porta pottie

[rszobel]

i have to replace mine and am wondering what recommendations there are from the peanut gallery. i was looking at the thetford curve possibly - a little taller. what i currently have has a freshwater tank for flushing and basically a bucket for waste that fits the siplock bags designed for it. it is messy if anything is in it and you heel over and i want somethign that actually seals - the thetford looks like it does, like it is easy to empty and not messy for the most part.

All suggestions/recommendations are welcome.

[Chinook]

When you get right down to it, a porta pottie is still just a porta pottie, and the dumping operation is still nasty. You might look into composting toilet options. Initial cost will be greater, but there are several manufacturers, and the composting toilet offers some substantial benefits over the porta pottie. It is very easy to install in an X, and doesn't need to be emptied nearly as often (4 or 5 times longer with a composting toilet. We put one in our X and it's worked very well. Lots of discussions about composters in the archives here. I suggest you do a search and check them out.

[paul I]

I went the Curve route. You couldant ask for more from a porta potty. Emptying this is definitely less messy than the OE potty it replaced. Its just designed better. The electric freshwater pump is a great convenience. I got the mounting plate too. Nice easy, clean install.

[Azzarac]

I got rid of the porta pottie the first year we owned the boat. Here in a couple weeks we are going to pull the trigger on a new AirHead full size composting head. After almost two years of researching between a standard marine head and the composters, the AirHead won out for ease of installation and odor controll. Nature's Head makes an almost identical product that also gets really good reviews. In the end the AirHead was selected because of a slightly different liquid bottle design that is supposed to be easier to remove from the unit.

[paul I]

I haven't looked into the compost units. Do they help to reduce the emptying frequency from liquid waste? Its a rare day when something solid gets deposited in mine, so im pretty happy with the curve.

[Chinook]

If you're just using the porta pottie for liquid waste, it won't need emptying as often. They typically hold up to 5 or 6 gallons, whereas the liquid bottle on an Airhead or Natures Head composting toilet only holds about a gallon. I usually use a tennis ball container with a nylon line tether for #1, and so don't need to empty the liquid bottle all that often. I find pouring out the contents of the bottle to be much easier, and less nasty, when compared with the larger porta pottie holding tank. It's also nice not having to deal with the much heavier porta pottie holding tank.

[Azzarac]

It hit 60F today and I just couldn't stand not being on the boat so I decided to finish the install of our AirHead. It only took 9 months LOL! We opted for the one with the full size seat and I gotta say it looks a whole lot better than the old port-a-potty did. Now I'm just waiting on some warm extended weekends to come our way.


Fair Winds,
Capt. Azzarac
Chameleon
Follow Chameleon's travels at: http://svchameleon.weebly.com/

[yukonbob]

If you're just using the porta pottie for liquid waste, it won't need emptying as often. They typically hold up to 5 or 6 gallons, whereas the liquid bottle on an Airhead or Natures Head composting toilet only holds about a gallon. I usually use a tennis ball container with a nylon line tether for #1, and so don't need to empty the liquid bottle all that often. I find pouring out the contents of the bottle to be much easier, and less nasty, when compared with the larger porta pottie holding tank. It's also nice not having to deal with the much heavier porta pottie holding tank.

Glad you only indicated #1. Can't imagine #2 in a tennis ball container would be any easier than the PP

[Ixneigh]

You have to squat down really hard on the container. Then you put the top back on and take it back to the store for a refund
Ix

[Chopper Pilot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CdnVZkCKXU

This is a great review of a composting toilet

[Tony E]

That was a great review and its amazing how they work. I started considering getting one for my X but then I started pricing them out.......wow the one in the video is around $1200.00? So then I went on eBay , amazon, aliexpresss, etc and that's the cheapest price one I could find. I went on the web and looked and Home Depot's potties and they are around $1700.00? Does anyone have any cheaper ideas or one's that work?

[Azzarac]

You might look into C-Head. They were about half the cost of our AirHead but I didn't like the design as well. Still, they get really good reviews.

[RobertB]

I worked with the inventor/supplier of the C-head to adapt it to our boats. Check the forum for the details.

[March]

The NarureHead seems a better fit, even though it is more expensive: it appears that the manufacturer produces the units "as they go" and are they are being delivered according to the orders completed. Few suppliers (if any) have them stocked, At least that was the situation several years ago when I got mine.

I am quite happy with the NatureHead: I experimented with several electrical configurations for the fan, because I didn't want it to drain my batteries. Ended up with a Nicro Vent solar fan that I preferred to mount on the starboard side of the companionway: drilled a hole with a circular saw that I had rented for 6 bucks for the day and attached the hose from the toilet to it by using a "muff" made of a piece of a regular dryer exhaust line in between the two fiberglass walls (the interior of the head enclosure and the exterior wall next to the companionway. The slanted vent receives enough light during the day to recharge its own battery. After two weeks of onboard living, there was no smell whatsoever. Don't forget to wash the urine container as often as you can--the urine tends to stain it on the inside and that makes it harder to gauge the liquid level.

[K9Kampers]

SAIL magazine August 2015, has an article on the Air Head throne.

I am in the market for new head options as the Dometic SeaLand porta-pottie is CRAP! After this season's first outing, I discovered a leak in the bottom tank of the PP, which is the SAME location of leak that I've experienced with this product over nine years!

This season's PP tank was a replacement that we bought last year. This recent leak is the FOURTH that we've experienced in nine seasons. Same issue, same location - hairline crack of tank plastic in vicinity of mounting bracket. Have either store bought replacement (full price), manufacturer replacement (discount price) & (free).
This season, wife immediately got on the phone and we had a free replacement tank (wrong color) shipped free within a week. This is the LAST time I am dealing with this CRAPPY product!!

I too am in the market for a better quality head product!

(...end rant)