usually there’s not a problem with mold
You can get a 'bale' of cc at a garden store that is in a bag; you don't have to break it up.. you can also use hamster bedding or saw dust.
We live on our catamaran and installed two of these on the boat and one in our Rpod trailer - so, so much better than what we had! The only con we have had is we have had bugs a few times. We do use the ground coconut so not sure where they came from. We read putting a moth ball on the little ledge inside the solid tank keeps bugs away. In the trailer is has changed our life! We dry camp for the most part and this saves SO much fresh water and extends the time needed between dumping our gray tank - and dumping the gray tank is not so disgusting. We love having these toilets! You did an awesome job explaining it!!
+Travel Small Live Big We agree that these are better than a typical black tank setup. We haven't had bugs yet so hopefully it doesn't happen! We'll keep the moth ball idea in mind it case it ever happens though. For the frequent boondocker I agree the composting toilet is fantastic! Thank you!
Awesome review guys!!
This is the best composting toilet explanation video I’ve seen. Thanks for sharing!
I’m saving up for a van and the “toilet topic” was one of the bigger things I was still trying to figure out. This is literally the best video I’ve seen for any rv/van toilet! Thank you both so much for posting, you helped out a shit-load! Lol
I appreciate the open honesty, you covered the main concerns.
one of the best reviews of anything i've seen on youtube...thanks!
Very good informative video. I like this toilet and if I ever become a camper van person this is the way I will go too. No black tank frequent dumps to hinder the schedule and more boon-docking days. Thanks so much.
Put about 5 drops of Lemon Grass Essential Oil in the liquid holder. The inexpensive kind sold at Walmart is a great product. We also make a 32 oz. bug spray with lemon grass oil, cedar oil, peppermint oil (spiders hate peppermint), few drops of tea tree oil, 1 Tbs. Dawn detergent, and fill up the spray 32 oz. bottle with half white vinegar and half water. Shake well each time before spraying. Don't use Citronella Oil, because it's harmful to dogs/cats. (Google Citronella Oil.)
Good job guys. Thanks for doing a more detailed review than the others I’ve seen out there. I know it’s not a subject we talk openly about, but sh*t happens !
+G Keller Thank you! We're glad you found it useful! We tried to cover just about everything. If you've got any questions we didn't cover feel free to ask!
We really appreciated this video because in a very clean & tidy way you described how this composting toilet works and answered questions that so often never get answered. Thank you for creating this video.
Hi you two. I just found your channel and am working my way through your playlists. But when I came to this one about the Nature's Head composting toilet, I wanted to share our experience with it. My wife and I owned two different sailboats for the past 30 years. In the first one, which was a 26-foot trailerable, we used a chemical camping toilet for several years, but then we discovered the Nature's Head and made the switch. Best thing we ever did for that boat! We used that for the next 2 years and then moved up to a 34-foot sailboat that had a marine head and holding tank system. During the first year with that boat we discovered a serious drawback to having a blackwater tank. When that tank is full, you can't use the toilet anymore until you find a pump out station. You're done. That's horrible! Not only that, but we had some issues with the plumbing that convinced us to rip out the system and install a Nature's Head. In the 12 years prior, we never had a single problem with our toilet, so we decided to go with the same thing again. The worst part of the project was pulling out all the old plumbing (which was leaking beneath the floor) and getting ride of the sewage tank. But then we discovered that we had a bunch of usable storage space where the old tank used to be. Woo-Hoo! We can't say enough good about going with a composting system. Although we didn't live full time on the boat, we took extensive trips that lasted for several weeks. We found that the longer we left the solids in the peat moss to compost, the better it got. Never had a mold situation, but we never hydrated the medium either. The moisture that was in the solids was sufficient to keep the bacteria doing it's job to compost the stuff. Keeping the air flow moving is essential to keeping the bacteria alive and well. We did have an infestation of gnats once. Someone told us to sprinkle a few tablespoons of diatomatious earth in with the composting medium, and that killed off the gnats. No more problem ever. We recently sold our sailboat and bought a small travel trailer and are going to remove the toilet and install another Nature's Head. I am interested in how you plumbed the system to connect the old black tank so it becomes an extension of the gray tank. That is my plan as well. Thanks for posting your videos. They are very helpful.
I appreciate both of you for the candor in describing how it all works.
My question is: what size garbage bag fits so well like you demonstrated? I would hate to have it slip off (or tear) while upending the bucket!
