If you’ve read the original post on this matter, you might recall that I expressed interest in developments in the composting toilet space (and if you haven’t read it, do so here!).
Not too long after that post, the “interest” bloomed into some reasonably serious online research and then to attendance at the annual Caravan and Camping Supershow at Rosehill. Our object for going to the exhibition was to actually get our hands onto some of the units with the view to assessing their build-quality and hence likely longevity. Maybe we’re old-fashioned, but if we’re potentially spending a couple of thousand dollars, we want to see/touch/assess the product first, not rely on pretty pics and totally random reviews/comments online.
At the time, our shortlist was:
Boxio: this was very much entry-level, and allegedly sold in BCF; however we couldn’t find one in any BCF within coo-ee of us
Joolca: again, entry-level in terms of price and supposedly sold by Anaconda, however as per the Boxio, we couldn’t find one anywhere to actually look at
Nature’s Head/OGO: seemed to be only available direct from the Australian agent from specialist suppliers (e.g. caravan parts dealers)
EcoLet Separera: not a huge amount of information online, but seemed to be only available from specialist suppliers (e.g. caravan parts dealers)
Cuddy: seemed to be only available direct from the Australian agent from specialist suppliers (e.g. caravan parts dealers)
As you can see from this list, to actually see some of these we would need to find and visit one or more dealers/suppliers; hence heading to the Rosehill show seemed a good option to find some or all of them in one place. From memory, only two of the brands we’d looked into were represented there – Cuddy and Nature’s Head/OGO – which narrowed the choice quite considerably.
We dutifully had a good, hands-on look at both product ranges. We were quite taken with the square-off aesthetics of the Cuddy and OGO; by comparison the original Nature’s Head model looked quite old-fashioned. Subjectively also, it felt to us to be somewhat flimsy (although that may well have been a side-effect of being a show/demo model). The deciding factor became the electric stirrer of the OGO against the manual handle of the Cuddy. Again, totally subjectively, the electric agitator seemed to be just one more thing that could go wrong, whereas the Cuddy system looked essentially bullet-proof.
We came home the proud owners of a Cuddy, and it was delivered a week or so later.
Installation was relatively straightforward, with the hardest part actually removing the old cassette dunny. Our neighbours graciously allowed us to add it to their council pickup pile a couple of weeks later.
Just an aside
Somewhere along the track in this process we came to realise that, for anyone like us using it full-time, composting toilets actually aren’t (composting that is). There basically isn’t really time for any appreciable composting to occur, although it obviously will start. As such, “separating toilet” is probably a better name, although that then lends itself to some confusion between the models that actually employ some form of substrate or composting medium and those that don’t. All I can recommend is that you be aware of the variations available out there, and make your own informed choice.
So, onto my list of dos and don’ts for using/managing your composting toilet.
Dunny-Dos1
DO read the manufacturer’s doco and look for any online reviews and videos relating to your specific unit.
DO validate all of the above info against your specific use-case; camping or shortish holiday trips will need totally different management patterns to full-time living
DO procure a second liquids bottle – in line with that terrible Irish bloke’s (Murphy) observations, your bottle will show “FULL” during your last piddle as you head to bed. So while potentially somewhat expensive, saving stumbling around in the dark (and cold and rain and…) is totally worthwhile
DO spend some time working out the best amount of substrate to use for your unit and use-case. Cuddy recommend half of the readily available (at Bunnings and elsewhere) Brunnings coir-peat brick marked as “makes 15 litres” and weighing about 800g-1kg dry. This works for us
DO hydrate (i.e. fluff up) your substrate prior to use, we’ve found that overnight or longer is ideal. With the above material/quantity, we’ve found that 600-800mL (depending on atmospheric humidity) seems about right. It just shouldn’t feel damp to the touch
DO minimise your use of toilet paper as much as you consider reasonable, as it just bulk’s up the solid bin2
Dunny-Don’ts3
DON’T ever ignore the warning lights on your toilet – ours simply has a red light that indicates that the liquids bottle is full. I’m not sure how much leeway we have after the light comes on, but an eyeball check suggests very, very little!
DON’T (in a similar vein) let your solids bucket overfill. We know it’s time to empty ours when either the feel of the agitator handle or the sound of turning suggests that it has any degree of liquid content whatsoever, but your use-case may vary4. For us, that’s about two weeks
DON’T empty your solids bucket into a regular town-connected or septic toilet, or into a dump point – none of those are intended for that sort of material
DON’T travel with your liquids bottle full or very close to full; while they do kinda seal our wonderful Aussie roads will tend to totally unseal it in fairly short order. Empty it at a dump point or an ablution-block urinal trough, etc ASAP
Conclusion
I think I’ll need a different post discussing the pros/cons or our specific composing toilet (the Cuddy, in case you’ve forgotten 😀); but overall in concept we’re firmly of the view that it is a far, far better option for long-term use – and probably even for the casual and holiday users.