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Composting toilet


Mark willett

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I’m not an expert on the composting toilet, we don’t have one.  The regular toilet does limit boondocking time.  We find we can go 4-6 days before our black tank needs to be dumped, depending on if there is a toilet is available.  The composting toilet will allow much longer time before needing to empty.  There is maintenance required with the composting, but it doesn’t sound like it’s onerous. I’m sure some composters will chime in.  Mike

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Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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2 hours ago, Mark willett said:

We will be ordering our legacy II and when we were going through the options while at the factory we got to the toilet upgrade. We know nothing about the composting toilet. Any thoughts on pros and cons would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, We knew nothing about compost toilets either and had trepidation with ours but now I would never go back to a “traditional” toilet. We found it very easy to get use to, maintain and clean,  it saves a lot of water and no black tank to deal with it great! 
If you type “compost toilet” into the search you will find tons of pros and cons discussions about it. 
Ultimately, it’s just personal preference but if you plan on doing a lot of boondocking the compost toilet is the way to go to save water.  
 

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2021 Oliver Elite ll 

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Michigan 

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We have one. There are a number of threads on this and they are very detailed:

...and many more.

The bottom line is it adds work, but it is worth the work if you plan to boondock frequently, and not so much if you plan to stay at full hookup sites most of the time.

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2021 Elite II Twin #850 "Mojo", 2020 F250 Lariat 7.3L FX4 3.55

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I agree with the other posts here to see what other people have said about this subject.. It has been discussed many times in the past. Read them so you can make your up your own mind.

We have the compost toilet (do not do much boondocking) and am glad we have it instead of the regular toilet. It is not that hard or difficult to empty and it is a lot better than dumping the black (poop) tank.

It is a great ecological way to go. 

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2018 Oliver Elite II, Twin Bed, Hull #354 

2024 RAM 1500, 4 x 4; Gas. 5.7L V8 Hemi MDS VVT Torque; 3.21 rear axle ratio

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1 hour ago, dewdev said:

It has been discussed many times in the past. Read them so you can make your own discussions.

Absolutely - reading is your friend.

1 hour ago, dewdev said:

It is not that hard or difficult to empty and it is a lot better than dumping the black (poop) tank.

True but the purchase price of one of those fancy toilets sure is a bunch of money to be paid for sitting on an uncomfortable throne and still having to deal with what is not composted human waste.  It is also not hard to to use a dump station.

Bill

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Another (albeit unusual) consideration: my wife is undergoing treatments that cause, shall we say, frequent severe lower digestive issues. With the composting toilet's aversion to liquids in the composting medium, we probably couldn't use one. With the black tank we can still camp. Obviously not something we, or anyone, would have planned for but the regular toilet ended up allowing us to keep camping during treatment.

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Stephanie and Dudley from CT.  2022 LE2, Hull #1150: Eggcelsior.

Tow vehicle: 2016 GMC Sierra 6.0 gas dually 4x4.

Our Oliver journey: Steph and Dud B's RV Screed

Where we've been RVing since 1999:

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I'm sorry to hear about your wife's "issues" 😥. And I've never thought about this kind of "problem" with the composting toilets.

Thanks for posting and I sincerely hope that the treatments work and everything gets back to "normal" soon.

Bill

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2023 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5EB FX4 Max Towing, Max Payload, 2016 Oliver Elite II - Hull #117 "Twist"

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29 minutes ago, Steph and Dud B said:

Another (albeit unusual) consideration: my wife is undergoing treatments that cause, shall we say, frequent severe lower digestive issues. With the composting toilet's aversion to liquids in the composting medium, we probably couldn't use one. With the black tank we can still camp. Obviously not something we, or anyone, would have planned for but the regular toilet ended up allowing us to keep camping during treatment.

In the “millions” of threads concerning composting vs standard toilets, I have posted many times about this very issue. There are many things in life that can cause chronic loose stools, from medical conditions to medications. 

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Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Maggie, Lucy and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge)

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The attached clip is from a customer's online review of the Nature's Head compositing toilet.  They claim that it handles explosive diarrhea and even vomit with no problem.  I've also included a link to the website I got the list of FAQs from...  https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/compost-toilet-big-questions

 

image.thumb.jpeg.d997335284ff116ada126190f0a98cd6.jpeg

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Phillip Andrews

 

Oliver Travel Trailers

 

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7 hours ago, topgun2 said:

Absolutely - reading is your friend.

