Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I had been wanting to install a composting toilet in our Casita travel trailer for some time, since before we got it, really, but it took us about a year and a half to locate anyone who would do the install for us. There are RV manufacturers which offer it as an add-on, but they're generally very high end. Unlike most people, due to physical limitations we knew we were not physically up to spending the time on our knees putting this in would require. I've seen videos showing any number of generally unmechanical types installing them without any difficulties. While we knew the fan should be hooked up and working for optimal functioning, many users seem to omit use of the fan, and we didn't realize that would require time laying on the floor to make the electrical connection (at least in a Casita, which had no handy wiring available) until we saw the installer at work on it. Fortunately, we were eventually able to determine that Little Home on the Road would do the install, possibly as a one of, and possibly as a service they would continue to offer, and were very glad we did, as they did a thoroughly professional job of it. (They informed us they will be adding this service to the ever growing list of services offered.) One thing I appreciated is that they steered us away from a different brand and model to this one after the engineer running the company researched it. The spider crank he chose is totally appropriate for the space in a Casita wet bath, BTW, and easy to turn. We've had no difficulties with liquid and solid separation, only opening the trap door to the solids container when it's needed. Following the manufacturer's instructions, and keeping the lid down when not in use, and with the fan on, there have been no odors. In fact, that faint aroma which wouldn't go away, no matter how much or which chemicals we put in the black tank, is gone. It's extremely easy to see when the urine jug is getting full in daylight hours, as the level rises above the edge of the base holding the container. However, we have found that evening and nighttime shadows can be deceiving. Because of this., not particularly wanting to have to go out to empty it during inclement weather, and since being stopped on a highway for three and a half hours with a nearly full jug recently (we should have emptied it earlier, but thought we would be at our destination a lot sooner), we have decided to get a second jug, but it's a convenience, not a necessity. Since there's a screw-on lid to the jug, there are no issues with urine's sloshing out as you walk into a restroom, carrying it by the attached handle. With two people using this consistently, we need to empty about every two days. Adding white vinegar to the empty jug helps prevent unpleasant aromas from building up. We have been using coconut coir, bought in "bricks" here on Amazon <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N1YP8O6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1> as the composting medium. We put a brick in a 2 ½ gallon Hefty Jumbo Slider Bag <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00555EWJU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1>, add water, then crumble it up. (Don't believe the video which tells you to add only a cup of water. Nature's Head says to use five cups, which will make it much easier to crumble.) If you look, you can see that there's more than just coir in the solids bin, and if you put TP in, you'll easily spot that, but there really isn't any unpleasant aroma. When it's time to empty the lower bin, you just detach it, put a garbage bag over the top, and turn it over. If you need to remove it from the bathroom to empty it, and find it too heavy, a small dolly of the sort that they sell at IKEA should do the trick. With the fan operating, the solids have dried, and weigh less. Any remaining material which clings to the walls of the composting chamber will just give the next "batch" a head start in composting. My only complaint, hardly insurmountable, really isn't in any way Nature's Head's fault, and that is that the head is installed, as was the original toilet, on top of the Casita's black tank, which makes it a bit tall. So we installed a suction cupped assist handle <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006FHB5Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1> on the fiberglass wall of our wet bath, next to the toilet, and that has worked flawlessly. Which leads me to another thing I really love about this, which is being able to continue to use the wet bath as it was originally intended is not affected by the Nature's Head. I can pull the shower curtain around to block off the toilet, but I can also still just let the wet bath get wet when I shower, and end up with a clean bathroom which only needs a quick wipe down with a microfiber cloth, in addition to getting clean myself. As for other pluses, there are quite a few. Drydocking of any kind is much easier without needing water for flushing, so our water supply lasts longer when we don't have hookups, and particularly want to conserve. This is also great for winter camping, as it eliminates one of the sources of concern so many people have about freezing pipes. As the state parks in the area where we camp the most, the Adirondacks, have no hookups, it's a benefit even for state campgrounds. We have a portable waste holding tank, and will continue to use that for grey water, but obviously won't need to make as many trips to the dump station without a black tank to empty too. By freeing us from the need to do a black water dump, we're now much better situated for longer trips into more remote areas, and are looking forward to coming trips all the more. If my review was helpful, please click the button below.