Tuesday, Oct 05, 2010 at 12:42
Hi Keith,
There is something wrong with that info - those dimensions are not for the mobile. The Mobile is only about 480mm wide and about 580mm deep. I forget how tall it is as I can't find the PDF manual at the moment, but they are fairly tall (a folding footrest is included). To be honest, the 'problems' you have been told about all sound a lot like misinformation being spruiked by somebody more interested in selling you something else.
I asked the
Melbourne distributor a few questions regarding the heating element etc and they gave me all kinds of info which conflicts with the manufacturer's specs (eg heater wattage, ability to separate heater function and fan function etc). I suspect that the Mobile is not a big seller here in Aus and as a result, dealers don't have a good grasp of the details.
What I can tell you (after reading the PDF and a number of reviews etc) is that these things have already been around for over 10 years and those who own them seem to swear by them. The basic principle is that you poo into a drum of compost. Use as much
toilet paper as you like, and occasionally add some sawdust and compost improver (moss) but use no additional water and certainly no chemicals. Every couple of days you rotate the drum a few turns (via a lever that
swings out from under the
seat).
When the drum is getting full you perform an operation to drop some of the compost into a 'finishing' drawer. When the finishing drawer needs emptying it is odourless compost that can be put straight on the garden. In full-time use by a single person this would only need to be done every few weeks, even months.
A 12v fan (<5w) keeps air flowing through the compost, and out through a vent, via a zeolite and activated charcoal filter to eliminate odour (as mentioned before, a healthy aerobic digestion produces a lot less odour than most of us imagine).
There is a third tray which collects the liquid. This will evaporate off (and out through the vent) if the conditions are warm enough, and is assisted by the heater. From memory the mains heater is about 160w, but you can opt for a 12v (120w?) heater. In North America the heater is expected to operate about half of the time. In Australia presumably a lot less will get the job done.
If you don't use the heater at all, you'll have about 1L of liquid per person per day to accommodate (Northern hemisphere estimates again). The option is there for you to plumb directly to a black water holding tank which you then empty as appropriate. Obviously, in hotter/drier climates more liquid will evaporate by itself, and if you put less liquid in to start with (ie, water the trees instead) then there's even less of an issue.
Regarding the ruggedness, much is made of the additional strength and seals engineered into it to survive marine and mobile applications. Whether it is up to extended touring on corrugated roads I couldn't say, but I don't plan to do that.
I'm not associated in any way with the maker or any dealer, but I think this design really deserves a fair crack of the whip and not to be 'poo-pooed' simply because it is a departure from the normal chemical solutions.
After even more reading and research I'm almost certain that it's perfect for my needs. I'm surprised that noboidy on this
forum has had experience with them but there are a number of articles and reviews on the net if anyone else is interested.
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