Excellent review~! Very complete. I had a natures head and found many of the same things on my boat. NO smells and extended my range dramatically. I did have a problem with flies at one point but diatomaceous earth fixed that problem very quickly.
Did you add diatomaceous earth to the solid bucket and how much?
Wouldn't work for us, but I do appreciate the explanation Dave & Jenny! We do tend to use RV parks more than boon docking, and when on the road a fair bit, finding dump stations isn't all that hard. We have a Class A diesel pusher, and all our tanks are large. Unsure if they make many bumper pulls with large tanks...but something I might watch for! A well done video, which I'm sure will be helpful to many, and I appreciate the editing that goes into the finished product as well!
You guys are the best. I haven't seen anyone do a video like this. Very informative. I hope that wasn't grandpa's table.
Wow thanks Rick!! We had gotten a lot of questions about our toilet so we decided to go ahead and make a video explaining it. Composting toilets definitely aren't for everyone but we wanted to get the information out there in case some people have never heard of them before and let them know there's a second option to waste disposal.
And actually we started shooting this video on the ground because we didn't want to set the toilet on Grandpa's table, but then he came outside and said "You can use the table if you want." So he knew and offered the use of his table haha. It's just an outdoor table not used for eating on. We disinfected it afterwards.
Thank you for the explanation of how to use the composting toilet. I also think the pros outweigh the cons. One thing I might suggest is using composting bags instead of regular plastic trash bags.
You're welcome, we're glad you like it! For the frequent boondocker a composting toilet is a HUGE plus. However, I don't think it provides much advantages for someone that stays in RV parks most of the time.
You can connect your grey and black tanks with a one-way drain connection that essentially allows both tanks to fill to capacity.
Thanks so much for your video. We tried peat moss and it didn't work. We built our own Natures Head, but made it electrically driven. The peat moss was too heavy. Changed to Coir and it worked. Just a tip. You don't have to break the coir up. Hard work man :) Just pour water. We did drill some big holes in it first, but just water also works, and then you break off the soft top pieces as they expand.
Best review I've seen. And THANK YOU for explaining how it works for those times of the month where women have their menstrual cycles.
Thanks guys. I just bought 6 acres, and I am trying to homestead. Will start with a nature's head (already purchased) as I get the property developed further.
Thanks for the video. We only boondock 7 to 10 days at a time every few months, so I think we will stay with our current setup. The composting toilet seems well suited for full time RVing.
I'm picking up my first travel trailer in one week. I am a RV newbie. Your videos are well done and very informative and like anything else, everything's better with kitties and puppies. I've learned a lot from both of you. Your installation videos are top notch. Manufacturers should hire you to do their assembly/installation videos. I have to compliment you on how eloquently you presented such a potentially gross topic. Solids and liquids? You crack me up. Next time I have to go number two, I'm going to announce that I'm going to take a solid. All the best to both of you.
Thanks for making this, I understand it so much better now, than after watching a variety of other videos ( which just left many questionmarks). And thanks for talking about the nitty gritties.
Thank you for the great info,we were talking about it. We have the same trailer as you but it's a 2600 tb. Bunkhouse .keep up the great videos . Have fun stay safe . We are freezing up here in Michigan.
+fred miller You're welcome Fred! We really like our little trailer, the Summerlands are nice for their pricepoint. Safe travels and stay warm!!
This is the best and most helpful video I’ve seen on this composting toilet. Well done and thanks!
great information, and better than going to the site. it's nice to see people that don't have any interest in the company show you how it really works, with all the pros, and cons. i am wondering if something would work like this in my basement. i live in a 600 square foot 100 year old house, and digging up the floor to install a flush toilet is out of the question
Thank you for such a thorough review and demonstration. The demonstration is particularly useful in understanding what is involved.
Thanks for the intro to composting toilets. We will stick with our black tank. It seems to be less work and we have enough tank space for our boondocking stints.
Yeah composting toilets definitely aren't for everyone. I think the main advantage to them is if you boondock A LOT they let you essentially double the amount of time you can be out at a boondocking location by using no water and doubling your gray tank storage. But if you don't boondock very often it's probably not worth it and best to stick with a conventional RV toilet.
This is a great point. Thanks to this presentation am thinking of doubling the boondock ability for my lance 24 foot trailer. Converting the black to a double grey. Then I can still empty the gray into five gallon buckets for transport to dump station. Cheaper than a external dump tank. Bucket costs $10. External good dump tank is $100. Yes I know these compost toilets cost $1000. How much are the coconut bricks? And compostable dump bags?
