Composting Toilet?

[TWH]

Thanks to (rbryan4, tractors1, brianbp, gobaglo, gocamp) for your input and thanks even more for not debating the needs, merits or choice to go with a composting set up. It seems discussions started on the installation topic always devolve into the pros and cons of living with either choice. I will send my question to the links provided. It’s good to know the enclosure material is fiberglass and two pieces. The link by “gocamp” for a Composting toilet over a black tank is a good one that I have viewed before. Fortunately for the Wynn’s, their installation was on a flat floor so no issues with the feasibility of that retro fit.

[Sean Murry]

I am also looking at the Escape 19, and also do mostly boon docking, so I am concerned about the black holding tanks. I was looking at the possibility of retrofitting a cassette toilet in lieu of the black holding tank. The cassette toilets can be emptied at any toilet facility, so you don't have to go searching for dump stations, lining up and dealing with the stinky slinky. I did contact Escape and they told me they would not install a cassette, but you could order the Escape with a black tank delete option. That would still leave you with a raised shelf where the toilet sits. I did speak with a local company that does all sorts of trailer restorations, and it looks like they could cut out the shelf and install a cassette. They could then re-do the fiberglass area to make it compatible for a shower again. Not sure of the total cost, but it might be worth it.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Sean Murry

I was looking at the possibility of retrofitting a cassette toilet in lieu of the black holding tank.

Interesting. The cassette toilets use an outside access door which would be much easier to install in the vertical side wall than in the sloped wall of the earlier body design.

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by Sean Murry

I am also looking at the Escape 19, and also do mostly boon docking, so I am concerned about the black holding tanks. I was looking at the possibility of retrofitting a cassette toilet in lieu of the black holding tank. The cassette toilets can be emptied at any toilet facility, so you don't have to go searching for dump stations, lining up and dealing with the stinky slinky. I did contact Escape and they told me they would not install a cassette, but you could order the Escape with a black tank delete option. That would still leave you with a raised shelf where the toilet sits. I did speak with a local company that does all sorts of trailer restorations, and it looks like they could cut out the shelf and install a cassette. They could then re-do the fiberglass area to make it compatible for a shower again. Not sure of the total cost, but it might be worth it.

A 19 gallon black tank is pretty big. My wife and I previously had a Scamp with a 9 gallon black tank and were able to go 3 or more days with that! If i do need to dump out and no dump station is available i have an elbow that goes on the outlet and I dump into a 5 gal screw top bucket from the black tank. You can then easily carry it to a toilet and dump it. This is much easier than doing a big mod to the bathroom that is already well designed. I also use this method when I arrive at home with waste in the tanks. I just lug them inside and dump in the toilet...simple. We now have a 5.0 TA with a 30 gal black....I went a whole week by myself without dumping...and yes I use it rather than the campground facilities....I will admit to watering the bushes(Pee) at night.

[ReagentGrade]

Originally Posted by Ian and Sue

We now have a 5.0 TA with a 30 gal black....I went a whole week by myself without dumping...and yes I use it rather than the campground facilities...

Holy smoke! I had forgotten that our 5.0 TA will have a 30 gallon black tank. I also prefer my own bathroom, but I suspect it will last me a lot longer than a week. In fact I'd rather have a slightly smaller black and bigger gray, but I know it's a function of location. I'm delighted to get the ones in my new trailer.

Fortunately Texas has dumps in some of our rest areas. This makes it easy to empty on the last leg of my trip home. I now know that I need to put more water in my dumped tanks than I used to in my Bigfoot. It had much small tanks so I used to keep them empty or nearly so. Putting in few gallons in these big tanks still leaves me with a lot more capacity than before with empty tanks.

My mind boggles when I hear about the tank sizes on some of these big rigs. No wonder it takes them so long to dump.

[Ian and Sue]

Yeah the black was not full after a week. I also use a shower tent set up so I can reach the outside shower, this keeps the grey from filling up w/shower water. I do have a water tank and pump in the back of the truck so if i need water I can go get it.

[advenas]

Hi TWH,
Not sure if the 19ft Escape bathroom is a different size than a 17B or not. I looked at the three composting toilets on the market, Natures Head, Air Head and C-Head for my 17B. It's possible the C-Head "Shorty" model with the angled back might fit. The first two have handles on the side to rotate the compost agitator and it makes them pretty wide for the toilet area. But the C-Head cost...almost $700 for a glorified bucket. I don't need it Coast Guard approved. Believe I can get my own toilet seat, bucket, funnel, bottle and build a frame for way less. It's not a piano.

[Sean Murry]

Originally Posted by Ian and Sue

A 19 gallon black tank is pretty big. My wife and I previously had a Scamp with a 9 gallon black tank and were able to go 3 or more days with that! If i do need to dump out and no dump station is available i have an elbow that goes on the outlet and I dump into a 5 gal screw top bucket from the black tank. You can then easily carry it to a toilet and dump it. This is much easier than doing a big mod to the bathroom that is already well designed. I also use this method when I arrive at home with waste in the tanks. I just lug them inside and dump in the toilet...simple. We now have a 5.0 TA with a 30 gal black....I went a whole week by myself without dumping...and yes I use it rather than the campground facilities....I will admit to watering the bushes(Pee) at night.

Actually not a bad idea to help put my mind at ease. Amazing how sometimes the simple solution is so evasive, at least for me! Simple bucket with lid, who would have thought!

[thoer]

I don't know about the 19, but the 21 black capacity is larger than listed on the website, as the capacity only lists the black tank itself. The piping to the drain valve on our 21 holds somewhere between 4 and 5 gallons.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Sean Murry

Simple bucket with lid, who would have thought!

