Narrowboat Toilets - Getting rid of your waste - Cassette, Compost or Pump out toilet. Ep34
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- When it comes to narrowboat toilets, there are several types to consider. Let's explore the three common options:
Cassette Toilet (Portable Chemical Toilet):
These can be easily moved around the narrowboat and taken off-board when needed.
Easy installation: These toilets do not require complex plumbing or a holding tank system.
Simple maintenance: Emptying and cleaning is relatively straightforward, and they often have built-in indicators to show when they need emptying. However, they have small tanks, so they need to be emptied in an Elsan facility frequently, Chemical dependency: You'll need to purchase and use specific chemicals to control odors and break down waste properly.
Pump-Out Toilets:
Large capacity: Pump-out toilets typically have larger holding tanks, allowing for longer periods between emptying. These toilets often feature a flush system, providing a more familiar and hygienic experience. Pump-out toilets don't require chemical additives, making them more environmentally friendly.
Wide availability: Many marinas have pump-out facilities, making waste disposal more convenient but this comes at a cost. Averaging at about £15 per pump out and I have even seen prices around £30 along stretches of the Thames!
Pump-out toilets require a dedicated holding tank and plumbing connection, which may require professional installation and the tank uses storage space.
Composting Toilets:
Composting toilets do not require water for flushing, making them an eco-friendly option that conserves resources. No plumbing or holding tank needed: Composting toilets don't require extensive plumbing or holding tanks, simplifying installation and maintenance.
Nutrient-rich compost: The waste from composting toilets can be converted into valuable compost material for gardening or agricultural use. Independence from pump-out stations and Elsan points: With a composting toilet, you don't rely on external facilities for waste disposal.
Composting toilets require regular maintenance and monitoring to ensure proper composting and odor control. Composting toilets can be more expensive to purchase upfront compared to other types. Users need to understand the composting process and follow specific guidelines for proper usage.
Ultimately, the choice of narrowboat toilet will depend on individual preferences, usage patterns, available space, and the level of convenience and environmental impact you desire
We really hope you enjoy this week's vlog and hope we see you here again next Wednesday. Don't forget to ask us those questions in the comments for a Questions and Answers Vlog.
Please hit that subscribe button if you haven't already and give us a like, it really does mean a lot to us and we love reading and responding to all your comments.
If you enjoyed the video and would like to support our channel you can buy us a coffee using this link www.buymeacoff... Thank you :)
#uponreflection #narrowboat #boatlife #boattoilets #portabletoilets #narrowboattoilets #cassettetoilet #pumpouttoilet #compostingtoilet
I have had a natures head for 5 years and although not perfect , I wouldn’t go back to cassette, yours looks much more aesthetically pleasing than the natures head, if I had my time again I would get a bucket type separating toilet instead of one with an agitator, I know I am a bit behind, just found your channel, but hope you are getting okay with it.
Hi there Serena. 100% prefer this to the cassette toilet we had. Thanks for watching and joining us on our journey from renovation to living aboard full time. We are loving this lifestyle so far and hope you continue to follow our journey 😀
Good choice with going for a dry toilet(they are not and never have been composting toilets it takes over a year to compost)we have had our dry toilet for many years now a couple of pointers the wee pot yours has is a bit small Will need emptying every day we got one twice the size much better(it's not fun when you forget and it overflows)the fan is not necessary also it's better to put a plastic bag in the bucket and not use the stirring function it much easier to pull a bag out then it is to try and tip the bucket into a bag and get it everywhere
Thanks for the tips, we have a separate composting bin that we plan to keep outside so we can try the composting method at least with some but maybe not all of the waste. 🙂
Another brilliant vlog Liz & Paul…absolutely hilarious …loved your singing Liz…lol…..your superb explanations of the world of toilets , rolled in with such brilliant humour , made me chuckle. Your editing skills just keep getting better . These vlogs are so professional. Another tonic for Wednesday ..keep them coming , we all love what you do….you are becoming the new narrowboat royalty. See you in a couple of weeks guys …thank you 🏴🏴
Thank you so much again Welshcake (our number one fan 😍) no question for us?? Oh come on I'm sure there's a question you're dying to know about us on the tip of your tongue, we aren't too much of an open book are we??!!🤣🤣🤣
Ut oh, Ernie needs a friend… Lol!!
