Nature's Head Self Contained Composting Toilet with Close Quarters Spider Handle Design

I can't fully express how well this toilet works. I was a little aprehensive about living full time with a composting toilet. I had done a fair bit of research on the topic in preparation for living in a tiny house and this one seemed to be the clear leader. I had so many concerns: would it have an unpleasant odor? Would it be difficult to use? Would it require constant cleaning? What about installation? Most importantly, HOW WILL I LEARN TO AIM?? Well I am pleased to report after two weeks of full time use that all my concerns are calmed. Firstly, it has no discernable odor, even when the lid is lifted or the upper portion is lifted partially when removing the liquids bottle to empty it every other day or so. Even when in use it us less odiferous than a standard flush toilet because the little onboard fan is constantly whisking any odors right out the vent hose. It is not difficult to use, just sit and go. Open the trap door before a solids deposit of course, but otherwise just do what you do naturally. Installation was easy, this 50 ish woman with slightly above average handy person skills did it in 15 minutes. Cleaning is simple if you spray down the inside of the bowl with a water and white vinegar mix after EVERY use and perform a minor wipe up with a paper towel (which you then just drop into the trap door) if you have a particularly egregious contact mark. Which leads me to AIMING, which is not even a thing, just sit down comfortably. This thing is so well designed that unless you have some wildly divergent anatomy that I can't even imagine, it is a non issue. That trap door is right where it needs to be. Just remember to open it first. And if you are a dude, just sit already, it's ok, nobody is judging you. As for emptying things, the liquids bottle is easy to remove, cap, carry and dump. I have't got to the point of emptying the solids chamber yet ( I used coir fiber available here on amazon as the composting medium) so I will update if it is anything other than as straightforward and simple as all the other aspects of this product. If you want lots of details on that there are several good youtube videos on the topic. The brilliant design, heavu duty construction, super simple installation and stellar online support makes this worth every single penny.

First off I cannot say enough for the customer service we've received from Nature's Head. Michael in technical support is incredibly helpful, and one of the most genuinely good people to work with. He has helped us with fan issues, and venting questions, and always returns calls promptly. My wife and I bought this toilet for a van life conversion, and installed it in our bathroom. We use coconut noir and this toilet is working great for us. The one thing worth mentioning is when we first got it when didn't realize there are two positions the flap closing handle can rest at. When you just give it a light flip up it doesn't quite close all the way because there's a little bit of friction that comes into play as it seals against the bottom of the bowl, so we had some slight issues with the urine diverting feature. However, we found that if you pull on that handle a little more it will shift into a completely closed position, and the urine diversion works perfectly. With this knowledge, and the vent in place, it truly has no smell-as advertised. The urine tank is easy to empty, and a simple rinse out with water each day or two helps prevent smell build-up. The composting area for feces works well, and is easy to clean out. Simply remove the seat and dump the contents in a garbage bag to either dispose of or fertilize with. Also, this toilet is sturdy. I accidentally ran over it with my van after forgetting I had left it in front of it, and it still works perfectly! This toilet is so tough you can run over it, and it will still hold sh**. I would recommend this toilet to anyone!

