Nature’s Head is one of the best composting toilets on the market right now. Tiny house owners absolutely love them, and for good reason too. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better option at a similar price point.
Dimensions
One of the most important things to consider when buying a composting toilet (or any appliance for that matter) is how much space you’ve got, and how much space you’re willing to fill.
The Nature’s Head dimensions are as follows:
- 20 inches tall
- 17 3/4 inches front to rear
- 19 inches at its widest
- 13 inches wide at the base
- 16 1/4 inches wide at the seat
Its tight, efficient compactness is one of the biggest reasons why tiny house owners love to use Nature’s Head so much. It’s also an excellent choice for boats and RVs (make sure you’ve sealed the mounting brackets from the bilge if you’ve got a wet bath).
Extras and upgrade options
The Nature’s Head Composting Toilet offers a whole host of extra add-ons and upgrades options to fully customize your composting toilet to suit your individual wants, needs, and expectations.
These extras cost between fifty cents and a few hundred dollars each, so there are always options within everybody’s price range. If you’re a budget-conscious buyer, you might want to read a little more about how much does a composting toilet costs.
- 12V Wall Transformers (AC Adapters)
- Extra Liquids Bottles
- 3-inch Mushroom Ventilators
- Filters
- PVC Screened Vent Assemblies for Structures
- Shell Vent Assemblies
- Solids Bin Lids
- Extra Venting Hoses (sold per foot)
- Bottle Caps
- Fuses
- Vent Hose Ends
- Fuse Housings
- Extra Bases (lids included)
Includes:
- Normal ventilation hose
- 12-volt power hook-up
- Either the shifter or the spider handle
- Coconut coir and sphagnum peat moss
- 1 Nature’s Head Toilet Unit
Pros:
- Easy to install and use
- Space efficient
- Reliable for off-grid livestyles
- Durable
- Odorless
Cons:
- The urine bottle is transaparent
- It can get abit clunky
- Needs periodical emptying
Once you’ve installed your Nature’s Head composting toilet, it’s completely self-contained and easy to use. All you’ve got to do is hook up a simple 12-volt fan vent and you’re good to go and start composting.
Nature’s Head themselves claim that the toilet is good for around 90 uses before needing to be emptied, so you can do the math on that and figure out how long you can let it go before emptying it out. Just never let it sie above the crank, no matter how many uses you think you’ve got left.
What we typically think of as sewage smell is the result of liquid and solid waste being mixed together and festering there. The Nature’s Head composting toilet is specifically designed in such a way to separate the two types of waste and mitigate any potential sewage smells.
Highlighted features
You could write a book about all the features that Nature’s Head brings to the table. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular models out on the market right now, after all.
Self-containment and ease of use
Once you’ve installed your Nature’s Head composting toilet, it’s completely self-contained and easy to use. All you’ve got to do is hook up a simple 12-volt fan vent and you’re good to go and start composting.
Made in America
Not only will you be doing your bit to save the planet as you take another step towards sustainability, but you’ll be helping to provide ethical jobs to Americans so they don’t have to work for the larger corporations who are actively working towards destroying it.
Large capacity
The large waste capacity of the Nature’s Head composting toilet allows you to save time by not dumping it out and emptying it multiple times a day.
Cleaning out and emptying even the cleanest and highest-end toilets aren’t exactly a joy to do, so any time you can save from it is a good thing.
Because the Nature’s Head composting toilet splits the waste into two parts (solid and liquid) and people produce varying amounts of waste, defining actual capacity in uses is a difficult task.
On average, however, you can expect to empty out your liquid waste about 5 times per month (once every 3-4 days), while solid waste is good for roughly 90 uses (typically this works out to 2-4 months for most people).
Odorless
What we typically think of as sewage smell is the result of liquid and solid waste being mixed together and festering there. The Nature’s Head composting toilet is specifically designed in such a way to separate the two types of waste and mitigate any potential sewage smells.