Great questions. Entertaining answers and what a lovely section from Paul on your relationship. ❤
This was for the Q&A btw 😂
Incinerator toilet has become very popular with people who have a gas bottle, or a large battery bank. I love it, clean the pan out every second month
Now that's one we didn't even think about looking at. Interesting. Thanks Paul. I'm going to have a look at them now to educate myself 🙂
Interesting vlog, a piece of advice I was given was it was best to have a cassette toilet if you are a liveaboard. The reason given was if you are iced in on a canal or Marina you can always take the cassette out and empty it which you can't do with a pump out
Yes I agree Gary, you are a bit stuck if frozen in with a pump out, although to some extent you are with a cassette toilet if you are frozen in no where near an Elsan point so hopefully with our chosen compost method it will allow us a little bit more freedom 🤞
Thanks for a very solid vlog but it was a crappy subject !!!!!!! still laughing, Neat looking little nephew, seemed to be holding his own with Ernie in the garden look forward to your next vlog just keep them coming. Ed 40 S of Vegas
Thanks Ed 🙂
Enjoy the vlog thinking about building a tiny house so thanks from USA
Thanks Sherri, wow your plans sound pretty exciting 🙂
Great vlog yet again guys. Glad you went with Compoost in the end, you definately wont be disappointed . My question for the Q&A would be - Will you be heading up to the Trent to Shardlow anytime? Be great to have a longer chat than what we had at Crick. The kettle will be on ready : )
Hi Kevin, we hope we've made the right choice, I think anythings better than tue constant visits to Elsan points. Thanks for the question, we will answer that one for you in the vlog.😜
We've had an Airhead composting toilet for several years now and there's no way we would go back to the cassettes we had before... Much less smelly (well not smelly at all actually) and much less unpleasant to empty. We put coir as the base in ours (sold as compressed blocks for reptile tanks - Pets at Home sell it), just damp it down and crumble it in. We don't live aboard, so we can take our solid waste home and finish off the composting in the garden compost heap. Often it doesn't need it. One thing we did find we needed was a second pee bottle so we can go longer between places to empty them.
Hi Neil so good to hear you get on well with yours, I must say most people that have them do recommend them so that's a good sign. Thanks for the pets at home tip I was wondering where we would get those from at convenience. The kit came with 2 buckets and 2 liquid containers so we have spare. We have been recommended to get a green composting bin which we will store on deck to empty the buckets and complete the composting procedure. 🤞
Hi guys, thank you so much for your videos, I do look forward to watching them every Wednesday and seeing the progress on your boat, which is looking fab. Plus you make me chuckle. Good luck with everything at home. Please do a follow-up video on the composting toilet as no others I've seen seem to have done that and it would be good to know how it works out. I think true composting can take a few months. I am keen to know as we are debating which one to go for when we get our own boat. Looking forward to seeing your next bathroom update.
Hi Rebecca. Thanks, yes we will have to do a follow up won't we to see how it all goes. Yes the recession does take about 6 months I'm pretty sure to compost properly.
@@uponreflection That would be great. My question would be how you are planning on doing your own composting, how you are going to do it etc. thank you....
I agree with your choice for a composting system. One question, where does the #1 get dumped?
We have got a large green composting bin that the #1 get stored in, the whole composting system takes 6-12mths before it can be used as safe fertiliser.
Love your vlogs, they're down to earth and funny, we really do look forward to seeing them, plus great ideas on how to do up a boat. We might retire onto a narrowboat , we currently live in spain and have a small property on the south coast in Sussex. We would sell on spain and buy a nb. Questions: What concerns you most about leaving your house to live on a boat and do you intend it as a permanent thing (we think we would).
Will you be permanent cruiser?
Oh and Ernie is such a lovely dog.
Thanks
Raymond & Tina
Thank you Raymond and Tina for the lovely comment. Sounds like you have a fantastic plan ahead of you for retirement and we look forward to welcoming you to the waters one day then. Thank you for the question. We look forward to answering this one 🙂
Good luck with the move.
