While this thread is about the Airhead units, I want to comment on our adoption of composting heads on our vessel. We chose the Nature's Head units, but would have been equally satisfied with the Air Head units.
As we have worked on the restoration of our WS42, Harmony, we were determined to do something about the "head" situation. The WS42 has 2 heads, fore and aft, and therefore requires adequate tankage for the sewage. Having endured holding tanks and their necessary hoses on our last boat, we really didn't want to deal with the odor, the potential mess, and the lost stowage space. Furthermore, having all of that Chernobyl like plumbing just screamed a problem when least able to accommodate.
In our efforts to minimize not only our environmental footprint, but to give ourselves more self-sufficiency, we were really intrigued by the composting head, or more specifically, the composting head that separated the two elements that make up sewage. We evaluated both the Airhead and the Nature's Head units. Both products are very well made, and the company's each provide stellar customer service. Furthermore, the testimonials on each unit made the choice between the two very tough.
Based on our installation requirements and our desire for a longer/larger seat, we chose the Nature's Head. That being said, we would have been equally satisfied with the Airhead.
The installation of the units, once the head compartments were slightly modified to provide an adequate platform for mounting, took roughly 30 minutes. The running of the vent hose took a little more thought, but in the end proved just as simple. The units are taller than the normal marine head so one has to get used to the altitude! More importantly, the need to prevent urine from entering the composting container requires the installation to accommodate the inevitable healing while under sail.
Beyond the self-sufficiency and smaller environmental footprint benefits, we were able to eliminate 4 through-hull fittings, over 50 feet of sewage hose, AND two 35 gallon holding tanks. Yes, there is more storage space, but not having the risk associated with carrying almost 70 gallons of raw sewage around is very calming on the olfactory senses and the phobias of cleaning up a potential crappy mess!
We installed the Nature's Head in the forward head in a fore/aft alignment so that it can be used while underway. The Nature's Head in the aft head, which is in our aft cabin was aligned athwartships and will be used primarily at anchor, mooring, or in slip.
Harmony is almost ready for re-launching, and, hopefully, we will get her back in the water after 3 years of rebuilding before the end of August. We haven't started using the Nature's Heads, as the wiring for the fans remains on the to-do list. However, we anticipate some initial learning curves. Yes, our usual steadfast rule that EVERYONE sits while answering Nature's call is still the rule of the boat. This is made clear by both the Captain (me) and the Admiral (Beth)!
Since I ordered extra parts like 2 urine vessels, extra vent hose, and a cover for each composting unit should I need to remove it from the boat, our cost per each was about $1,100. Given our vessel's design, and the necessity to put the holding tanks in space that is a goodly distance from the heads, our traditional marine head installation would have cost nearly as much: hose, head, tank, macerator, etc.
The owner of Nature's Head actually called me twice before shipping my order in order to make sure I was ordering the right stuff. His efforts actually saved me nearly $400. The units arrived in well packaged cartons and were neatly organized. Now, I don't think Beth was too impressed with my storing the units in our front entry hall for a month or so! Heck, they did look really neat!
I look forward to reporting on their operation once we get ready to go, so to speak!
Doug