Good video. I am considering a conversion to either a composting toilet or a cassette toilet. I'm glad I saw this. Thank you for this.
Thanks for posting this. Tough choices to make but this helps. And thanks for covering the cons in detail.
Thank you for showing how one actually work, clean up, and how to set up for new use, this is very helpful......
Thanks for all of your great info. Really appreciate it
Thank you so much. This was so informative and appreciated. I am about to go into van living for a year. A toilet is imperative for me. Your review was so good and you so honest, bless you and again thank you.
The "up-ending' portion looks best accomplished with 2 people in order to keep the trash bad from slipping off of the lip.
Distilled water tip got ya a thumbs up! Thanks
Before we even used our new rv, we installed the Nature's Head composting toilet. The black tank is an extra grey water tank now. We are happy with our decision.
That is exactly what we did too! We bought the RV already with the intention of replacing the toilet with a composting toilet so our black tank never got gross. We connected our black tank and gray tank together for double the gray tank storage!
Thank you! How do you merge your black and grey tanks?
Great review! I think the next trend needs to be bidet toilet seat attachments.
Thanks for this, cause I've never seen how to set up this type of toilet. I've seen on another channel where a person created his RV from a former ambulance. He had a natures toilet as well. He replaced the number one, tank, ran a hose to a newly created 9 gallon "yellow" tank. Since you have a black tank and not using it, modifying the number one part of the natures head, is something to consider.
I LOVE THIS VIDEO!! Thank you for being completely transparent about your compost toilet. This has been very helpful!
I would love to get one like yours. But it will be a project for down the road sometime, if ever. I love the idea of it, but I'm gonna try to keep within my 39 gallon limit in my black tank. I don't think its going to be an issue, especially since the guys in my family will probably do the liquid business in the woods. We shall see! I admire your energy and handiness! You guys have done very well with the challenges thrown your way.
We really like our composting toilet but I don't fault anyone for sticking with the conventional RV toilet. The composting toilet in our opinion is more for those that boondock A LOT - like us! I also go out to "water the plants" whenever we are in a remote campsite so that the liquids tank in the composting toilet fills up slower so I don't have to dump it as often haha. Thanks Chris!!
Good video guys. Have you tried just pouring warm water on the brick and let it sit for 20-30 minutes then brush off the loose stuff and add some more water, it's a heck of a lot easier than what you are doing 🙂
Hi, Enjoying your videos. Thank you. How heavy is the toilet? I did not realize you lift the entire toilet out of the bathroom and take outside to dump.
Always so clear and honest!!! Love your reviews and opinions, thank you!!!
Looks like a great option I want when when I get my tiny house!
Oh, I wanted to mention since you all have in other videos thought about getting a Class A RV...Check out auctions, especially charity auctions. We purchased a 1999 Tropi-Cal 37ft Class A, RV with two slides, 80k miles, everything working and only one previous owner (the original owners) for $3900. When the husband became ill they donated their RV. It needs cleaned though! There was still a bar soap in the shower, but it enabled us to get a nice RV for cheap. Nobody really knows about this non-profit auction so things go for crazy low. If you are serious about it, check out auctions. No need to pay outrageous costs. Oh almost forgot, the previous owners just paid $10,000 a year ago to put a new roof on it, so we were super happy for that and don't have to worry about leaks.
I have one of these but we used it only once. We used peat most and it seemed a lot quicker and easier than the coco coir, but then I haven't been out on the road with ours. We got one because we were having bathroom renovations done and had only one toilet.
Honestly don't think I could do that, the poop and pee take-out and emptying AND cleaning up. Gagged while watching. I'm much better with dog poop any time, any place. But my own? Nahhhhhh...... I'll deal with a black tank as a solo RV'er. Thanks, tho, best explanation of a composting toilet out there! :-)
@@jonnieinbangkok LOL! Yes, I have! Good reason to have dogs. Obviously you didn't watch the video.
Bedside commode with Freshstep kitty litter is a good cheap alternative 😊
@@cpmondello works great for my cat, besides, a mammal is a mammal.
@@cpmondello You would only want a "dust-free" kind if you are really going to try it.