True but the purchase price of one of those fancy toilets sure is a bunch of money to be paid for sitting on an uncomfortable throne and still having to deal with what is not composted human waste.  It is also not hard to to use a dump station.

Bill

Bill:

Yes the NH toilet cost more but the Oliver is expensive too. So what.

I agree the NH toilet is a little taller than the standard. Not a concern for me. For my wife, I bought a fold-up "Squatty Potty" toilet stool that takes that concern away.

You only wait and deal with the composted waste. No big deal. After the waste has composed you put a plastic bag over the toilet and tip the toilet over to empty the compost into the bag. Better than dealing with raw sewerage and wasting good water. 

To each their own, though.

 

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2018 Oliver Elite II, Twin Bed, Hull #354 

2024 RAM 1500, 4 x 4; Gas. 5.7L V8 Hemi MDS VVT Torque; 3.21 rear axle ratio

Maine 

 

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My only complaint about the regular toilet has nothing to do with the toilet, it is the size of the holding tank.  It should be double what it is.  If composting toilets were available when we ordered I would have considered it.  Mike

Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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7 hours ago, PAndrews said:

They claim that it handles explosive diarrhea and even vomit with no problem. 

No doubt it can. As an isolated incident. Not so sure if it's a daily occurrence. Again, not something the average person would have to worry about. But, if there's another camper in a similar situation it's something to consider.

Stephanie and Dudley from CT.  2022 LE2, Hull #1150: Eggcelsior.

Tow vehicle: 2016 GMC Sierra 6.0 gas dually 4x4.

Our Oliver journey: Steph and Dud B's RV Screed

Where we've been RVing since 1999:

ALAZCACOCTDEFLGAIDILINIAKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNMNYNCNDOHOKORPASCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWYmed.jpg.b96241bad6752dec89d25af6ffbc8d99.jpg

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3 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

My only complaint about the regular toilet has nothing to do with the toilet, it is the size of the holding tank.  It should be double what it is.  If composting toilets were available when we ordered I would have considered it.  Mike

If I'd known the LEII tank would only hold 14.75 gallons, I might not have considered it.

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1 minute ago, bhncb said:

If I'd known the LEII tank would only hold 14.75 gallons, I might not have considered it.

Really hasn't been a problem for us yet. In our experience the black tank fills up about the same time the grey tank does when we're dry camping. The first thing to go for us has actually been the fresh tank. After a 7 night trip this summer our black and grey were both at 69% and the fresh was at 13%. We did use campground bathrooms during the day and only took showers in the trailer every other day, though.

Stephanie and Dudley from CT.  2022 LE2, Hull #1150: Eggcelsior.

Tow vehicle: 2016 GMC Sierra 6.0 gas dually 4x4.

Our Oliver journey: Steph and Dud B's RV Screed

Where we've been RVing since 1999:

ALAZCACOCTDEFLGAIDILINIAKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNMNYNCNDOHOKORPASCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWYmed.jpg.b96241bad6752dec89d25af6ffbc8d99.jpg

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We got the composting toilet with some trepidation. After using it for the past season I'll never go back to a trailer "flush" toilet. Dealing with the solids once every 3-4 weeks is so much easier than dealing with the black tank every few days. No smell, I mean NO SMELL. if it smells then something needs tweeking because it shouldn't smell. You do have to empty the urine bucket every couple or three days, but that is easy and can be done at any gas station rest room, porta potty, dump station etc. The water savings is significant. We bought a roll of clear 38gal law/leaf trash bags. I pull the bag over the toilet when using the shower to keep things dry, that also avoids any water getting into the urine bucket holder. NH recommends drilling holes in the bottom of the urine bucket holder if you use it in a wet bath but we avoided having to drill the holder by using the trash bag as a cover. After the shower we hang up the trash bag, let it dry, fold it up and reuse it...saves on trash bags. You absolutely have to sit to pee, if that's an issue for you then this isn't the potty for you, but other than that, I have no problems with it. I think it's well worth the cost. It's also very nice when emptying the gray tank since there's never going to be any black water contamination in my back bumper. I think it's much more sanitary to not have that sewer (black water) hose and black water remnants in my trailer bumper.

 

I'd like to see someone make an incinerating toilet upgrade, I asked about it when we ordered our E2 but they said the only options were the standard toilet or NH. Incinerating toilets require a chimney so I'm not comfortable going down that pathway with the Oliver since it would require cutting through both hulls. 

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Albert & Terri Sterns

Paonia, Colorado

Elite II Hull #1125 Standard Floorplan / 2017 Ford F250 gas

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