It is difficult to find honest reviews on the internet of composting
toilets. Many articles presenting information about different composting toilet
brands are actually written by the manufacturers or retailers of these popular
composting toilet brands. This is one reason I decided to found this website – to provide unbiased
information and reviews about the benefits and advantages of different
composting toilets.
I do not sell or work as an agent for any composting
toilet manufacturer. All the information and advice I get is based on
research and personal experience. As such, you should also recognize that
many people have different opinions (and some feel quite strongly) about
different models and my opinion is just one of many to consider when purchasing
a toilet composting system.
Two of the most popular composting toilets currently being manufactured are the
Sun-Mar composting toilet and the BioLet composting toilet. Both these
companies produce several different models of composting toilets and in this
review I will discuss features of only a few of their models. You may
want to visit the manufacturers’ websites (Sun-Mar, BioLet) to see all the
models and features available that they offer.
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Sun-Mar Composting Toilets
Sun-Mar is one of the most well-known composting toilet manufacturers in North
America. Founded in 1971, the Sun-Mar corporation currently has 22 different
composting toilets available, ranging from small portable composting toilets
that can be used on boats and RV’s to larger centralized systems suitable for
an entire family. They offer both electric and non-electric models, and
their centralized systems come in both dry and low flush formats. Their
best-selling self-contained model is the “Excel” which they say can accommodate
up to four individuals living in a household. Their larger centralized models,
such as the “Centrex 3000 AF” are built to accommodate up to ten individuals
(“seasonally” they say). Their portable “Sun-Mar Mobile” composting
toilet model is also very popular with boaters. Self-contained models
start at around $1500 (U.S.), while the centralized units can cost well over
$2000, although installation and additional features will add to these costs,
especially with the centralized units.
The Sun-Mar Corporation has put a lot of effort into making many of their
models nearly odor-free. This is accomplished by engineering the models
so that there is a partial vacuum in them at all times. Sun-Mar
composting toilets have also been certified by the National Sanitation
Foundation International, which has strict guidelines on the amount of odorless
fecal matter there is in the finished compost product. If you are
interested in watching a promotional YouTube video for the Sun-Mar composting
toilet, click here. Most
published online reviews of the Sun-Mar composting toilet seem to be positive.
BioLet Composting Toilets
BioLet is a smaller company than Sun-Mar and was founded in 1991. Their
main focus is on self-contained composting toilets, and currently they are
offering four different self-contained models for sale (BioLet 10, 20, 30 and
60). They have both electric and non-electric models (the BioLet 30 is
the non-electric models), suitable for between three to four people when in use
full-time. Models range in price from around $1400 (for the non-electric
BioLet 30 version) to $2200 for their larger BioLet 60 model. You may
also be able to find a good deal by checking out the BioLet refurbished page to
see if they have any discounted refurbished models for sale.
Some online reviewers have expressed dissatisfaction with the non-electric
model. Some complaints have focused on the odor, which is common in
many non-electric composting toilets since there is no fan mechanism to draw
the odor away. Some have also complained that the fan models are noisy
and high maintenance, and that they may not be well-equipped to deal with large
amounts of urine you can read these reviews here.
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