Very thorough review.. Thanks, I'll stick with my black tank since we have 2, 45 Gallon ones, LOL.. Ms. DreamRider isn't as brave as you guys? Pulling a black tank lever whoas seem a better option for us. We don't do 1/4 of what you guys do. Keep up the good videos. We love seeing you guys. Stay safe..
Thank you for this video. I am moving to an RV next spring and along with solar panels, i will be having a composting toilet installed. I hate dealing with black tanks!
Thank you for this. Very interesting. But I'm curious about putting the waste into a plastic bag and throwing it in the trash. That seems like it will never actually compost. So it's just like pooping into a giant diaper.
Kudos to you for making the move to a composting toilet!
I wonder if you could use cardboard boxes to dump the compost so it's still biodegradable still and not wrapped in a plastic bag the won't degrade for a long time. Humanure is ok for flowers and some fruit trees (not sure I'm right on that but check out the Humanure Handbook or Google search... it would save a lot of water but its got to be done correct or it could affect the water... rambling on.) Separate humanure for non food flowers from other non humanure compost for food.
When boon docking where do you dump your urine every 5 days?
I don't know what I'd do in my trailer with a leased space in a suburban area if I had to take my urine and use a public bathroom or at the club when I shower would be cumbersome.
Seems like I'd save time going to the dump every month to every two months or more BUT I'd be carrying urine to dump somewhere every week. Interesting trade off
Is it worth it? Not much time is saved for me... maybe for you since you boondock more?... sometimes I have to pay $10 to dump....I'm sure there's a price somewhere. Close to a grand $ on Amazon. Gonna have to wait on that.... I'm thinking lithium battery for a 12 volt fridge first, maybe just use propane for cooking and maybe a lp generator back up energy for rainy days.
Thanks for the video.
Before I even finish the video I have to say - love your video thumbnail title!! Lol 😂
Haha thanks! We got a kick out of it too :P
In an RV park with hookups you still need to keep your black tank closed, or you end up with what is called a "poop pyramid". So then you need to remember to check the levels or empty once a week. I'm mostly boondocking and getting tired of planning my travels around dump stations. Composting toilet is coming this summer.
We are very happy with our composting toilet and the flexibility it gives us. We don't worry about where the nearest dump station is since we have such large gray water storage. It can be a hassle in some cases but for the frequent boondocker it is very useful.
I have experienced the poop pyramid. Ug.
Are you familiar with the YT channel called "Cruising the Cut"? It is about an Englishman who lives full-time on a canal boat, which in some ways is like full time RV-ing. He did an episode about various kinds of toilet. His boat has a cassette toilet, but he discussed a tank and composting toilets. The composting toilet he showed didn't use either spagnum peat moss or coconut coir but cedar shavings.
I've watched many videos about this, and no one else used something you have to rehydrate. Just use per bedding or something like mulch.
The down side is its expensive and people have this model of composting toilet complain to me that the seperation process and little water added and end up getting rid of thiers for just a 5 gallon bucket and tiolet seat. I use just a 5 gallon bucket and wood chips a huge bag i get from walmart for my compost tiolet, i just dump it in my backyard.
The process you use to dump your compost tiolet reminds me of cleaning out the cat litter boxes my cats use
yeah - you just reinforced my position on keeping the black tank and the supplied toilet
Hi Guys! You mention that you looked at other composting toilets. I would like an honest appraisal of why you decided against the C-Head if you looked at it. You've made very nice video but from all the negative responses it needs to be kept in mind that most of the issues you point out don't necessarily occur with a C-Head. As the inventor of the C-Head, I like to distance my product from the competition. It is a different design and basically has a much easier and cleaner operation at every level. It uses a variety of readily available and inexpensive mixing mediums so no breaking down with water is needed. It seldom requires any ventilation because you empty it more often which is a plus for many reasons. You don’t need to remove the toilet to empty it and the operation is simple, clean and quick. Rarely is there any clean up needed after use and the C-Head has easy, clean work arounds for diarrhea and periods. And giving the toilet a total top to bottom wipe down takes maybe 5 minutes.
For Boondockers who don’t want to dump their urine in the woods, the C-Head also has accessories that allow you the option to plumb the urine into the black tank through the existing toilet flange and since you are only filling the black tank with concentrated urine it takes a long time to fill it up, significantly extending the time between dump stations and eliminating any issues with solid waste.
With respect to any composting toilet, it is better to use a solution of CampaChem and water in a spray bottle to rinse out the urine bowl. It will keep the urine from smelling when you pour it out in a public restroom and it smells nicer than vinegar.
