Boat toilet tech on land
 

I am delving into an area where I know almost nothing I admit.
However, should that stop us?
OK, it seems that tolet technology for boats is well developed with
systems available with nearly harmless discharge (if'n they could just
get rid of the nutrients). On land, building sewer line infrastructure
is a serious expense but the alternative is the lowly septic tank. We
all know that septic tanks near shore are bad but running sewer lines
is prohibitevely expensive for many semi-rural areas.
So, could boat toilet technology be applied to houses with septic tanks
with the intention of reducing bacterial contamination of our bays
without running sewer lines?

Check out composting toilets. For example:

http://www.airheadtoilet.com/Air_Headx.html
--
Eliminate "ns" for email address.
wrote in message
oups.com...
I am delving into an area where I know almost nothing I admit.
However, should that stop us?
OK, it seems that tolet technology for boats is well developed with
systems available with nearly harmless discharge (if'n they could just
get rid of the nutrients). On land, building sewer line infrastructure
is a serious expense but the alternative is the lowly septic tank. We
all know that septic tanks near shore are bad but running sewer lines
is prohibitevely expensive for many semi-rural areas.
So, could boat toilet technology be applied to houses with septic tanks
with the intention of reducing bacterial contamination of our bays
without running sewer lines?

Len Krauss wrote:
Check out composting toilets. For example:

http://www.airheadtoilet.com/Air_Headx.html

The Air Head is not a true composter. Whereas composters use heat and
and a fan to evaporate liquids that drain from the composting drum, the
Air Head collects urine in separate containers (jugs or a holding tank)
that must be emptied by some means. It's also only available as an
individual self-contained unit, whereas composters are available as both
single self contained systems and central composters that can handle the
waste from several toilets.

Check this site to see examples of the various options and how they
work: http://www.sun-mar.com

Composting toilets have been used in houses in remote areas where no
sewer is available and septic isn't an option either for a long
time. They aren't without their own maintenance issues, however.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1

wrote:
I am delving into an area where I know almost nothing I admit.
However, should that stop us?
OK, it seems that tolet technology for boats is well developed with
systems available with nearly harmless discharge (if'n they could just
get rid of the nutrients). On land, building sewer line infrastructure
is a serious expense but the alternative is the lowly septic tank. We
all know that septic tanks near shore are bad but running sewer lines
is prohibitevely expensive for many semi-rural areas.
So, could boat toilet technology be applied to houses with septic tanks
with the intention of reducing bacterial contamination of our bays
without running sewer lines?

Except for composters, not really. The discharge, treated or not, still
has to go somewhere....and if it doesn't go into a sewer or a septic
tank, there's only one place left: onto or into the ground. I don't
think your neighbors would go for that. :)

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1

Since nobody wants to shovel out a composting toilet or haul away jugs
of urine, I am thinking of something a little more complex. Some form
of sterilization, followed by filtering out solids, followed by
compaction of solids into bricks, followed by removal of nutrients from
the liquid, etc. Then the liquid is used to water lawns.
Peggie Hall wrote:
wrote:
I am delving into an area where I know almost nothing I admit.
However, should that stop us?
OK, it seems that tolet technology for boats is well developed with
systems available with nearly harmless discharge (if'n they could
just
get rid of the nutrients). On land, building sewer line
infrastructure
is a serious expense but the alternative is the lowly septic tank.
We
all know that septic tanks near shore are bad but running sewer
lines
is prohibitevely expensive for many semi-rural areas.
So, could boat toilet technology be applied to houses with septic
tanks
with the intention of reducing bacterial contamination of our bays
without running sewer lines?

Except for composters, not really. The discharge, treated or not,
still
has to go somewhere....and if it doesn't go into a sewer or a septic
tank, there's only one place left: onto or into the ground. I don't
think your neighbors would go for that. :)

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems
and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"

http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1

I once shared a building with an inventor of biological things. One of
his schemes was to turn chicken waste back into chicken feed..
Supposedly, it worked but it sounded too much like perpetual motion to
me.
The final straw in our relationship was when he convinced unemployed
shrimpers to harvest cannonball jellyfish and he took them back to our
shared lab where he treated them with lye in a big vat. This yielded
large amounts of nearly pure collagen for medicinal purposes. It also
made the building smell like a rancid chinese restaurant. I'd have to
call my employees and givem them a "Stench factor" on a scale of 1-10
so they could decide to come to work or not.

In article , says...


Composting toilets have been used in houses in remote areas where no
sewer is available and septic isn't an option either for a long
time. They aren't without their own maintenance issues, however.

I believe it's called an outhouse.

wrote:
Since nobody wants to shovel out a composting toilet or haul away jugs
of urine, I am thinking of something a little more complex. Some form
of sterilization, followed by filtering out solids, followed by
compaction of solids into bricks, followed by removal of nutrients from
the liquid, etc. Then the liquid is used to water lawns.

