Chichester Yacht Club Magazine September 2018 | Page 31

So I got sidetracked reading about their
Composting Heads. So why would anyone
want composting heads?
For me the first and most obvious advantage
was not needing to put in a holding tank, or to
have to find a pump out. I know there are very
limited pump out facilities in the Solent, and
having seen the SV Delos episode with the
back flowing toilet, the holding tank under the
bed is not the most appealing of ideas.
They in fact work in part by the principle of
separation. The design is such that the fluids
flow forward into the fluid collection chamber at
the front (more colloquially known as the pee
pot).
Solid matter on the other hand is separated into
the large container, which is primed with coir.
The coir absorbs any liquid from the solid
matter, keeping the solid matter dry and
odourless. There is an agitator handle to help
with the decomposition process.
The sea toilet on its own was not going to really
suit our families needs, and so it was either a
To assist with keeping the solid matter
holding tank or a composting heads.
odourless, there is a 12 volt fan that provides a
constant negative pressure to pull moisture out
How do the composting toilets work?
of the living space. Surprisingly there is no
holding tank smell after leaving the boat for a
week or longer.
Sounds revolting? In fact it is not nearly as
unpleasant as it at first sounds, and can you
tell me that sorting out the pump out, or
dealing with over flowing holding tanks is any
better?
So how much capacity is there?
The solids, holding tank has approximately 22
litres capacity, which amounts to one month’s
use for two adults living aboard, or
approximately one season’s worth of use for
two people at the weekend.
However, with the four of us on board, the pee
pot does need emptying regularly, and rather
than have a mess, I prefer to empty that part
every day, and then the job is not so
unpleasant or difficult. Luckily there is a small
window at the front, which allows you to see
how high the fluids are in the liquids carrier.
Personally I still find that it can be hard to
judge the fluids level, but have found shining a
torch through the side helps. The key to the
liquids not being too unpleasant to empty, is
for the carrier not to be too full. The liquids are
sterile, and can be emptied anywhere,
although I do tend to empty in the toilet of the
loo block at the marina.
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