Composting is “mold”. If you let any composting toilet sit for a period of time, especially if peat moss is your medium, you are going to get mold growth. Another good reason to empty your composting toilet once a week rather than once a month. Same goes for insects.
@@OneJokeAtATime Why did you feel the need to post that comment? Do you feel better about yourself when you try to put others down?
Pp
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I just saw a review of the C-Head and it’s actually amazing how convenient it is. I had a few concerns with the natures head and the air head with the designs and the C-Head perfectly addresses them. When I start my conversion I am definitely getting the C-Head
I'm glad he did post this. Nothing wrong with more info and different perspectives.
Thank you for the info. I’m definitely installing a composting before going full time.
You're welcome, I'm glad you found it useful! Composting toilets are great if you plan on boondocking often, it really helps us stay out at our site longer.
@@FateUnbound even if ur using the RV in the driveway or backyard as a 'guest house' they are great. hooking up to the home sewer line can be a pain or, i've heard, not exactly legal in some cities. Of course living in the thing at all might be illegal these days too...sigh!!
Excellent video! Thank you. San Antonio, TX
You too are really cute together. I have discovered that Life together is really about working through every day life/chores together and squeezing out as much joy as you can out of those things. You seem to be doing a good job of that.
Ummm. Does it have an option to leave a solid tank LINER? Like in a cat box? It seems you would have to scrub out that poop tank before refilling it with the coco brick.
From what I've heard, you don't completely clean out the tank. It's necessary to have residues for some kind of beneficial bacteria to grow. Otherwise, manufacturers would have created disposable liners for easy removal.
@@TimeIdle there actually are liners for some compostable toilets, but that's more plastic in the environment - sort of defeats the purpose of a composting toilet. And yes, bacteria remaining on the surface of the tank after dumping it will innoculate the composting medium and kick-start the composting process.
This is so helpful!
Sounds like a great system
And what about when liquids that should be solids? I mean there is a two which should be solid but it isn't.
Used a Nature's Head for 5 years on a sailboat. Support from the company is very good. Never had an issue with mold. I had a couple times were I forgot to empty the urine soon enough to where it back flowed into the solids and that was a joy to deal with. The biggest issue I had was bugs(also used coconut). I think what happened is if you don't use enough material when you prep the solid container you can get a little bit of odor. Then bring in fruit flies into your living space(garbage/fruit) and they can move into the head. If they lay eggs, it's real hard to clear them out. Ultimately I decided not to go with a composting head in my RV. I don't mind dumping since moving the RV is easier than moving a boat and I already need to dump a grey tank(old boats don't have grey water tanks).
After using a standard black tank for 6 years with zero problems I now have learned why I won't go to a composting toilet. I can empty my black tank and back flush several times in about 15 minutes may be once per week. The main draw back of a composting toilet as you showed is physically removing it from the RV and reinstalling it. Not everybody is physically capable of doing this or wants to handle the stuff that comes out of the solid section. The water section needs to be dumped as you said every 5 days or so, so where do you go to dump it? If we're careful we can boom dock for 7+ days before we need to refill the water tank and dump the holding tanks. By that time we need to make a food run anyway.
Thanks for your video, we learned why we'll stick with the black tank.
Very good pro and con list! We've thought about adding this ourselves, but still aren't 100% sure what style of RVing we will be partaking in haha. Good info to think over though for the future, thanks for sharing! - Shane
Thanks Shane! Honestly in all depends on how much boondocking / dry camping you plan on doing. In our opinion, that is the biggest advantage of the composting toilet. It REALLY helps you stay out at a boondocking location longer by erasing the black tank and basically making it a second gray tank, and it uses zero fresh water. We don't fault anyone for sticking with the conventional RV toilet - composting toilets definitely aren't for everyone!
If you've got any more questions that we didn't cover in the video ask away! I'll answer them honestly so you've got a clear idea of what living with a composting toilet is like. You can even email us at ourfateunbound@gmail.com to be more private. It's a pretty big investment so I'd want you to be completely informed before making the purchase.
Thanks for the offer guys! I will definitely contact you if we have any questions. Really does sounds like a good way to extend boondocking! How long does a batch of coco coir last normally? Thanks! - Shane
+DnSAdventures You're welcome! What we buy comes in one 10 pound block, costs $18, and lasts about 6 months. Its really cheap stuff.
