How To Get Rid Of Flies In Compost Toilet

A little over a year ago, we changed from a traditional marine head to a Nature's Head composting head. Information technology's been a learning process with the best info coming from other cruisers — readers left some very helpful info on my "Learning to Love our Composting Toilet" post. And then at present, our contribution in the spirit of "paying it forrad."

THIS IS THE LATEST Post ON OUR LEARNING CURVE AND IT SEEMS THAT We FINALLY HAVE THINGS DIALED IN.

NOTE: We love the composting toilet and would never become dorsum to a traditional marine head. So this isn't a post to the upshot that we regret it. We just wish there had been more complete information almost how to use kokosnoot coir every bit the compost medium (proverb to add h2o "until moist but not moisture" simply wasn't specific plenty for us) and what to do if we did get flies. Figuring that others would probably like to know these things, also — here it is.

COCONUT COIR

Coconut coir is a slap-up compost medium. Offset off, it's a readily renewable resource, whereas peat moss takes millions of years to form. Coconut also takes a lot less space to store and is far less likely to accept bugs in it. But you practice have to rehydrate it and crumble it upward.

• After all sorts of experimenting on the right amount of water to rehydrate the coconut, we have ended upwards using 1 loving cup of water per 2.75 pound brick. We utilize Beats Peat brand coconut, available on Amazon — it comes in a package with 4 of the two.75-pound bricks, for a total of 11 pounds. That is not a typo. Just Ane cup of water.
• We take establish that using very dry out coconut and not initially filling the compost unit as full as the manufacturer recommends worked well for us. The drier coconut absorbs more moisture from the poop, resulting in fewer problems with flies and gnats and we can go a flake longer between compost changes– merely since the coconut absorbs moisture and swells, nosotros had to utilise less about 25% less textile (1-ane/2 gallons vs. 2 gallons recommended with peat) or the compost bin was quickly too full and the handle impossible to creepo.
• One two.75 pound brick does about i-1/2 compost changes for usa. With two of u.s. aboard total time, nosotros change the compost every iii weeks (not a calendar month like many manufacturers say). Thus an 11-pound parcel with 4 of the 2.75 pound bricks terminal us somewhere between three and four months.
• We apply a big screwdriver to pry one of the 2.75-pound bricks off the "female parent brick" and place it into a 2-gallon Ziploc (become on Amazon if your supermarket doesn't deport them — the normal "large" Ziplocs are one gallon). We stab the top border of the brick a couple times with the screwdriver, then carefully pour 1 cup of water over that top edge — the holes we fabricated with the screwdriver simply help the water penetrate. No trouble if you don't, information technology'll just take longer to soften.
• TIP: it helps to accept a second person concur the purse every bit i pours the water in. At the very least, lean information technology against something securely. If it tips over before y'all've sealed the purse up, information technology'due south messy.
• Nosotros seal the Ziploc and identify it in a sunny spot on deck. A couple times a solar day, we plough information technology over and, not opening the pocketbook, endeavor to curve the brick and get moisture to all areas.
• Later on the kokosnoot brick and h2o has sat in sun and rehydrated for a couple of days, nosotros get the 5-gallon bucket out (more on this next) and open the Ziploc purse. Nosotros break chunks off the coconut brick and crumble them into the saucepan, taking care not to have whatsoever lumps. When information technology's all crumbled, we put the lid dorsum on and put the bucket dorsum into the lazarette until we need to change the compost.
• We store the prepared coconut in a five-gallon bucket with a air- and water-tight gamma seal chapeau. We prefer to set up it well in advance of when nosotros demand it, so that nosotros never become to a indicate where it needs to be inverse simply we're not ready to. Merely we take to keep it in an closed container and then that it doesn't pick upwards wet from the very humid air here — we want information technology every bit dry out equally possible when we put it to utilize. Later all, information technology's supposed to exist arresting water from the poo!
• Nosotros store the "unprepared" coconut bricks in a canvas locker where there is a slight chance of water leaks and drips. So that the coconut doesn't get wet before we want it to, we keep the bricks in a heavy-duty xxx-liter dry bag (see on Amazon).

