Thursday, October 7, 2010

Composting toilets and Remi in fatigues

While Remi may not be in fatigues, he certainly is getting into the vansteader spirit - and it is very much appreciated!  I absolutely love the contributions I get from other vansteaders!  Remi's email (in part):


"While doing a lot of reading and research on them, especially for RV, Boat and off grid living, I came across http://www.natureshead.net/land.html and started digging deeper into reviews and blogs and such. Seems most people have been very happy with this one, but I didn't find any van dweller blogs about it, mostly boats and off grid living, and in the group only a mention of a former member who had and liked it.

I think the topic would fit in good with the vansteading topics & would be very interested to know what other dwellers/steaders who are using them are doing with the compost (tie in to gorilla gardening... Cammo & fatigues included ;))"



__________________________


Mike has made mention of a possible composting toilet future mod for Taj... Remi, I love the idea!  I can't wait to read the discussion.  Thank you so much for your contribution.



7 comments:

  1. Mike thinks composting toilets are interesting! He also thinks they may be just the thing for a vanstead! He is not sure about adding one to Taj just yet though, maybe down the road a bit :)


    -Mike (Yeah it was me, getting myself in trouble)
    97 Roadtrek 170P "Taj Ma Trek"
    HTTP://WWW.VanTramps.Com

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  2. How would it work in a van? My van has a wet bath. I did use pine kitty litter in the head, lining the bowl with biodegradeable plastic bags. My water lasted a lot longer by not using it for my waste.
    Mary

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  3. Well, you know my theory on this, lol. If I have to build out everything, then I would rather not have to put in a black tank system for the first time all by myself, lol. Anyways, green is a very good thing, as long as it's actually practical and this one seems to be for a vanhome. If it will work well on 18'+ boats and in TTs, should be a breeze in in a van home, especially if you take interest in other homesteader and green tech, or just are worried you'll screw up the plumbing in the one place you really don't want to do so, lol.

    I think it's a great option and I'm psyched to see it now at a size that could work in a van. I actually blew off the thought at first after seeing some specs on how to do it yourself using 50 gal barrels and such, a little big for a van, lol. And some of the bigger commercial units that while I could see in a large rv, I think would eat way too much space in most vans. I'm anxious to see what others have to say as well.

    Thanks for starting those topic Heidi, and I guess I did earn the fatigues comment with my last few, didn't I? *chuckles* ;)

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  4. Husband, who is this Mike you speak of? ;)

    Mary, I don't know how it would work in a wet bath... I still have lots of reading to do. But I suspect it would be sealed enough to still be able to use your wet bath while showering. I'll post it if I find an answer to the question. Thanks for the comment.

    Remi, I've had some more feedback on the topic, but not everyone likes to comment... I'll post another recommended link later today . Thanks again for your contributions!

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  5. No problem at all Heidi and you're quite welcome. I was thinking about the wet bath as well and wasn't sure due to possible water getting into the toilet, but then I thought about some of the pics you see of wet baths where there's a sealed plastic cover for putting on the toilet. That would likely work to allow a composting toilet in a wet bath. I'm hoping so since if I have to build out from scratch, I still want to put in a full bathroom over the winter and a wet bath makes a lot more sense space wise in a van home (or small boater other rv).

    I'm still wondering if there's a way to mount a wind turbine on a van to generate electricity that could isolate the horrid vibrations I've heard about in some way, lol, so I think my brain just got locked into some kind of green mode.... Again, lol... Happens every few years as the technologies to support it improve ;)

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  6. We're not in a van, but we do like the Nature's Head in our A. The lip of the lid fits over the seat in a way that I think would exclude water coming downward. It's not an air- or water-tight seal, though. I can't speak from any experience, because we have a separate toilet room.

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  7. That's great. You switched to a natures head in your class a? Can you tell us how you like it, pros and cons or difficulties you've had? I really am interested in these :) Merci

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