Re:composting toilets

I've considered a composting toilet for my Dakota project as well as for
my boat shop which has no running water or heat. I've sent for the
literature on Sun-Mar and Biolet. I've also searched the newsgroups for
experiences of folks who use them. I have decided against one based on
what I have learned.

They do work well as long as the temperature remains high enough.
However, several people in the newsgroups described the grief of having
to clean one out after the composting process halted. This will happen
if the temperature of the mass drops too far. In a space that is well
and continuously heated they apparently work fine. Most have built-in
110v heaters to keep the mass warm and help dry the liquid. There is a
marine model with a 12v heater. However, this adds a large load to the
amp/hour requirement and a small 12v heater will not prevent the process
from halting in the ambiant temperatures of a northern winter. Even N.
Florida has occasional freezing weather in winter.

I have installed a holding tank and plan to use a Raritan Atlantes
toilet with its own supply of fresh flush water.

http://www.raritaneng.com/Products/Heads/_Atlantes_/_atlantes_.html

For a very informative discussion of marine sanitation devices go to the
link below:

http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/phall.htm

From my reading so far, it appears that you would not be welcome in a
marina or upwind of other boats for very long with an incinerating toilet.

Vince Chew