Our Van Toilet of Choice: Composting
Many people debate wether or not to add a toilet to their camper van build, and opinions will vary from person to person. We decided a toilet would be necessary so that we wouldn’t have to rely on public restrooms. We wanted our van to feel as comfortable and homey as possible, especially since we were going to live in it full time.
There are many options when it comes to toilets: Gravity Flush, Macerator, Casette, Porta Potti . .
Our choice:
Composting Toilets:
eliminate the need for flush water, black water holding tank, and chemicals
are easy to install and don’t require any plumbing
are self-contained, portable and easy to dump
The best part is that they are eco-friendly and practically odor-free!
Composting toilets can be expensive, but for us it has definitely been worth the investment.
The Nature’s Head composting toilet actually took some adjusting for us, as it probably would for anybody. At first we were a little apprehensive about using our toilet for #2. In fact, we only used it for #1 for an entire year! When Covid hit and we didn’t have the option to use public restrooms as much, we decided it was time to utilize its full potential. Not going to lie, the first couple of times were a bit uncomfortable, but after using our van toilet exclusively for the past year, we actually find public restrooms significantly less appealing! We realize the idea of a composting toilet might seem strange at first (it definitely was for us), but you’d be amazed how quickly you adapt.
Usage
The separation of liquids and solids plays a crucial role in eliminating odors normally associated with sewage. The toilet utilizes a trap door for solids collection. When the trap door is closed, liquids from anywhere in the bowl will flow to the liquids bottle. When the trap door is open and a person is sitting, liquids should still divert to the front. Gentlemen: unfortunately this toilet is not designed for stand-up usage, so you will have to get used to sitting down to pee. Life-changing I know, but worth it in my opinion. Nature’s Head includes a spray bottle in the event that some solid waste gets on the bowl. After your #2’s drop into the compost, you must turn the handle of the agitator bar 2-3 revolutions in order to start the composting process.
Ventilation
In order to maintain a healthy compost and evacuate odors, the Nature’s Head needs to be ventilated. An exhaust fan assembly is fitted on one side of the unit and a passive intake vent on the other (the two sides can be swapped if needed). An exhaust hose is provided to vent the air outside the vehicle.
We run our exhaust through the floor using 1-1/4” PVC fittings. Because our toilet is pushed up to the back of the cabinet when not in use, we added a 90˚ street elbow to the toilet’s exhaust fitting. You can also vent through the wall of the van using their paintable ‘shell’ vent assembly.
Nature’s Head offers a ‘pvc’ vent assembly that we originally used, but we found that with the placement of the vent, air (and smell) was being forced back through the vent and into the van when driving at highway speeds. So we eventually changed it out for a simple PVC elbow, screened it, and pointed it towards the back of the van. Works great! In that regard, it’s important to note that leaving vents or windows open in your van while driving can create more negative pressure, which could force air in through the vent and into the living space.
Composting medium
Composting requires aerobic bacteria to work. An aerobic organism survives and grows in an oxygenated environment. Oxygen is the key ingredient that allows aerobic bacteria to break down waste quickly and without odor. Mixing in either organic sphagnum peat moss or organic coco coir breaks apart the feces to allow the aerobic bacteria to get its oxygen. Without oxygen, anaerobic bacteria will thrive, and this will break down to compost, but at a significantly slower rate, and will produce a smell.
The material you choose for your compost must be organic and free of additives. We use coconut coir which normally comes in ‘bricks’ and can be found in hydroponic shops or bought online. These materials need to be hydrated with water and will expand significantly. The packaging will usually offer a hydration ratio. Add water slowly. The compost medium should be damp and crumbly, never wet or soupy. Don’t oversaturate. The material should be level with the agitator bar in the horizontal position. Finding the right sized bricks at the right quantity can be tough especially for the traveler. It’s very difficult to cut down larger bricks, so try to find packs with multiple smaller sized bricks like these Poopoo Pucks. We like to mix/prepare our compost in one gallon freezer bags before adding to the toilet.
dumping solids
The composting section holds about 60-80 uses allowing two people using the toilet full-time around 3 weeks per change. The ideal destination for the partially composted humanure is an actual compost bin/pile where it can continue to decompose to eventually become fertilizer for non-ingestible plants. This method is not always practical especially while traveling.
If you know someone who wants to a pioneer a toilet compost collection and processing network please contact us!
Although we did receive some mixed answers from the few departments we asked, it seems generally acceptable to dispose of your solid waste in a conventional trash collection bin given its relatively small amount so long as it does not contain any liquid and is securely bagged.
A 13 gallon ‘kitchen’ trash bag will fit snugly over the rim of the base allowing you to invert the unit emptying the contents into the bag without spillage. Just be careful not to tear the bag, double bagging is also a good idea. Cleaning the base unit with any chemicals will inhibit its ability to generate the good bacteria that is needed to break down the solid waste. Generally you can just toss a fresh batch of medium in and you’re good to go, but sometimes we like to give it a good cleaning with a natural cleaner.
One more option which we hadn’t really considered would be to empty directly into a pit toilet. We are trying to present this information as responsibly as possible while providing realistic options for other travelers. To us, this would be an acceptable method. If you want to be sure that it’s allowed, contact the agency who manages the toilet.