Fate Unbound now see this note. Not bad a supply price.
Appreciate the video explanation! Happy travels.
Great video! Very informative and answered some questions we had. Thanks!
Thank You! I am considering getting one of these for my tiny house.
That looks so big. I am not sure if I can fit that in. my toilet area. I so want to do this.
Do you have to control your bio functions when using the compost toilet to prevent peeing and pooping at the same time?
Thanks! Great info. And that is the latest poop on composting toilets.
Super helpful. Thank you guys!
Hi!
How many coconut coir bricks do you use each time you refresh after you dump? Also how much does it cost monthly for the bricks?
Thank you for your time! We enjoy your channel!
-JT
depending on your bricks no more than one. You want enough to make about 2.5gal of material. I keep a 5 gal bucket with any extra then if I'm bored, I'll break up a brick here and there just to keep it easy. Guessing you are wondering about the cost...no more than a few bucks a month depending on how often you need to dump the solids container.
I do not moisten the coco coir before I need it though. Not sure that is a winning idea, don't know though.
Good job with a touchy subject. It seems there are challenges to both a black tank and the composting toilet. Think I’ll stick with the black tank for the time being.
Yeah composting toilets definitely aren't for everyone! I think the main advantage to them is if you boondock A LOT they let you essentially double the amount of time you can be out at a boondocking location by using no water and doubling your gray tank storage. But if you don't boondock very often it's probably not worth it and best to stick with a conventional RV toilet.
Looking for a update. How is your composting toilet working?
WAY more work than a black tank!! Wow!! Way more!
Loving all your vids - thanks mucho for sharing your experiences!
Question about composting toilets ... it seems to me that you should be able to put a plastic bag in as a sort of "liner" (much like the way you use plastic bags in a trash can), then add the coconut to the bag and put the lid on. That way you could just pull the bag out when it's time to change.
Or am I missing something here?
Anyway - thanks again for all the great info you've shared :)
I believe the axle for the rotating agitator is mounted through the side of the tank, so a bag would not be able to be dropped in.
I'd design it differently, though. I would drop an agitator frame with a 90-degree gear drive coming from the top into the bucket, which could then be lined with a plastic bag.
Was always curious why. Thanks for the video. I think someone has scared you off of black tanks with horror stories. We certainly couldn't do this with our family. The amount of time spent keeping it clean would be obscene!
The main reason was to extend our gray tank storage, not so much eliminate the black tank. That was a major plus though haha. Yeah with more than 2 people per toilet it would fill up FAST!
That's what I was thinking. I don't have any problems with my black tank and this seems like way more work then just hooking up a hose and draining the tank.
As far as organic material, I think I would opt for pine horse bedding materials. Buy in bulk, naturally fresh, cheap, composts well, available anywhere. Thanks for the review . ;)
Very informative, thank you so much!
🚽Another great video. There are not many videos on RUclips for composting toilet.thank you 👍🏽🙂🚽
Thank you! Yeah I figured we'd let everyone know how we are liking our composting toilet and how it works etc. Thanks again =)
After watching your Composting Toilet video, I think dealing with a Black Tank is much, much simpler. If done properly, emptying & maintaining is easy with less potential of an accidental mess. That being said, we enjoy your videos and think you and Jenni are a nice young couple, so you will probably do well on RUclips once you are established.
We have considered putting this in our new (used but new to us) Class A, but husband does not want to have to dump it and would rather deal with the black tank (at least for now his tune may change in future). My worry is the bugs! That scares me having bugs crawling up and out while I'm using the potty lol
How did you connect your grey water and black water tanks together? Is there a video?
Extend the time between liquid dumpings by getting a second liquids tank.
or you can also save a few one gallon milk jugs or even those plastic kitty litter bottles that hold several gallons will be handy as well if you are not able to take the bottle outside and empty it...who knows those full kitty litter bottles might get accidently put in the trash bin...oops! ;)
how well does it process number 3?
win the compost gets full how hard is it to turn the crank to turn the compost
Thank you so much, (even at this late date) - because I had no idea.
Thank you so much I hope you would tell about it
Thanks for the info, I've been wondering what kind of toilet to put in my van.
Great video and demonstration. 👍🏻
Thanks Chuck!!
Thanks for this informative video. Looks like a great product. You should ask them to sponsor you.
Anyone ever consider putting compost accelerator in the solids compartment?