Sort of like a toilet that has black tank underneath, except that the black tank drains from the bottom and you don't have to lift it out of the trailer and drag it to the toilets.

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Sort of like a toilet that has black tank underneath, except that the black tank drains from the bottom and you don't have to lift it out of the trailer and drag it to the toilets.

I did not mean to use it AS a toilet, I meant to use it as a container to empty black tank into so you can go dump it in a toilet. Kind of like those blue tow containers but cheaper and simpler.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by Ian and Sue

I did not mean to use it AS a toilet, I meant to use it as a container to empty black tank into so you can go dump it in a toilet. Kind of like those blue tow containers but cheaper and simpler.

We do that often with our grey water, but have no yet ever needed to with the black.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Ian and Sue

I did not mean to use it AS a toilet, I meant to use it as a container to empty black tank into so you can go dump it in a toilet. Kind of like those blue tow containers but cheaper and simpler.

OK. Gotya now. I've only done that once, and not with a full black tank. In fact the tank was empty and I'd used the wand to clean it and wanted to drain it. I'll wear a hazmat suit next time.

[Allan Bornestig]

Hi all.
Have to get my two cents worth in here regarding cassette toilets.
Our daughter who lives in Sweden since 1990 owns a very nice modern and advanced travel trailer.BUT they have a cassette under the toilet that will have to be carried to another toilet for emptying out.
I have to say I much prefer our system with dumpstations.
Done the Blue Boy exercise when we had the small tank on the early 17s.
That is enough for me, thanks.
Allan.

[cpaharley2008]

I actually owned a trailer with the cassette, my Dutchman T@da had one in the wet bath. I found it quite convenient and mine had it's own water reservoir, separate from the trailer. The made winterization very easy and by filling the reservoir with windshield antifreeze allowed use during the winter even though the rest of the trailer was winterized. I would buy one again if offered as an option with Escape.

[TWH]

I heard back via email today regarding my question on the Composting Toilet question. Just thought I'd share it with the community so others who have the same question can find the company position as of July 2017.

Good Afternoon Tim,

Thank you for your email.

I have had many customers who have chosen to install a composting toilet in their Escape Trailers.

Unfortunately, this toilet is not available during the production process and has to be retro-fitted after-market. In order for a customer to accomplish this we have often deleted the toilet and/or the black tank.

As this is an item in which Escape does not offer, I have a limited amount of knowledge on this subject. In the past, Reace has been more than willing to work with customers to adapt the trailer to meet their needs. In this case, meaning removing the toilet and tank, but as this is not a product we install, he doesn’t have a lot of advice for the retro-fit.

In all honesty the forum is the best place to find this information, as the customers who have retro-fit these in the past will be able to share their experiences.

Feel free to forward any further questions you may have.
Warm Regards,
Sarah Morelli, Customer Service

[advenas]

Given the reply from Escape....it sounds line others have installed composting toilets in their trailers. If so, can someone let me know what brand/model they might have installed in a 17B? Really curious. Thanks!

[TWH]

Rick, apparently the "many customers" who installed compost toilets are not readers of this forum as there is no input from any of them over the many years this thread and a few others here have been alive. Maybe Sarah Morelli from customer service could contact some of the "many customers" and ask them to weigh in on their experience. If Sarah saw that there were others interested in getting some solid information from those who have actually done the retrofit, she might be more motivated to be of some assistance. Thus, I would encourage you to make the next request using the ETI customer service email address from their site and then share any findings or feedback as I did. The more ETI/Sarah/Reace hear from Forum members on this topic, the better our chance to elicit some usable information.
Thanks, Tim

[JohnE3]

I've installed an Air Head composting toilet in an Escape 5.0, have been living with it for 3 seasons now, and I still do a little dance when I explain to people I will never use a black-water dump again. It's not perfect, but for my purposes, mostly boondocking, I love it!

Pros
- No water used.
- No black water to dump.
- Black water tank can be used to increase grey water storage.
- Due to above, extends maximum boondocking duration.
- No odour ... repeat, no odour! Well, smells like potting soil when emptying solids.
- Empty solids only once every 30 days use for 2 people.
- Don’t have to empty solids between trips.
- Easy and quick to empty solids. Compost, or dispose of solids in trash.
- Easy and quick to empty liquids.

Cons
- Seat is too high when retrofitted on black water tank; need a stool to sit.
- Ok, there’s a little urine odour when emptying the liquids tank
- Liquids must be emptied every 2 or 3 days; must monitor tank level.
- Should spritz bowl with vinegar/water solution after use.
- Tutorial required for guests.
but worst of all …
- I didn’t know about this before I bought the trailer. I would have left out the toilet and black water tank to facilitate installation of a composting toilet.

The installation of the toilet is straight forward enough. I spent more time cleaning out the black water tank than installing the toilet. I elected to remove the existing toilet flange instead of using a spacer, so returning to the original toilet will require additional work. The required vent hose can simply exit on the side wall, but I decided to splice into the existing black water tank vent, so this added to the installation complexity. Continuous power (minimal) is required for the vent fan, so some wiring will have to be installed.

So would I do it again? Absolutely! I will never go back to a flush toilet in an RV, or a black water dump site, again.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by JohnE3

- I didn’t know about this before I bought the trailer. I would have left out the toilet and black water tank to facilitate installation of a composting toilet.

It probably wouldn't have mattered. That's because the bottom half of the bathroom insert has the rise to accommodate the blank tank molded in. The factory won't change that.