Dumping LIquids
Nature’s Head claims that for 2 people, the 2.2 gallon liquid bottle should last about 3-4 days. We have found that when using our toilet exclusively, we need to dump about every two days. The liquids bottle is translucent so you can easily see the level. It’s easy to remove and dump, and comes with a carrying handle and lid. You can add liquid holding capacity by either purchasing an extra bottle or by diverting to an auxiliary black water holding tank, or ‘yellow’ water tank in this case. Just be sure to not let your liquids bottle overflow, otherwise you’ll have an unpleasant clean up situation on your hands (this has definitely happened to us a number of times unfortunately).
Emptying at designated dump stations is always our first choice. These are commonly found at campgrounds and state/national parks. This is typically the more responsible method as many public toilets have a limited capacity, if not connected to a sewer line. We use the iOverlander app to find dump stations.
When we are at family or friends homes we like to use the sewer cleanout if available so we don’t have to carry a jug of pee through the house.
If the other two options are not available, we will empty our urine bottle in public toilets at state parks and highway rest areas. You can use a tote bag to keep a low profile when walking it to the restroom. Again, if you want to be sure that it’s allowed, contact the agency who manages the toilet.
Placement
An enclosed wet bath (toilet/shower) would have given us privacy when using the toilet as well as the ability to shower inside the van (stealth). However when we designed our van, we were back and forth on having an indoor shower as we didn’t feel we had the room and were frequenting gyms and yoga studios (pre-quarantine). At that point we didn’t see ourselves needing to have a full-time shower so we opted for a a hide-away toilet with outdoor shower hookup.
Although showers in the city have been more difficult to come by, we still really love our setup. It really opens up our space leaving us feeling less closed-in, and we don’t mind giving each other privacy when needed.
Mounting the toilet is very simple with the brackets provided. There are knobs on either side of the toilet that attach the toilet to the brackets for easy removal of the toilet base for emptying. We mounted our toilet to a sturdy drawer with heavy duty slides for a nice hide-away setup. The drawer is positioned about 3/16” off the floor so when you pull it out all the way and sit on it to use it, it rests on the floor. If you are mounting the toilet in a shower you can use velcro directly on the base, or use VHB tape to attach the brackets to the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you keep the bowl clean without flushing?
It took a couple of attempts to get our positioning right on the seat so that our poos would drop in the chute without touching the sides. In the case that some solid waste does get on the bowl, or leaves ‘skid marks’ as they say, you can spray off the bowl with a mixture of vinegar and water. Worst case, you may have to give it a little swipe with some TP, but we haven’t really had to do that since the first time.
What’s it like when you have your period?
In my experience, it’s not a whole lot different than it was in a house. I use the Dot Cup and empty it into the compost.
What do you do with the toilet paper?
Small amounts of toilet paper won’t really hinder the compost. Thinner toilet paper will compost more quickly. Cloud Paper is also a great eco-friendly option.
What if you are sick or have a condition and have to vomit/diarrhea?
The addition of smaller amounts of liquid waste should not have an effect on the compost. If the compost becomes too wet, a small amount of dry compost medium can be added. We’ve been fortunate enough to not have experienced either of those things since living in our van.
Doesn’t it smell?
Actually, no. Sewage smell is typically produced by the the mixture of liquid and solid waste. Nature’s Head separates the waste preventing those odors which also allows the solids tank to maintain a proper compost. Ventilation of the toilet using an external exhaust also pushes any odors out of the living space. The only time we have ran into issues with smell is if we leave our exhaust fan running or a window open while driving on the highway and air gets pulled in through the exhaust.
We also want to note, when we do find ourselves using a traditional toilet, the smell during and right after is significantly worse. They really aren’t comparable!
How about when you dump it?
Urine smell will be present when the storage container is open to the air for emptying, but it’s really not so bad. For solids, a properly managed compost will have an earthy, soil-like smell. It feels more like dumping a pile of dirt than it does dumping a bunch of turds.
How do you deal with privacy when using the toilet?
As far as public privacy, we draw the curtains and use window covers so no issue there. When it comes to privacy between each other, (for #1) we don’t mind (for #2) we usually leave the other to do their business.
Have you ever used the toilet while moving?
You should NOT use the toilet while the vehicle is in motion… but yes, we have.
Don’t you worry about it being so close to your kitchen?
Due to the fact that there’s no flushing or stand-up use, there’s little risk of spreading particulate like you would in a traditional restroom setting. Also, think about how close you poo next to your toothbrush (or your mouth for that matter)! Having your toilet in your living space is just one of the sacrifices that can come with living in a small space like ours. We’ve lived in our van for over two years now and haven’t been sick a single day. So in our experience as far as health risk’s go, we don’t see a problem. And just so it’s said, we obviously don’t cook or eat while we poo.
Our only issues..
We did notice at first that liquids were somehow getting into the solids tank. We thought that maybe we were doing something wrong, but upon closer inspection we realized that there was a passage inside the toilet that was not properly sealed. So after a good cleaning, we applied more silicone and haven’t had any issues since.
We have seen gnats in certain batches of compost. This seems to be affected by warmer weather, over using the bin, and when it has sat for too long between uses. We have found that spraying the inside of the compost bin with a natural cedar spray has been effective at keeping them away.
The liquids bottle can get really gross over time with the buildup of uric acid crystals. This can probably be eliminated with more regular cleaning with the right type of cleaners. Baking soda and vinegar could be a good option for this.