Spacesaver Electric Waterless Self Contained Composting Toilet in White

A:  Hello James, Thank you for your question. Sun-Mar composting systems, including the Spacesaver (self-contained, electric) composting toilet, not only handle waste but are also able to completely treat your waste as well, converting it into finished compost (fertilizer, dirt, etc.), which is ideal for use on grass, trees, flowers and plants. Sun-Mar composting toilets feature our Bio-drum™ technology, which provides an optimum composting condition by ensuring even moisture distribution throughout the compost, allowing aerobic bacteria to move throughout the pile and enabling aerobic bacteria to therefore thrive throughout the entire mass by keeping the compost completely oxygenated. These composting systems will take you from start to finish, with very little maintenance and absolutely no smell. With respect to emptying out a Sun-Mar composting toilet, each Sun-Mar installation is different, so there is no set-in-stone schedule for when you should remove compost from the Bio-drum™. That being said, as a general rule, you would want to remove compost at least once a month if your toilet is used residentially, and once a season if used occasionally or on weekends. A general guideline for when to remove compost is the circular indent on either end of the drum, which you can see when looking inside the drum opening. If compost is halfway up that circular indent, removing compost from the drum would be a good idea to prevent the drum from becoming too full. The procedure of emptying out a Sun-Mar toilet is very easy to do. Simply reverse rotate the Bio-drum™ (counter-clockwise rotation) and this will drop some material from the Bio-drum™ down below into the Finishing Drawer. The finishing drawer can then be removed, dumped and put back in place. Keep in mind, the composting toilet can still be used throughout this entire process, as the drum and finishing drawer are completely separate from one another. We hope you find this helpful, however please do not hesitate to contact Sun-Mar, Toll Free at 1-888-341-0782 Ext. 1032 (Mon - Fri: 9am - 5pm EST), should you have any additional questions, we are happy to help. Thank you.

A:  Hello Bill - Thank you for your question. Sun-Mar electric composting toilets, including the Spacesaver unit, must be plugged in and connected to standard electricity at all times, for proper operation, while the toilet is in use. For off-grid (solar, generator or battery powered) applications, Sun-Mar non-electric composting systems would be better suited. The Excel NE (self-contained, non-electric) composting toilet would be a better choice for your application. We hope you find this helpful, however please do not hesitate to contact Sun-Mar Toll Free at 1-888-341-0782 Ext. 232 (Mon - Fri: 9am - 5pm EST), should you have additional questions. Thank you.

A:  It is only an overflow, you can connect it to a drain or outdoors into the woods. With normal use and the fan going all the time you most likely will not have much overflow problems. When the toilet is plugged in it has a heat unit that keeps it at an optimum temperature to minimize fluid build up. We drilled a hole through the wall and ran the tube to the outside. Check out youtube on composting toilets, the reviews and tips/tricks. It is our go to for product reviews, and hints for everything we have questions about.

A:  To vent the toilet, you would run a 2 inch diameter pipe from the top of the unit either straight up or through a side wall and up. It needs to end above the highest point in the roof.