Hi Norm! Thinking about a Airhead composting toilet - here is a review I did a few years ago and a few other emails I had archived on the subject. This letter was written to counter Peggy Hall's misconceptions about the Airhead - keep that in mind as you read this. Get back to me if you have any further questions (I you will...)
Jeff on Southern Nights I have been using the AIRHEAD toilet for 3 years now, first I find the unit very satisfactory over the marine head / holding tank scenario that it replaced on my boat. The urine storage situation is manageable and even if you have to pump it to an onboard tank, it is much more reasonable than have a black tank. Urine is sterile as it leaves the body (verified by my Urologist) I see no issue in pumping this overboard if you have the same options with other marine systems as they can't sterilize urine any more than what it leaves the body - but laws are laws.... The system is engineered so that the urine is diverted and isn't contaminated, so e-coli isn't an issue. Most users of the Airheads these days are using Coir, instead of peat, "coir" is the short name for coir fiber pith, the residue of the process that extracts the long fibers from coconuts. Those long fibers have been used for floor mats, basket liners, and lots of other things, but until recently, the residue was just tossed into piles. In Sri Lanka, some of those piles are a hundred years old! Coir acts very much like peat and has high lignin content. Lignin is an organic substance that, with cellulose, forms the chief part of woody tissue. It is the lignin that provides the longevity. Coir is an organic material that breaks down very slowly. It holds water and nutrients beautifully. And it will not waterlog. This Coir is purchased as 2 X 4 X 8 bricks, which are compressed 8-to-1 it weighs 1.5 pounds. One brick expands to make between 2 to 2.5 gallons worth of coir bedding material. 2 bricks make enough for the initial load and a few quarts extra. So, you can store a few years worth of material in a very small space. As for adding peat, I find we only add a quart of the medium about once a month. We find that the composting action and the drying process require one to add water to the pile once a week to keep it from drying too much. With 2 of living aboard, we get about 2 months of usage before having to recharge the unit with more Coir. In the holding tank days, we got maybe 15 days between pump outs. The Airhead uses 12volt power - it has a small computer fan which creates a negative pressure in the tank and is exhausted to the outside. The fan consumes .050 amps / about 1.2 amps per 24 hours. Also helps a little in ventilation of the boat as a bonus. The system utilizes a 1.5" vent and as far as I know, always has. While we are on this subject the air coming out the vent, doesn't smell anything like a vent on a holding tank, the smell is more like a dense forest smell. Ever been close to your holding tank vent when someone else 'flushes' the toilet? As far as the composting working only above 70 degrees, Geoff Trott, the originator of this system has studies to show that even with the air temperature of 35 degree's in the room where the toilet sits, the core temperature of the composting is above 65 degrees and is still active. The drying and the composting are still going on. Geoff really likes to educate people on how the composting process works. Airhead recommends if you store the boat unused for the winter that you leave the compost over the winter to continue the process and to recharge during decommissioning in the spring. Composting toilets are not for everyone, like all things with boats, it has its own compromises. I find that this process is a lot more earth friendly that the alternatives. This system makes great compost; it doesn't stink and if left to completely finish the composting process, will kill off any bugs. One of my best boat maintenance days was when I determined the Airhead was a permanent solution for ME, and was thrilled recapturing the space that a 40 gallon holding tank took up, 30' of $8+ per foot of stinky hose, a number of valves,a macerator pump, wiring, switches and sealing some of the holes in the bottom of my boat. One of the unfortunate situations on my boat was the problem of the sewage hose running uphill to the tank, which always left something in the lines and created a situation of replacing hose every 18 months to keep the stench down. No financial interest in this company, just a happy user and one of the few that seem to have actual usage history and facts. Geoff Trott is the engineer/designer and manufacturer of this system. Norm, I think you would like him. END - Other archives to follow I wouldn't contradict Peggy Hall either but those that don't know should know that the Airhead has an ingenious way of allowing the urine to run off and into a separate removable tank at the front of the unit. This never allows the urine to get into the composting bowl or affect composting action. That leaves only the moisture of the solids to deal with in the peat moss. As this is turned after every use with a hand crank the breakdown action of the peatmoss and the continuous fan are enough to compost the contents very effectively. I have an Airhead on my boat and am very satisfied with it. No connection with the company, just a very satisfied customer. The guy who runs it, Jeff something or other is very knowledgeable and easy to work with. For me there is no contest when I think about holding tanks, holes in my boat, electrasan gadgets etc vs the simple no moving parts, no holes in the boat Airhead. Best, Michael C. Portsmouth Downeast 30 I have had Airhead composting toilets on both my 36' sailboat and my 52' Malahide trawler. They have worked very well. They need no power when hooked up to a solar power vent. There is little odor. I think they are a very good solution for the marine toilet function. I can't understand why anyone would have a traditional holding tank and thru hulls on their boats. I took mine out years ago and have used the Airhead composting toilets with fewer problems and better results. Just my opinion which is based on a couple years of actual use of the product. I have no business relationship with the Airhead Composting toilet business- just a very satisfied customer. Dave H Malahide trawler Tsmyne Too Connecticut _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
