Composting Toilet FAQ and Debunking Myths

Some people are tired of hearing about our poop while others just keep sending more and more questions. For those of you still curious about how our Composting Toilet is working inside the RV, we’ve done our best to gather all the questions and comments and answer them in the video. For those of you who are filled to the brim with toilet info…well…we’re sorry it just keeps coming.

That’s right…oh yes we did…you know you were curious! We did our best to answer every question we’ve received over the past few months: from the explosive, to the downright dirty and of course the most offensive question of all. In the video we dig deep and cover the Composting Toilet FAQ’s in depth, in the text below you’ll find the brief version of the Q&A covered in the video. If you didn’t catch it all the first time around you’ll just have to go for round number 2.

• Does it smell? NO!
• How often do you dump liquid/solids? Liquids – For the 2 of us about 3 days; Solids about 3 weeks.
• What about Bugs, don’t you get bugs? We have not.
• Difference between Peat Moss and Coco COIR? Coconut COIR is more sustainable because it uses the husks from the coconut that is typically waste from harvest.
• Where can I purchase Coco COIR? Hydroponic Stores, our Travel Store, on Amazon: Coco Coir Block, 5kg

• How much is Coconut COIR? We paid $19 for our last bag of COIR and it should last around 5 months.
• What kind of Peat Moss? You must purchase Sphagnum Peat Moss, it must say all 3 words in order to work.
• Does the waste continue to compost in the bag? Yes.
• Is toilet safe? sanitary? legal? Yes.
• Can I put Toilet Paper in the toilet? Yes. RV or Marine TP is best.
• Is there a limit on the Amount of TP? No, but the more TP you use the faster the composting bin will fill up.
• Must I sit down to pee? You don’t have to but it’s recommended.
• Do I put a bag in the composting bin? No.
• Is it easy to remove the toilet from the RV? Yes.
• It looks big, how big is it? Our Nature’s Head is about the same width, depth and height as a normal toilet but it has a larger base instead of a typical pedestal.
• Can it handle Explosive Diarrhea? Yes.
• Can it handle Vomit? Yes.
• Why is it better than a regular toilet? No wasted water, no chemicals, no raw sewage.
• What Temperatures for Composting? 55 degrees or warmer around the toilet for composting is what’s recommended. If the temperature drops the compost will simply go dormant, it won’t smell, it just wont actively break down as quickly.
• What if I only use my Tiny House/Sailboat/RV a few times each year? This is great, it means you’re compost will have plenty of time to breakdown, and as long as you keep the fan going you won’t have any smells.
• Do you really, really like it?!? Yes! We wouldn’t be talking about our toilet if we didn’t like it. In fact we don’t think we’ll ever own a regular toilet again!

For those additional questions that keep popping up we’ll continue to add them and answer them here:

• Do I need to wear gloves? Mfr. says it’s optional, but I typically wear them when dumping the solids.
• Is it Legal to dump Urine on Ground, in streams, ocean, etc? Urine is a good fertilizer for mature trees and shrubs. You should always ask before dumping as rules change based on city, county, location, etc. For ocean, lakes and streams confirm before dumping as there may be NDZ’s (no dumping zones).
• How much power does the muffin/computer fan use on a 12v connection? 1.7amps in 24hrs. Estimated cost: $0.04 per month
• What’s the best technique for standing to pee? Aim for the back of the bowl or the side of the bowl and the urine will slide around and into the tank, DO NOT hit the trap door as it will splatter everywhere!
• Is there a way I won’t have to dump the entire toilet? Weekly maintenance – scoop out 20%-30% of the compost and replace with hydrated Coco COIR or Peat Moss, this will keep the toilet from filling and give your waste additional time to compost allowing you to dump the toilet less often.
• What if I need to clean the toilet bowl more, what if there’s a little brown overspray or I miss the hole entirely? A simple wipe with a disposable disinfecting cloth works fine for us, now granted we’ve never had an issue with missing while going #2…and it’s not like we’re aiming or anything special. Some people spray the bowl with a little spray such as Lysol or similar but we just use a vinegar + water solution. There’s rarely any ‘overspray’ and the few times a small drop might find its way onto the bowl one quick wipe with TP seems to do the trick.
• What about “racing stripes” in the bowl? We’ve never had this happen with a composting toilet. The solids drop straight down, and unlike a normal toilet the poop doesn’t just sit there in the bowl and leave brown streaks everywhere. Seriously, it’s clean with very little cleanup after going #1 or #2.
• Super Technical Questions We’ve received a lot of technical and personal questions about heavy menstruation, smells, legal dumping options, other composting toilet brands, and so on…so we made another video and article: gonewiththewynns.com/composting-toilet-tips-tricks-solving-problems

If you’re interested in buying our same composting toilet, the best place to purchase is directly from Nature’s Head.

Larry, the owner of Nature’s Head, has offered up a special discount to everyone that reads our site. If you click the link below he’ll beat the Amazon Price:

Buy From Nature's Head Directly

The main advantage of ordering direct, vs Amazon, is to make sure you get the options you need for your specific installation (i.e. do you need the spider handle? Do you need a solar fan? Do you need spare parts?) Click the link above, select your configuration (we have the Spider handle with extra Liquids Bottle) and at checkout the discount will be automatically added.
If you’re still in research mode you’ll want to visit our site just before you purchase to click the link above, otherwise the discount may not be automatically applied. If you have questions, the customer support team is extremely helpful and can be reached by email or phone which you’ll find on the Nature’s Head contact page.

If you want to know about our experience with the toilet ask us a question or leave us a comment below. If you have any really technical questions feel free to email Nature’s Head directly, their customer support team has been very accommodating to all of my questions and I’m sure they’ll be equally as kind to you.
If you want to keep talkin’ dirty check out all of our Composting Info Here.

DISCLAIMER:  We were not compensated to create this post or video.  We get so many questions about our toilet and this post and video was the best way we could think of to answer all the questions in a semi-fun way.  At least its as fun as we could get with potty talk.