Air Head composting

[nickclifford]

hi all , curious if anyone has any comments on this brand ? pretty much made the decision in my mind to go to a composting toilet, Youtube has dozens of videos from full-time RV types now using these, so feel ok about it. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on which brand ..? thx in advance

http://airheadtoilet.com/advantages/...sting-toilets/

[utahredrock]

That's the brand I am planning to get--once my initial repairs are paid off.

[nickclifford]

i checked price, $1000 !! yikes, a BIG investment but for serious full timers into boondocking, worth the price I'm sure ..

[Monza]

I researched both air head and natures head, I choice the natures head.
Not knocking the air head, I've never seen one. Have yet to use it...

http://www.natureshead.net

There are some good threads and reviews on this site.

[nickclifford]

Originally Posted by Monza

I researched both air head and natures head, I choice the natures head.

Not knocking the air head, I've never seen one. Have yet to use it...



http://www.natureshead.net



There are some good threads and reviews on this site.

Was there anything in particular that swayed you ?

[TheGreatleys]

I have the Air Head. I have a few thoughts.

I thought it would be nice to have the toilet seat that you can lift, so that I could stand to pee. The nature's head doesn't have that. But there's significant splash-back. The directions say where to aim to prevent splash back, but it doesn't work very well. I am a full-time squatter now.

The liquids tank detaches from the front, so you don't have to lift the whole top of the toilet to remove the liquids tank like you do with the nature's head. The liquids tank needs to be emptied every day or every other day, so you'll do it frequently. The air head tank is opaque except for a small window. That means your pee isn't on display all the time, but it also means there's a learning curve to monitoring the tank level. And if you let it overflow, there's no secondary containment like the nature's head, so it's going on the floor. We have figured out how to manage the level, but it did take some time to get the hang of it. The sound of the liquids going in the tank gets quieter as it gets fuller, so you know when to start checking the level.

The fan is not super strong, so you have to make sure you don't have your roof fans all blowing out, or you'll suck air back through the toilet. Not a big deal to manage, but something you have to account for.

We're happy with our purchase. We like not being bound to dump stations by having a black tank. I can't say if the AH is better than the NH since I haven't tried the NH. They seem to be more the same than they are different.

[Monza]

Originally Posted by nickclifford

Was there anything in particular that swayed you ?

Various reviews I guess, some comments suggesting quality of the build was better with Natures Head.

[David F]

Another choice might be a waterless toilet. I purchased one from Laveo and love it. Stores waste within and not one hint of any smell even after backing in the sun for a month. You get about 15 flushes per "cartridge" so might not be cost effective for full timers as the cartridges cost about $25 each. When researching, you might read that some complained about liquid containment issues, if a small amount, during a flush...but I have not had that problem. Perfect flushes every time.

[calais66]

Airhead was first to market with these things and invented the design--Natures Head copied it. From my research AH is a little more expensive but better built (heavier plastic). It also has a full size seat option which, last I checked, NH didn't. On my installation I removed the 'pee bottle' and plumbed the pee pipe directly into my gray tank

[ddhisself]

Just used, for the first time, our new Natures Head in the mountains for 2 weeks. Best camping equipment investment we have ever made, bar none. No smell, no fuss. Dumped urine every other day, dumped and cleaned composting material area when we returned.

[nickclifford]

Originally Posted by calais66

Airhead was first to market with these things and invented the design--Natures Head copied it. From my research AH is a little more expensive but better built (heavier plastic). It also has a full size seat option which, last I checked, NH didn't. On my installation I removed the 'pee bottle' and plumbed the pee pipe directly into my gray tank

That's a cool idea, love this forum for things like that !! Care to tell us how ?!

[Papatango]

I'm in the process of selecting our composting toilt, and I'd prefer the AirHead (AH) over the Natures Head (NH). It seems to me, however, that the AH will require a bit more install mods than the NH.

The NH has a fan on the side of the toilet that draws air in, which then pushes air out the vent hose. I could attach the toilet vent hose to my black tank vent pipe that runs to the roof and call it a day.

The AH places it's fan on the vent hose side, which if I tie my vent hose into the black tank vent pipe, would require me to put the fan at the top of the vent stack, on the roof. Am I thinking about this correctly?

Does anyone have any suggestions on venting the AH or straight forward modifications for fan placement? Thank you.

[nickclifford]

probably not much help for you, but in 1972, AS had this strange mini extractor fan to remove "unwanted smells" after #2 I guess, it was a pipe that ran to an opening in the flooring through the cabinet next to the toilet. Hard to believe it really worked but it was perfect to use with my new composting toilet. I've experimented with the fan on & off, no smells in the bathroom either way.

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by nickclifford

probably not much help for you, but in 1972, AS had this strange mini extractor fan to remove "unwanted smells" after #2 I guess, it was a pipe that ran to an opening in the flooring through the cabinet next to the toilet. Hard to believe it really worked but it was perfect to use with my new composting toilet. I've experimented with the fan on & off, no smells in the bathroom either way.

That was the famous "fart fan" of the 70s

[TheGreatleys]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

That was the famous "fart fan" of the 70s

Laugh all you want, but having an exhaust fan is one of my favorite features of my composting toilet. Containing odors eminated while sitting on the throne is a big plus, especially considering my wife might be laying on the bed three feet away.

I am solidly pro-fart-fan.

[Papatango]

Oh wow! I never thought about the fan acting as fart remover. That's a FANtastic bonus! Thanks for the info and responses.

I've ordered the AirHead, even though I'll need to do more work for the exhaust fan placement. It's all good learning experience though.

To this threads original question, why one over another (Airhead vs. Nature's Head), I decided on the AH because in looking at the 'bowl' design, it looks like the AH will capture urine easier, and be easier to wipe clean (particularly for menstruating women), and the urine bottle isn't clear (not that I'm squeemish about these things, but in the company of other campers, why advertise what I'm dumping). I also liked that the urine bottle comes out without the top needing to be disconnected. Also, insect screens are provided for both intake and outlet sides of the vent, which I don't know if NH has. For a while I was concerned that the AH required the use of coffee filters for going poo, but learned that they are not needed at all. Overall, it appears that the quality of parts is very high with the AH.

Granted this is all based on theory and not actual practice. I did find a robust discussion of AH toilets on sailing forums, which informed me quite a bit. I learned more about NH on RV forums.