Thank you Jean 😀
Great vlog, very informative - compost is the way to go. Here's a couple of Qs for you:
What's the timeline from initial 'sit down' to spreading the compost on the land?
How many 'sit downs' do you get before you have to empty the loo?
Where do you store the contents while it's becoming compost?
Just subscribed so look forward to catching up with your content, and receiving new stuff - best of luck with your move 🙂
Thanks Richard. Lovely for you to join us on our journey. Thanks for the questions too. We will answer them in the q&a vlog 😀
Interesting video 😊thank you
Thanks again Rickon 🙂
Loved the vlog and your editing is brilliant keep up the good work. Would be interested in knowing the cost of your boat did you pay outright or have some sort of finance? Also the costs of mooring in a marine as opposed to be being on the cut. Sorry if too personal just something that's intriguing me.
Hi there, thank you so much. Not too personal at all, we shall answer those questions the best we can in the next vlog then. Thank you 🙂
Vicky from LILY at Crick, I and Eric the AUS Doodle would luv a Q&A nextweek. Great VLOG this week BTW - hilarious 😂😂..In prep for next weeks Q&A I am going to ask the first question 😀 is there anything you are nervous about on you first narrowboat trip as continously cruisers. Cheers.
Question (well, more of a statement reslly!) from me, Vick ftom Crick 😂😂 , - let me know if you ever need me to bring bottled water out to you for Ernie! 😆 Can't wait to follow your continuous cruising adventures! Good luck with the move x
Hi guys, thanks for the question we look forward to answering this one. Ernie sends a woof to Eric 😀
🤣🤣🤣 you will never live this down Vicky x
Good Choice of loo. We have a pump ou, the tank under the spare bunk. regards kist, you should balance your boat at half full. We are an all-male household and we no1 in the toilet first thing and last thing, everything in between is bottled so we can go 4 weeks. Going solid in the tank, not an issue, make sure you have fluid and a good quantity of blue.. If we had mixed sex occupancy, then I would definitely go compost. You always get a smell externally when someone flushes, not nice, maybe I should use some pink.
Hey shaun, yeah try the pink, it sort of gives off a floral scent although it doesn't last long..maybe just add a couple of drop if you have any visitors 😃
Hello Liz & Paul, here are just a few 'top of our head' questions . . .
Q: Is this your first narrow boat? If not, what made you decide to purchase one?
Q: Do you have children?
Q: Do you currently have jobs, i.e. professions? If not, then what were your jobs before retirement.
Q: How long have you two been married?
Q: I've noticed you sometimes film in a 'land' house. Will you be keeping your 'land' home or selling it?
Q: Do you watch other narrow boat TH-camrs, if so which ones are your favorite?
Q: Do each of you have a favorite hobby? If so, what are they?
Be well, take care of yourselves, give Ernie and cuddle from us ~ Hugs, Lacy, Mike & Hamish🐾🤗💕
Hi, thank you so much for your questions we are l9oking forward to getting these answered for you 😊
*Liz, Paul & Ernie... great vid. Paul plop plop plop.. hehehehe I was actually eating my breakfast, but I coped ok. Little Dodger is gorgeous, but he will soon be as big as Ernie. So I hope the new bog works well & it is all as expected it to be. Get a Grey thingee inside the new lou... better colour to see when you lift the lid lol. I actually get to watch it Thursday mornings, as me being in NZ we are in your future. Good luck on shifting all your stuff from your home to the boat. I am guessing that you have finally sold your home on the land. So questions: What got you thinking that Narrowboating was the thing for you both?? With the cost of doing an older one up to how you want it to look compared to buying a new one to your specs??*
Hey there Andrea. Dodger is getting on so well with Ernie and you're right it wont be long before he is ernies size and then he will soon tower over him as he is a golden retriever so will be twice ernies size at least. Happy thursday morning to you, What a way to spend your morning listening to us two harp on about toilets 🤣🤣 I know the greens a bit bright isn't it when lifting that lid. If only they did a grey one. Sadly they only do green, yellow and another colour which has slipped my memory but just a bright nevertheless 🤣 thanks for your question we look forward to answering those. Enjoy your week 🙂
Forgot to answer your question about the house. We took house off the market in the end as my son and his girlfriend and now dodger the dog are going to rent it for 2 years and at that point we will then reevaluate the market and either continue to rent or sell it. X
Want to know how you decided to live on a boat
@@uponreflection *Yep it was a eye opener from you two this morning... ;) That's good, so you will be getting some sort of income off the house... Plus you know it will be looked after... House prices in NZ dropped quite a bit over the past year or so....*
@andreacrashe9894 unfortunately not earning out of it as he can only just afford the interest on it where it has gone sky high. But yes at least we haven't got the worry of a stranger renting it out or anything x
Great vlog talking lavatories 😅. Question are you eventually changing the colour of the narrow boat outside? X
Thanks Annette, looking forward to answering this one for you in the vlog 😀
I’d prefer a composting toilet as I’m the one that has to bloody empty it 😂 x
Too be fair I never emptied the cassette but it was just the look of it that put me off and I found it so low to the ground, it was like weeing in a bucket 🤣🤣
When planning our boat build we just worked on the principle of the cheapest way of having a loo off grid 2 people live aboard 🤷🏼♂️ pump outs will never come down in price and chemical toilets well 🤣🤣😎
What did you opt for in the end then Nick?