FLY Command

Okay, this section isn't fun and no i seems to discuss it. Simply it's a fact of having a composting head. Quondam, you're going to take a fly infestation. It happens. Not all the time or fifty-fifty every year. But sometime. Bluntly, we detect it less nasty than having to modify a joker valve to bargain with clogged hoses in a traditional marine head. First, some prevention tips.

• A contempo Nature's Head newsletter recommended using Gnatrol in the compost to eliminate issues with gnats (tiny little flies). Information technology's a biologic control (bacteria) specifically for mucus gnats and is usually packaged in 16-pound pails. The but place we could observe it in small quantities was on Amazon. 2019 UPDATE: Amazon has stopped conveying the modest packages and they are now available on eBay or at Organic BTi. We are using 1 tablespoon when we change the compost — we only mix the dry powder into the fresh coconut — we do not mix with water first. Since nosotros have been doing this, we accept not flies or gnats. (NOTE: We started past using i teaspoon and still had a few gnats; once we increased to a tablespoon, nosotros don't.)
• When nosotros had been unable to buy Gnatrol from Amazon, we had tried using a liquid formula — Bacillus Thuricide — that was supposed to be the same active ingredient. In just ii months, we had an infestation of fungus gnats and read in several places that it is NOT the same thing every bit Gnatrol. That'south when I discovered that I could still purchase Gnatrol in quantities from one oz. to 1 pound on Ebay and Organic BTI. (Read more and get links)
• Nature's Caput recommended that nosotros sprinkle a chip of diatomaceous earth over the top of the compost each day (don't sir it in until the next time you're cranking) to kill any flies. This did not work for united states of america and we don't utilize it any longer.
• For a while we used Rid-X Septic Tank Handling Packs (ane/2 pack per compost alter) — this supposedly helps the poo pause down faster then flies are less attracted to it. It didn't seem to brand a difference, so we've stopped doing this.
• If nosotros see flies in or around the compost bin, we utilise a shot of Flying Insect Spray into the compost bin. Since using the larger dose of Gnatrol, we do not take to utilize fly spray.

FLY INFESTATION

Wing infestations demand to be dealt with as soon equally you retrieve you lot might fifty-fifty remotely have a trouble. We had one . . . but information technology took us 2 tries to eliminate information technology equally we just didn't realize what drastic activeness was needed.

• There volition exist fly larvae on the inside of the compost bin — on the Nature'southward Head, there volition be eggs/larvae in every nook and cranny of the top. Dump the compost equally normal into a trash bag, then go every bit of crud out that you can with a stick or scraper. Remove the fan if your unit has one. Then use a tank sprayer with water to leave all the larvae. We plant that brushes with long wire handles that we could bend made it easier to scrub everywhere — be sure to become under edges everywhere. If any are left, there volition be a second infestation and you lot'll have to do it again (how exercise I know this?).

• We found our brushes in a hardware store in the Bahamas equally we were preparing to practise the second clean out. Information technology's better to go them before you need them, as every day that you spend getting supplies is a mean solar day that the flies multiply and lay more eggs. Prices are also cheaper when you're not desperate. Coarse bristles work much amend than soft. These are the style and sizes that worked well for us.
  • Amazon narrow tube (1/two″ diameter) wire handle castor
  • Amazon 2″ diameter fifteen″ long wire handle brush
• Later cleaning information technology all out, we poured and sprayed white vinegar everywhere in the unit of measurement, dumped it out, then permit it dry out. Then we refilled with coconut and began using it once more. For the next calendar week or and then, nosotros used fly spray daily to hopefully kill any before they laid more than eggs.
• I've heard of people using pressure washers, boiling h2o, bleach and/or dunking the unit in the ocean to thoroughly clean it. It all depends on where you are and what's available — and legal.
• Ane notation on cleaning the unit out: If your unit has a fan, the wires on it are tiny, easy to intermission and by and large can't be repaired. Exist careful with information technology as you remove the fan. We now carry a couple of spare fans with wiring.

Hope this helps others making the transition to a composting head.

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