I just realized that we’ve been using our DIY composting toilet without any issues or problems since 2009. which, if you do the math, adds up to twelve years. As it only cost around $100 that’s a pretty good return on investment.
I mention this because the whole idea of VolksCruier is not about doing stuff on the cheap but more about coming up with better ways to do things while avoiding spending stupid money in the process.
Composting (and yeah, I know that composting toilets on boats don’t really compost) toilets are a good example since they work better than MSDs, don’t require holes in the boat, have near-zero maintenance, and can be built for next to nothing. Plus, I guess I should add that they don’t smell as much as most MSDs.
For comparison, the only MSD I’d actually install on a boat I live on is the LAVAC which, in my opinion, is the best of the bunch. Of course, the LAVAC is a bit pricey at between $659-$780 plus the various needful bits not included (hose, holding tank, etc) add up to an installation that will run over a $1000 or so and then there will be the ongoing cost of maintenance that in my experience works out to about $125 or so per year (seat seals and pump rebuild kits).
So, if I had installed a Lavac in “So It Goes” back in 2009 I’d expect to have spent at least $2500 to install and maintain it. Which, when compared to the total outlay for our composting head and the cost of peat moss/sawdust (maybe $100 over twelve years?) it would seem that we’ve saved $2300 or so by choosing the composting head with the added perq of never having to rebuild a fouled Henderson MK5 pump and replace gross nasty sewage hoses.
Which is a roundabout way of saying we chose the composting head because we thought it did a better job with the least potential problems or issues. The fact that it has saved us a couple of thousand dollars was really just a bonus.
Curious: what do you do with the "compost"? Just take it ashore and dispose of it in the trash?
The reality of what you do with the contents of the toilet does depends.
Since our toilet uses a five-gallon bucket for the solids we only have to empty that about once a month and that makes it pretty easy to dump overboard while sailing in open ocean where it's legal. When stuck shore side for periods longer than a month the bag it and chuck it in the trash is the usual option.
For the liquid waste we use2 1/2 gallon jugs which wind up going down the drain ashore a couple of times a week.
Understood. Thanks.