THE BEAST IS OUT: Diy composting toilet install pt1

I really wish I had more photos to show you of the removal, but we wound up taking the blackwater system out during a driving thunderstorm (at the moment we have winds gusting to 71mph.  Not restful) but we managed to get the old blackwater toilet and holding bladder out without too much difficulty.

I feel like I should say something like "thank you for your service," but truth to tell i think the thing was just exhausted.

A couple of notes on removal:  in most of these systems, the pump and most valves in these systems are designed to be placed ABOVE the water line, so that, in case of a failure or needed repair, you won't flood the boat.  If, as in our current case, you can't close the seacocks and there's nobody working in the marina to pull your vessel, you can use that to your advantage and relocate the open ends of the lines to above water level and cap them.  As it was, I put some oak bungs in the intake water hose and in the outlet hose right below the valve that sends the waste either to the holding tank or overboard, and then ripped out the rest of it.  Some stout pipe clamps and I'm comfortable enough with it to live with it until this plague is over and I can get a haul and hang to address the through-hulls safely.

The old head location is now occupied by our redoubtable camping toilet, pending the new composter.

So, one more thing off the list.  Over the next couple of days we'll complete our measuring and arguing over the new layout, and then we'll build in our new DIY composting toilet with urine diverter.  Wow, I'm so glad that went as well as it did.

Windy here tonight, with gusts into the 70's (MPH) and we're probably stuck with this weather for the next two days, but stay tuned for pictures of the new install.

More shortly.

Stay safe everyone.

M