Air Head - Marine Version

What’s the difference between the Air Head standard and Air Head Marine?

The Air Head Marine version has the brackets at the back of the toilet pan repositioned so that the toilet fits flush against the back wall, this compromises the size of the the toilet pan reducing it slightly. In every other respect the Marine is the same as the regular Air Head

The HULL version has a small cut-out section at the lower back which enables it to fit around obstructions or sloping walls. Please note that the hull version is a special order product. For details of the standard/household version, click here.

How does the Air Head compost toilet work?

There’s a small, manually operated hatch that opens the solids container, which you can open once you have sat down. All you have to do is sit down and ‘go’. Urine automatically flows to the front of the toilet, where it drains into an easily and quickly removable container. Solids drop through and after your visit, you turn the handle on the side to mix your deposit with the existing contents and the coir (which is added when you commission the toilet).

Optionally, you can place a paper liner in the bowl and allow it to ‘flush’ down but opening the solids hatch. Gentlemen can also stand to urinate with the Air Head as the solids hatch will direct urine back to the front and into the urine bottle.

Does it smell?

One of the main concerns of those using compost toilets is the potential smell, which can be present for inferior designs. With the Air Head Composting Toilet, however, a 12-volt battery powered fan dries out solid waste quickly, allowing for the very minimum of odours to escape. The lack of a conventional holding tank also means that the risk of odours escaping into the environment is reduced enormously, offering peace of mind to guests and regular users alike.

The fan is housed in a shroud at the point where the flexible vent pipe exits. The fan draws air through a screened opening on the toilet, across the top of the solids area and through the vent hose and then outside. You have the choice of either a straight or angled fan housing – the diagram below will help you decide on the most suitable version, although you are welcome to call us for advice.

Another major advantage of the Air head Compost Toilet is its female friendly design. With many other urine separating toilets, it becomes something of a trial to ensure that liquids are processed through the pipe that leads to the liquid waste tank. Due to the design of the Air Head’s automatic separating system, this is no longer an issue. Even if urine does escape into the solid waste tank, the drying system negates any contamination relating to composting.

How often will it need emptying?

Depending on use, the urine container will fill up quite quickly, so we would suggest daily emptying where possible. Urine is normally sterile and can be emptied directly onto earth or around trees (avoid repeatedly emptying at the same spot). Do not empty urine into the canals or rivers in the UK, as the nitrogen content acts as a food for algae. Where the Air Head is used at sea, it is usually permissible to empty urine overboard.

The time taken to fill the solids tank will vary with use. The original design concept for the Air Head was that the toilet was for boats that had mainly weekend use, and in that context, the solids tank would last a season. With more regular/frequent use, the solids tank will need to be emptied more often, perhaps every 3 to 4 weeks.

To understand the different versions (standard & marine) and the fan housing options, look at our Air Head Dimensions page.