That type of system does exist and is in use in places like office
parks, some kinds of mfr'ng plants and golf courses. nstall one.
Recycled water is used for vehicle washing, grounds watering, even
toilet flushing...anything EXCEPT potable applications.

Here's one example: http://www.ballamwaterslot.co.za/gem1.html

And another type of system:
http://www.ecovillagefindhorn.com/biological/index.php

A US company named Ocean Arks installed one of the first systems of this
type in the US at the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Plant in VT (NH?).
--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 03:57:29 GMT, Peggie Hall wrote:

wrote:
I am delving into an area where I know almost nothing I admit.
However, should that stop us?
OK, it seems that tolet technology for boats is well developed with
systems available with nearly harmless discharge (if'n they could just
get rid of the nutrients). On land, building sewer line infrastructure
is a serious expense but the alternative is the lowly septic tank. We
all know that septic tanks near shore are bad but running sewer lines
is prohibitevely expensive for many semi-rural areas.
So, could boat toilet technology be applied to houses with septic tanks
with the intention of reducing bacterial contamination of our bays
without running sewer lines?

Except for composters, not really. The discharge, treated or not, still
has to go somewhere....and if it doesn't go into a sewer or a septic
tank, there's only one place left: onto or into the ground. I don't
think your neighbors would go for that. :)

Having had a farm with a septic tank, I can confirm the septic tank isn't
a classical "holding tank", as might be found on a boat..
In practice, the tank fills rather quickly, (think 1,200 gallon capacity), then
a pipe at the top of the tank leads to a drain field, where the liquids
percolate into the soil. The solids (sludge), stay in the tank, and must be pumped
out every few years, depending on the number of people in the
household. In ten years of living alone, mine never needed pumping out.

A proper septic tank bubbles and boils, (Peggie can explain the process), and
a lot of the solids are converted to liquid. People every so often flush a product
to make sure there are plenty of the proper "bugs" present. People who
use septic tanks soon learn not to use laundry bleach, which kills the
bacterial activity.

Before approval is given for a septic tank, several test holes are dug to
perform "perq" tests. I've seen a number of drain fields which weren't done
properly, and they become soggy, smelly messes. That's generally why
towns won't approve septic installations...not enough room.

In short, all the liquids from a septic tank wind up in the soil sooner or later..
The good news is that it only takes 20 feet or so of sand to completly filter
liquid sewage. But unless the soil is exceptional, quite a bit of room is needed
to make a proper drain field. Mine consisted of three "fingers", each 150 feet
long. After two years, you'd never know they were there....just part of the pasture
again.
Norm B

In article .com,
wrote:

OK, it seems that tolet technology for boats is well developed with
systems available with nearly harmless discharge (if'n they could just
get rid of the nutrients). On land, building sewer line infrastructure
is a serious expense but the alternative is the lowly septic tank. We
all know that septic tanks near shore are bad but running sewer lines
is prohibitevely expensive for many semi-rural areas.
So, could boat toilet technology be applied to houses with septic tanks
with the intention of reducing bacterial contamination of our bays
without running sewer lines?

Personally, I preferred our properly designed and maintained septic
system (not just a tank). As I recall, we had a honey sucker out once in
its 30 year life and I think that was as we decommissioned it after
sewers went in. Back yard hasn't looked nearly as good since.

On land, there are some new systems coming on line that not only
discharge essentially potable water, but recover some pretty good
fertilizer. Smell's got to be less than what I sometimes whiff as I pass
by Philly's old plant by the Schuylkill on 95, and Wilmington's is
always gawd-awful.

Locally, our township has been VERY protective of the watershed as our
water comes from a reservoir fed by our back yards. Recently, they've
okayed a fairly large development that partially treats their sewage,
then dumps into holding ponds that eventually percolate into the stream
that starts behind my house and into the reservoir. Knowing the people
that okayed that system, I strongly suspect that it doesn't pollute.
Considering the cost of those units, I'm sure it doesn't smell.

Killing the bugs in nutrient-rich effluvient is one thing; keeping the
nutrients in their proper place another. The Chesapeake's problems are
largely from too much fertilizer. It's improving, but still not where it
should be. I do know that there are some mighty big fish in our local
reservoir!

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 03:49:25 GMT, Peggie Hall
wrote:

Len Krauss wrote:
Check out composting toilets. For example:

http://www.airheadtoilet.com/Air_Headx.html

The Air Head is not a true composter. Whereas composters use heat and
and a fan to evaporate liquids that drain from the composting drum, the
Air Head collects urine in separate containers (jugs or a holding tank)
that must be emptied by some means. It's also only available as an
individual self-contained unit, whereas composters are available as both
single self contained systems and central composters that can handle the
waste from several toilets.

All that said, it still looks like it could be a good unit to have
on-board if it performs as described. Does anybody have experience
with one on their boat?

Ryk