Installing your Nature's Head^® composting toilet

Check that everything you ordered and all installation materials are included.

You should find the following parts:

• Your new Nature's Head^® composting toilet!
• The urine bottle with screw cap
• Fan (pre-installed on the toilets head)

Furthermore, your composting toilet installation kit:

• 1,52 m (5 ft) long, flexible exhaust hose, inner diameter approx. 3.8 cm (1.5 inch)
• Flange for connecting the hose to the outer wall (round)
• Crank (Spider or Foot Spider, depending on version)
• 2 metal brackets and 2 knurled screws for mounting on the floor
• 4 screws (for installation on wooden floor)
• 45,7 cm (18 inch) cable for the 12 V fan (this is already pre-installed)
• Allen key for mounting the handle (depending on version)
• Fuse and holder for installation directly on a battery
• Spray bottle
• Manual (english)

Your Nature's Head^® separating toilet comes with all the necessary components for installation. You should also consider the following:

Fan and ventilation

Your composting toilet already has a fan pre-installed that will remove moisture from the container. The exhaust air should be directed outside. If you already have an older ventilation opening, you can use gill plates in various sizes to cover it.

• For a new installation, a ventilation cover with a diameter of approx. 6 cm is sufficient.
• We strongly recommend fitting a fly screen at this point to prevent insects from entering the exhaust air hose.
• Buy a stainless ventilation grille with insect screen in our shop!
  For more information on ventilation, see the installation instructions in the box or contact us if you have any questions about your installation.

Hoses and hose lengths

For some installation variants you might need a longer exhaust air hose. In this case, you can work with HT40 (40 mm) PVC pipe. Remember that the end of the pipework must be flexible and removable so that you can remove it to empty the solids bin of your composting toilet.

Ground

The screws included in the installation kit are only suitable for wooden floors. If you want to install your toilet on concrete or similar surfaces, we recommend mounting it on a (painted) wooden plate, which can then be screwed or glued to the concrete.

Power supply

If you want to operate the fan via a normal 230 V connection (household socket), you need a suitable power supply unit. This transforms the 230 V of your household connection to 12 V, you can find some with German plug in our shop.

Composting substrate

All composting toilets need an absorbent substrate so that the process can be odour-free. We recommend coconut fibre, an environmentally friendly and sustainable waste product from the production of coconut fibre ropes. The fibres are pressed into bricks, which are light, small, easy to store and transport. You can find the right bricks at the Shop / Composting toilet accessories.

• Once you have found a suitable place for your new Nature's Head^® composting toilet, measure it to ensure there is enough space for use and maintenance.
• You also need sufficient space on the side for the hose connection and the crank. Both can be attached independently on both sides of the toilet.
• Make sure that the toilet lid can be opened fully.
• You need at least 4 cm clearance between the back of the toilet and the wall or boat side. This is because to remove the urine container or toilet bowl, the toilet must be tilted backwards. BUT
• If you don't have enough room to tilt the bowl, simply remove the upper part of the rear hinge! The bowl is held securely in position by the latches on both sides. Without the rear hinge, you can place the toilet directly against the wall.
• On the left side of the toilet (seen from the front) you need at least 5.1 cm of space to slide the toilet bowl out of the hinge for maintenance. Same here:
• If you do not use the rear hinge, you can place your Nature's Head® composting toilet directly next to a side wall. Make sure that the side latches can still be moved.
• And of course: make sure they can sit comfortably on the toilet without bumping into doors or edges.

If you have very little space at the installation site, you can also carry out the necessary maintenance work by detaching the toilet from the floor and moving it slightly.

Once you have chosen a suitable place for your toilet, you need to fix it to the floor of your boat, motorhome or summer house. To do this, you will need the two mounting brackets supplied.

Usually, the mounting brackets are fitted in the recesses under the toilet (see manual). Retractable screws for installation on a wooden floor are included in the mounting set.

• If you want to attach the mounting brackets (as shown in the manual) under the toilet, carefully mark the contours of the brackets on the floor. Note the distance between the angle and the drawn line. Remove the brackets from the toilet, position them exactly within the outlines and then mark the drill holes.
• To check the position of the mounting brackets on the floor, place the toilet in the previously selected position. Adjust if necessary. Then use the knurled nuts to fasten the brackets to the toilet.
• If you want to mount the brackets outwards instead, simply mark the required drill holes with a pencil.

Before drilling holes in the floor, make sure that there are no cables or similar underneath. Take special care not to drill into the hull in a boat!

• If you are fixing the toilet to a floor that gets wet frequently, it is recommended that you seal the drill holes.
• Do not overtighten knurled nuts and screws to avoid damaging the connections!

Your composting toilet needs to be vented to the outside, whether it is a boat, a mobile home or a garden shed. Ventilation removes odours during use and any moisture that develops, and encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria involved in the composting process.

It's a simple system. On one side, the fan draws air out of the toilet to an opening on the outside. At the same time, fresh air flows in on the opposite side of the toilet.

The installation of the ventilation is the most difficult part of a composting toilet installation. Depending on the placement of your toilet, you may need to drill or cut holes in the wall, ceiling or floor. With the right tools, this should not be a problem. If you're not sure whether your DIY skills are sufficient or you're missing tools, get help from a tradesman or check out our installation partners across Europe.

• When converting boats, you can often use the old opening of your wastewater disposal system by connecting the vent hose to the adapter and installing a deck vent above the opening.
• Due to the wide range of possibilities that can arise during installation, the installation kit does not include a gill plate, solar vent, mushroom vent or similar for mounting on the outside! Simply choose the best solution for your installation.
• Make sure that wind and water cannot enter the toilet through your vent. We always recommend installing a fly screen or fly net to prevent insects from entering the vent.

A simple 12 V computer fan that requires less than 1.2 Ah per 24 hours is the only part of the toilet that needs electricity. A suitable low-voltage plug (5.5 mm x 2.5 mm) with a cable approx. 45 cm long is included in the installation kit. It is plugged into the socket on the fan housing.

As with all electrical installations, make sure that the fan is only operated in a protected circuit. The fuse should be at least 2 A and a maximum of 5 A at 12 V. A fuse and a fuse holder for operation in unprotected 12 V systems, e.g. with direct connection to a battery, are also included in the installation kit.

Of course, you can also operate the fan on a 230 V power source, you will need a suitable plug-in power supply unit for this, which you can obtain (German plug only!) in our shop.

If you are not sure about the electrical installation, please contact an electrician.

If the installation of the ventilation on one side of your toilet is better than on the other side, you can always exchange the fan housing with the filter housing on the other side.

When the toilet is delivered, the crank handle is not yet mounted. It must be attached first. The standard crank handle (no longer available) is fastened with a metal sleeve and a cotter pin, the spider handle / foot spider handle with a hexagon socket screw.

If you want to mount the crank handle on the opposite side of the toilet, first take out the shaft, turn it around and put it back in.

Composting toilets are perfect wherever you need a sanitation solution but there are no supply or waste water pipes.

If you have any questions about composting toilet installation, just call or send an email. We will be happy to help you!