Composting Toilet in Roadtrek Sprinter

[engnrsrule]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

How is urine odor controlled, is there a valve or container is vented with the same fan?

The diverter sends the urine directly into the black tank, and it passes thru a waterless trap that prevents odors from the tank coming up. The fan is in the back corner and pulls air across the solids container. This is the fan size recommended for the C-Head. No big odor problem as yet, but I do believe more fan would be better.

Here is the trap...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W2FPBJG...p_mob_ap_share

[engnrsrule]

After three 1-4 day trips, and a fair amount of adjustment with the #2 side, I have reinstalled my Thetford.

The primary reason is that the poop side is just too much hassle. That considering that emptying is nowhere near the complexity of some of the commercial models. It just stinks!

I know proponents will say it shouldn't smell if done right, so I guess I will leave it at "I must not be doing it right."

Also despite the nice design of the urine diverter, my better half couldn't get the hang of it.

So lessons from this exercise...

1. I am glad not to have spent over $1000 on a commercial model.

2. I like building stuff, so the process was enjoyable despite an unsuccessful outcome.

3. I really am not comfortable throwing bags of human waste in the trash-and am not about to retain on board for delivery to a composting system.

4. I am glad I did the mods with an eye toward conversion back.

5. It is not easy but try to get a good handle on the amount of "volume" that users will produce. Our estimates on #1 were good, and with a 10 gallon black tank for urine only 2 or more weeks was well within reason. But as for poo in a bag inside a bucket, emptying would have been a daily or at best every other day chore.

6. With a macerating system, pumping out every 3-4 days (exclusive use) or week or more (if any other head is available) is far less hassle and more sanitary.

7. If we decide to change to another RV, we will pay more attention to the system capacities and how they relate to boondocking longevity.

8. Lastly I believe I may recoup a fair amount of my costs by selling the unit I made for use in a little house or other camper application.

[Boxster1971]

Thanks you engnrsrule for sharing the realities of your separating toilet. Those toilets might work for some - but not for me or my DW. After using the macerator on my Airstream Interstate for over eight years I've concluded it is the best solution for my use.

[Davydd]

I eliminated the idea of a composting toilet long ago in dealing with the Clivus Multrums that were popular in the 70s for off grid homes. Romantic idea but in my mind totally impractical when they really aren’t that sanitary in a static world and worse in a movable world. I really frowned on the idea when the YouTube videos came out with the FitRV people and the other couple that carried their toilet out to picnic table to prepare coir. My first thought was that was a totally clean unused toilet bowl. What about a used one. How did they deal with that? Then we have a cat. I don’t know what is worse. Picking up poop when you walk a dog or scooping out poop in a litter box. The litter box is kind of like a composting toilet.

I’m now dealing with a marine macerating toilet in my B. It is a dream compared to even a direct dump in a black tank toilet. It flushes similar to a home toilet only a pump pulls it through instead of the water flushing in the bowl. It has essentially two traps before and after the macerator so there is absolutely no smell. There is a second macerator after the black and grey tank in a totally closed dumping system which is essentially just a pump at that point. I don’t think there is a cake like sludge in the black tank that can build up. The black and grey tanks when emptied are designed to leave about an inch of water in the bottom of the tanks so dried sludge hopefully will not be a problem. The only debit I see is the marine toilet uses more water. I have a 40 gallon fresh water tank in a short Sprinter which is way more than normal. In our first three weeks on the road we haven’t used all that and we have only had hookups for just one night in a KOA. Kind of a treat to relax and get to know the van. The rest of the time is boondocking. Tonight we are in the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum huge parking lot in Elkhart, Indiana with 12 other RVs last count.