Composting toilets - hit or putty?

Dry composting (separating) toilets are also becoming more and more popular among owners of classic motorhomes, not only in Europe. Due to the advantages of this solution, also many users decide to replace the traditional toilet. Today we will briefly explain what the design assumptions and principles of operation are.

Separation of fractions is the key to success

Separating toilets , as the name suggests, are designed to divide / separate - in the case of toilets, it is specifically about separating the dry and wet fraction (liquids). Over the years, this solution has proved to be a perfect solution, especially among globetrotters who undertake distant trips to the farthest corners of the world. The main argument in their case is the lack of the need to look for dedicated waste discharge stations for motorhomes - after all, in many countries such infrastructure simply does not exist. This, of course, is not the only advantage.

The principle of operation is easy to explain. The toilet separator pad - also called a separator - provides separate drainage of liquids and solids into separate containers: urine at the front, solids at the back. Special litter, such as eg chaff from roasting coffee, sawdust or wood shavings, is used to dry the "solid" output in the container.

Environmentally friendly and easy to use

The advantages of this system are obvious. The separation of solids and liquids prevents the formation of unpleasant odors. Chemical additives and water are not necessary, the latter would even be counterproductive, as urine only starts to smell unpleasant when it comes into contact with water. Solids shrink by up to 80 percent during drying - this enables longer drain intervals and greater independence. The container with the liquid fraction (read urine) will be emptied in any traditional toilet.

Different models of composting toilets

The composting toilet market (as you can call this process anyway) is constantly growing. Manufacturers such as TomTur, Airhead, Campbee, BOXIO, Biotoi, Trelino, Trobolo, Kildwick, Separett, Outdoor Revolution produce even several different models, from the cheapest to the most advanced. Some toilets have an agitator in the solids container - in this case, after using the toilet, the user activates the lever or crank so that the agitator mixes the solids with the drying litter. The latest models, of course, can already be equipped with an electric stirrer. Other models do not require an agitator and rely solely on the composting effect of the litter. In this case, many manufacturers recommend that you add a new layer of litter each time you use the toilet. It is worth paying attention to whether a given vehicle model requires minor or major modifications related to venting, which is an integral part of the system, if such is required. Many manufacturers offer their composting dry toilets as self-assembly kits, and judging by the materials presented on their websites, it is not a process that is too complicated and requires extraordinary technical skills. It is also encouraging that with the current fashion for building really small spaces in tin cans, such a toilet can successfully find a place in them without the need to make dedicated installations and connections to the water.

Composting toilets - where to buy?

A wide range of composting toilets can be found at Skylark https://bit.ly/toaletyseparujace