A Composting Toilet For Tiny Homes On The Move
Composting toilets are, in my opinion, the very best option for tiny homes. They require no connection to a septic system, no voyages to dump stations and turn what is generally considered to be waste, into a valuable resource through the composting process.
Earlier, we talked about the Clivus Multurm LP, which is a fantastic option for tiny houses which are stationary. If you’re home is on the move however, you need a unit which is completely self contained and designed for travel.
Recently, we completed construction of our new Travel Model tiny house. This tiny house is compact, off the grid and designed to be constantly moving. For that reason, we wanted to find the ideal toilet to match this situation.
The Sun-Mar GTG: For Mobile Homes, Caravans, Buses, Vans & More
The Sun-Mar GTG is one of the most compact and economical composting toilets on the market, which makes it a great option for small spaces. It’s a urine diverting system, which essentially translates to easier management while travelling, as liquids and solids are separated into two seperate chambers. It’s also possible to plumb the liquids into a grey water tank for even less maintenance.
Frequently, we are asked about composting toilet choices for homes on the move and this is the option which we personally chose. Tiny houses, buses, vans and caravans all have very limited space to work with and the fact they need to be portable limits composting toilet choices, especially if you want something which also looks good! Fortunately, the GTG has been specifically designed to meet this need.
To find out more about this toilet and it’s technical specifications, you can visit EcoFlo (Australia) or Waterless Composting Toilets NZ (New Zealand). Read on to learn more about my personal experience using this toilet.
The Design
This composting toilet has a great design which doesn’t look at all out of place in the modern bathroom. When compared to other
toilets with similar functionality this is, in my opinion, certainly one of the better options.
The tiny house we built had an ultra modern style and this toilet looked fantastic. The only modification that I made was to change the colour (from white to black) in order to fit the style. As these are made from the same material as car bumpers, I was able to take it to an auto repair shop and they spray painted it black for me. The result looks great and appears to be robust, with none of the paint scratching off so far.
Ultimately, when it comes to the style, it’s a definite win for our home!
Use On The Road
The first thing to note about this toilet, is that it’s completely odourless. When people think of composting toilets, one of the major concerns is that they will smell. The truth however, is quite the opposite. With the Sun-Mar GTG, a powerful fan maintains constant negative pressure and airflow, which prevents any odour from escaping the toilet.
Unlike a conventional flushing toilet, it also means there is no odour while the toilet is in use either, which is a definite win for those living in small spaces!
Both the receptacles for solids and liquids are well portioned considering the size of the unit, and with constant use with two people, we generally find the liquids need to be emptied every couple of days, while the solids can go up to a week. Obviously, this does depend largely on frequency of use. The important thing is that when these do need to be emptied, it’s very simple to do so.
When possible, we either add the contents of our GTG to our home Humanure composting system when we return from a trip, or occasionally, on the road we will be staying at a location which has a composting system which we can add to.
Alternatively, when using the composting bags, you can simply take the full bag, seal it shut and add it to the trash. It’s super simple.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, this composting toilet is idea for the job it was designed for. As a travel model toilet for a home on the move, this is a fantastic choice. If you’re building a traveling tiny house, a Skoolie conversion or a van, this is a brilliant option for a primary toilet. It’s also a super simple option for a secondary toilet or a back-up for home use. If you’re looking for a primary composting toilet for a static home, tiny house or cabin though, I would certainly point you in the direction of the Clivus Multurm LP (or the larger capacity HP version) which I believe to be much better.
The Sun-Mar GTG is pleasant and easy to use, it’s comfortable and doesn’t compromise on the design. For a home on the move, it’s one that I highly recommend.