@@uponreflection Compoost of course 😎the model you have is the top model supplied to boat builders. When first filling with coconut husk stuff🤣 just fill the bucket to just cover the spindle for the mechanism. And a dusting as you go if you get me drift. 😎
Forgot to say, those mini green bins council type the really small ones. Get 2 of those, that’s your compost bins. You will need a cut down broom handle or similar for stirring.
Welcome to the Stone Age but it’s do able😎 says the 58 year old 😎🤣
@nickevans1698 thank you Nick, perfect tips. Thanks, although I did gag when reading about the needed stirring stick 🤣
@@uponreflection if you think you you would survive a Zombie Apocalypse you’ll be fine 🤣🤣👍🏼😎
lol ... thanks!
Your very welcome 😜
Looks good BUT wasn’t there a dispute some time ago with the Biffa rubbish container people refusing to let people with their waste composting black bags being able to put them in their bins? I don’t know if that issue was ever resolved but perhaps someone else will know. Bye for now and hugs to Ernie.
Yes you are right Gylnnis you used to be able to double bag your waste and throw in a bin but you can no longer do that but we hoping to compost fully, we know this takes several months but we want to try the proper way. X
Thank you for giving me the update, that was really kind of you.
I have a question for you what inspired you to buy a narrow boat. Xx
Fab question and an interesting answer for that one. 😜
DONT ! do that , leave the power on all the time otherwise the filter wont absorb smells and the blue light indicating a full bottle wont light up and the alarm wont sound.
Ladies should also wee with the vanity cover open ......that,s my 2 years worth of tips on the fantastic Compoost.
Also to keep the bucket nice and steady fold the bottle handle down in between the bottle and the bucket , we also use a rubber door wedge down the left side of the bucket.
The clearances between bucket and vanity door are very close so if the bucket lifts a little it will jam the vanity door.
Hi there, thanks for these tips. We shall leave it on all the time then we weren't sure if this needed to be done or not but what you have said makes sense. As for the vanity door being left open when ladies go toilet, we were told not too as the smells occur when urine is accidently mixed in with the solids so to ensure that the vanity door is closed and ladies to adjust to position themselves correctly.
@@uponreflection we have found that larger ladies and occasional female visitors may not position thereselves correctly , anyway you'll workout what works best for you.🙂
With the compost toilet what do you do if you have a bout of the curry house revenge??? The reason I ask is ,I love a good tindaloo but as I've got older it doesn't like me!!! And if you add more of that dry stuff at which point is enough??.
Ermmmm God only knows Colin 🤣 I assume you take a visit to public toilet on that day 🤣🤣
@@uponreflection LOL!! Have you seen the state of those!!!! No it's a case of using the boy scout motto. Be prepared!!! No in all seriousness I think that compost toilet is the way to go. Pump outs are too dependent on finding a station. And cassettes even with one or two spares are very intensive. Especially in winter. Anyway great vlog as always, thanks.,...
Thanks Colin 😊 hopefully we've made the right choice, only time will tell I suppose 😉
@@uponreflection Or the first tindaloo LMAO!!!!