I have been using the Nature's Head toilet for about three months on a 34 foot sailboat. Has to be one of the best upgrades any boat owner could ever consider. There is absolutely no problem with odor and the installation was a snap. By far, the most difficult part was removing the old head and all of the associated gear that went with it. The old hoses were nearly choked off from calcium crystals and were only two years old. Removal of the hoses and holding tank provided a huge increase in storage space and it is sure nice to not be sleeping over "you know what" sloshing around in your holding tank. Servicing the liquid tank is a easy, just remove, screw on the cap and dump out when ashore. Make sure you don't lose the cap like I was stupid enough to do. I can't speak yet about emptying the solids container, as it is not close to being ready. I have to say though, there is no way emptying it can be as bad as all the head maintenance required throughout the year. Oh yeah, no winterization work either, big, big plus here in Maine. I did face a few challenges, mostly related to my boat configuration. The NH sits fairly tall just on its on and is a bit larger than most marine heads. That means shorter crew members on the boat are at a bit of a comfort disadvantage. I added a 3 inch raised foot platform, but really needed more like six (in my boat). Side to side access is fine, but check all the measurements carefully before placing in a small space. Same for front to back and make sure you allow for space to tilt the upper assembly when it comes time for solids removal. I have had no issues with small gnats, but based on other user comments I added a small filter screen on the end of the vent hose. We are currently using coco noir for the solids tank. The material is easy to store in compressed form, but does comes with a bit of learning curve when it ones to expanding for use and getting just the right amount of moisture. It can be a messy and frustrating process. Might give peat moss a try on the next refill. Build quality is excellent and overall the design is well thought out. I do think the overall product is a bit overpriced ( six people in my boatyard would buy the head at $500 or less, only two plan to buy at the current price). Even at the current price, I still feel like this was a huge win for cruising comfort.

I bought this to replace a Vacuflush on my liveaboard sailboat. I went out on a limb for this quite expensive switch. I am very happy I did.1 month into this process I can say that the composting toilet is the way to go for cruising sailors and liveaboard sailors. there is a nice , mild odor like fresh mulch. I love when I have visitors, I make them stand in the head and take a whiff. you can leave a real stinker and in 5 minutes all you smell is the mulch. It was quite easy to install, the design is spot on. It's a bit tall but a foot stoop of any sort is an easy fix. I am one person on the boat and with 60 to 80 uses per compost change I am looking at about 2 months before I have to empty the thing into a garbage bag. I dump the urine bucket once weekly. there is actually less clean up than with my Vacuflush system. Don't mean to be gross but I would have to use the toilet brush with each use of the Vacuflush. With the composting toilet I simply spritz a little diluted vinegar and that is all. Unless your aim is terrible there will be no wiping (the toilet, that is, you must still wipe your ass) on that note, all I will say is that I highly recommend the natures head composting toilet. I have been living aboard for two years and was either dealing with a holding tank or flushing into the bay. not ideal.Oh an afterthought, I also use far less water. I had previously been dumping about quarter to half gallon per day with the vacuum flush system.