Using the toilet and emptying its bottle
Physically emptying out the bottle is one of the biggest turn-offs to composting toilets in general, and Nature’s Head is no exception. But, when done properly, it doesn’t have to be much of a chore at all.
How to know when the bottle’s full
One of the most important things to not get wrong when using a composting toilet is not letting it get too full before disposing of the waste buildup. If you let things build up too much, then you’re going to have a much harder time turning it over.
How often does it need to be emptied?
The answer to emptying your Nature’s Head composting toilet is a rather simple one. You’ve just got to empty it when it’s full. This will all depend on how many people you’ve got in your household using the toilet, and how often they’ll actually be using it.
These numbers vary greatly from family to family and what type of household you’re running (is it a tiny house, a normal house, or perhaps an RV), so you’ve got to figure out what works best for you and go from there.
Solid waste
Ideally, you want to wait as long as possible to empty out your Nature’s Head composting toilet. This is because it takes time for the solid waste to decompose and liquify. The longer you wait, the easier the job will be.
Nature’s Head themselves claims that the toilet is good for around 90 uses before needing to be emptied, so you can do the math on that and figure out how long you can let it go before emptying it out. Just never let it sie above the crank, no matter how many uses you think you’ve got left.
A lot of boaters will even go as far as to leave their solid waste in the toilet over the winter (when it’s put away in storage and closed down for the season) and then empty it out the following spring.
And while this isn’t possible for every situation, many users find that even waiting a week makes a substantial difference in the decomposition.
Liquid waste
Every 3-4 days it should be around time to empty out your liquid waste container. Of course, this all depends on how many people they’re using it and how often they are, but 3-4 days is a good rule of thumb.
Disposing of the liquids
Getting rid of all your liquid waste is a relatively simple process. All you’ve got to do is dump the contents down your shower drain (this can even work in an RV park once you’re connected to their sewer system).
If you’re on your own property, however, there is another option if you choose to take it. You could dilute the urine over time and use it to water your grass. Nitrogen is generally good for lawns when used in moderation.
Composting material
When you go to buy your composting material there are two options that stick out above the rest: coconut coir and sphagnum peat moss. You can’t really go wrong with either, so, again it’s really just a matter of preference.
What really matters is what you do after you’ve bought your material. Before you put it into the composting section of your toilet, throw it into a separate bucket and add some (but not too much) water into the mixture to make the material wet and break it up a bit.
Once you’ve done that, just pour it all into the composting section of your toilet and you’re good to go.
For either option, however, there’s no need to buy and add any additives to it (think nutriments and the like). Always avoid mixing in or using soil from the outside to fill your solid compartment, as it will attract unwanted bugs and worms to your toiletry area.
What you get when you buy a Nature’s Head Composting Toilet
When you buy a Nature’s Head composting toilet, you get more than just a cardboard box with the composter itself. They get everything together so you don’t have to.
You get everything you will need in order to get your system up and running so you don’t have to waste your valuable time searching for extra essential parts before you can start using it.
Nature’s Head prides itself on letting you hit the ground running and doing the things you love.
Shifter and Spider Handles
When you buy a Nature’s Head composting toilet you’re given the option to have either the shifter handle or the spider one. The shifter handle operates by going back and forth, while the spider is rotated by using either your hand or foot.
Neither handle option is better, per se. They both work exceptionally well, just different. You can look on their website for pictures and video tutorials to see which one will work the best for your individual situation.
Ventilation and fans
Nature’s Head composting toilets provide fans and ventilation systems (as well as opportunities to upgrade both) in order to help move any smells that arise away from the toilet and towards wherever you’d prefer them to be.
Nature’s Head provides buyers with a one normal ventilation hose and a 12-volt power hook-up for a standard, small computer-type fan.
Nature’s Head vs. Airhead Composting Toilet
While we love Nature’s Head, it might not be for everyone. If you’re on the fence, why not check out our review of another leading brand – the Airhead Composting Toilet.