It's been about 3 months since we received this unit. So here's how it goes. We're two people, utilizing the toilet everyday. Our 'priming' soil is peat. We used mushroom soil the first week, but it was too moist for a starter. Urine container is emptied once a week, with primary use by female. Male goes outside with the exception of late night use. Solid compostable waste is emptied right around 5 weeks. Although, this is rarely at capacity; truly could be stretched to 7 weeks if monitored closely. Things to remember: do not let urine amount exceed top contour of container or else it will 'slosh' out. Ensure use of urine container lid upon disposal is properly fastened. When emptying solid bin, be sure to clear gasket of debris before reassembly. Do not put baby wipes, paper towels, or anything not toilet paper into solid bin. Churn solid waste both to and fro after use (2 rotations either way is sufficient). Ensure seal on PVC outlet hose is secure; utilize sealant if necessary. Ensure exterior capping/ventilation system has some screen to deter insects. Notes about quality: the system is very rudimentary but effective. We believe this to be the most advantageous in the compact off-grid living situation, hands down. We have only solar power which is plenty to power the small CPU fan. Speaking of the fan, it was necessary to switch the intake/exhaust sides for installation; and upon doing so it was noted the fan should not be overly tightened as this caused the fan to stop/malfunction. And the wiring to the input jack had become faulty and required some re-soldering to ensure a better connection; this is very minor work that didn't require much skill, but merely was a nuisance at the time. If the fan isn't working, odors will linger. Overall, the size is perfect. And we don't know how to put this other than it is truly a "one size fits all" model. It will work for short and tall alike. Usage notes: we use simple 2 ply paper, and that is just fine. Keeping a bottle of vinegar/essential oil to scent/water mix is nice to dissipate any residuals. You can go 1 & 2 at the same time; very possible. Men, in general, should always sit with this model; no getting around this. Just sit, stay awhile, read a magazine. Your masculinity is secure within your tiny home; nothing to prove. Why 4 stars? The reasoning is that there's always room for improvement. The fan issue remains to be seen as a permanent fix and may need replacing altogether in the future. Seat design could use a little work; only in the sense that there could be a slight recessed feature not unlike a conventional bowl design. But overall, since figuring out the few nuances, the system works as it's designed to and we anticipate it lasting quite a long while. Our guess would be at least 10 years, if not 20 with regular gasket maintenance and inspection of parts. Troubleshooting tips: if you have trouble with sand mites (very tiny red/brown clustering bugs) in your peat, simply get a bit of diatomaceous earth and mix into the solid bin. About 3 to 6 days they'll be all gone. They tend to cluster on the seat or lid area. Plumbers silicone can help in sealing areas that might not seat well; for instance when re-positioning the fan, a bead around the gasket helped. And also with the sealing of the PVC exhaust. If you have a problem with common house flies, a little denatured alcohol in the 'slouch' of the PVC can help clear them out. Otherwise, ensure you have a fine mesh screen and good sealing properties all around. In general, keep things clean and the operation should be just fine. We hope this helps to clarify some 'mysteries' of composting. Disposal is what you make of it; we will not disclose due to county regulations varying from each. If you follow the directions, Google what you must, and go by the tips presented, it's not that bizarre and you find yourself quite comfortable with the situation quickly. It becomes a back thought of "why haven't we done this all along?" Maybe that's for those who find their zen moment. **********1/20/2019 UPDATE************ First, thank you to all of you who found this review most helpful. Truly appreciate the honesty. Second, we are still using the toilet! The fan issue has not resurfaced. And we stand by our troubleshooting tips, as most issues can be resolved. One item to add is some people might experience 'scaling' in the urine vessel. Simply, we have found really hot water and dish detergent busts this up and cleans it thoroughly. Our main seal gasket for the compartment is due for replacement, and we may try making our own for it. Nonetheless, continues to be a operational wonder. Overall, good investment for the intended purpose.

I purchased this in 2021 and have traveled ~6 months every year using it daily. We use coco fiber core. It lasts about 2 weeks. What’s amazing is there is no foul odor while changing. Each change we thoroughly wash and disinfect all. Every day we empty the liquid side, shake dish soapy water, and rinse. We use disinfectant wipes around the connection between the toilet and liquid tank. After each use we spray the liquid side of the toilet with a vinegar - water solution to “flush”. The fan is kept running all the time. The installation was extremely easy. I couldn’t recommend this product enough.

Terrible Design I could only recommend this if you are a single male living alone and don't rely on it 100% to allow the composting process to properly work. 1. For two people, the urine jug will require emptying every single day and REEKS during every step of that process. 2. Main compartment will require emptying every 1.5-2 weeks (less if you put toilet paper in) and by then is a sludge of wet smelly poop. There is nothing earthy about the smell or look. 3. When you do attempt to lift this thing to empty it, it is too unwieldy for a single person to do alone. One person must hold bag over opening while other person lifts and tips it. While it is upside down shit will get into the inside of a lip on the top edge. (You need to spray this out with a hose everytime) 4. Mixer does not mix in dirt at the edges and corner of bucket, wasting over 50% of the dirt in there. You will have to manually mix this in at least once during the cycle. 5. Poop door does not completely fold away. About 1/2" of it sticks proud into the opening and poop will get on there and buildup, causing urine hitting the door in the future to not drain away properly (adding to urine in the bucket next time the door is opened) and getting poop into the diverter mechanism which is not accessible for cleaning. 6. Urine diverter is extremely hard to clean scale off, as its inside a sealed compartment with only a few small holes for access. 7. Women will have to pee first before opening door to poop, have fun doing that. When they are done and door is opened a small amount of pee will drip into bucket as girls cant control what direction their urine goes and mess up the whole system. Poop dirt will become too damp. 8. Fan just isnt powerful enough. Poop does does not dry out. It also isn't powerful enough to prevent backflow of air when your main bathroom fan is on during a shower. Anytime you take a shower your bathroom gets filled with humid stinky poop air. Fun. 9. Cost is insane. $1000 for 75¢ of plastic and some off the shelf hardware. I could justify the cost if it worked as advertised (no smell, 3-weeks+ between emptying) but that just isn't the case. I will spend hundred+ a year on the coco coir alone which is over 100x the cost of the water in a normal toilet. 10. I also spend much more on toilet paper as this thing always requires wiping down after every use, even though you cant get to most of the areas that really need the cleaning. You literally have to take this thing apart and have a pressure washer w/ fine tip nozzle to get into the small areas that get caked in awfulness. 11. Bowl is far too small. If you're lucky about 1/4 of the time your turd will go right in the hole (if you perch forward, straighten your back, and have a small member that wont get smashed into the front of the bowl (this feels very unhygienic, just asking for UTIs really.) If you are well endowed or even slightly above average (and are a shower) your willy will not fit into this thing even when sitting all the way to the rear. 12. This is damaging to relationships. I am way to intimate with both my own and my partners waste now. Even after 6 months I am not acustomed to this yet. Maybe if it actually worked. You argue about who will take out the pee, or at the very least it is one more chore that needs to be delegated. You will be resentful for them using it and filling it up. You will be embarrassed about the mess. You will lose attraction to your partner after looking at and smelling their feces every day. I wish I had bought the C-Head for half the price.

I bought this Toilet system for my vintage Airstream that is parked as a farm dwelling in rural Montana. While it does take a few minutes of reading to understand the system, if you use it with care and pay attention to your output, it works very well. I found it easy to install. I was able to adapt a vent opening to connect the vent hose to the existing toilet exhaust in the Airstream. I trimmed the vent hose to fit nicely. I've got mine in a narrow space so it's not mounted to the floor--I have to pull it forward to release the side clips to empty the urine container and to slide off the solid waste collector. I've just placed a sturdy washable outdoor rubber mat under it and it doesn't slide or tip as the space is snug. Emptying the Urine Container is simple but you do have to empty often--every 2-3 days for 1 person using only this toilet. The solid waste is a bit trickier, but if you follow the directions and upend the solid bin collector into a bag as directed, it's straight forward. Although I could wait longer, I dump the bin every 4 weeks. I'm able to manage it with a bit of effort in the small bathroom space. I use coconut fiber as the composting material--I bought enough to fill a large covered bin which I store outside in all weather--just add the block to your fiber storage bin and add water as directed--when moistened break into pieces--it looks like nice clean brown fibrous material--just allow plenty of room for the coco fiber brick to expand. You can then scoop the coconut fiber into the toilet solid waste receptacle to the right level. When you're ready to empty the solid waste, do stretch the opening of a 13 gallon kitchen bag over the opening of the base tightly over the rim so that you can invert the base and empty the contents into the bag--I use a 13 gallon composting bag. Don't count on the waste to be fully composted when it comes out of the bin although it isn't smelly if you use the toilet as directed. You'll want to dispose of the waste in a responsible manner--further composting or approved disposal method. I dump mine into a fully contained disposal compost system used only for this waste--it will take a long time to fill my system since it contains only the solids from one toilet/one person. I intend to compost it for 2 full years before using it--and then around trees we've planted. So far, I've used the toilet for Fall and Winter use in a mostly heated space but I'll update the review after a full year. I've tried multiple systems for toilet waste--and am very happy with the comfort of the toilet, functionality, cleanliness and appearance. If the costs were less, I'd buy several for our farm--as it is, they're a bit of an investment although I'm very happy to have mine. Edit update. As of May 2022 I’m still completely happy with the toilet and it is still functioning as intended.