SunMar Excel NE Compost Toilet

[@mercermouth7571]

I've been using my SunMar for 12 years with only one issue. The exhaust fan bearings finally wore out and I replaced the motor from a spare found in my barn. My drain is at ground level and I don't think any liquid has ever exited and as it appears to be absorbed in the solids. I only add a small amount of Peat Moss two or three times a year, mostly to reduce or prevent gnats from reproducing. This is a low-maintenance device and has been well worth the investment.

[@texastx8247]

Very informative, looking at a property that has this toilet in the house. We didnt know anything about them, now we do! 👍

[@ADifferentWay]

Glad it was helpful!

[@familylumby7534]

In 1998 we bought a SunMar toilet. We took it to our cabin by snow mobile in covered and with many tips. We were very happy until we were burnt out last year. We immediately bought a new one which we installed this year. We are very annoyed with the new design. It was shipped in by float plane in the box. The outer shell was cracked probably in transport but is much thinner than our old one. We like the absence of the metal paddles which make the rotating easier. We are very unhappy with the size of the toilet seat(good for a child). We also find the black pan not deep enough and doesn’t accommodate the males in our family. While we realize that it enables the barrel size to enlarge it causes urine to end up on the floor.

[@ChesterChang-nm6us]

thanks for the informative videos

[@912ruckus2]

Thank you much for a proper review. I was considering one for my remote property but I'm only there a couple of weeks per year.

[@ADifferentWay]

Glad it was helpful!

[@josdesouza]

Another very informative video! Thanks again! P.S.: It wouldn't be a bad idea if the Sunmar folks rewarded you accordingly for your excellent job at explaining how the thing works properly.

[@thejeweledlotus4205]

thank you for this amazing and detailed review!

[@earlyriser8998]

Loved the explanation. What about toilet paper? In the toilet or a separate container?

[@ADifferentWay]

Standard toilet paper is fine to use in the compost toilet. We just do not put any type of wipes or feminine products in there.

[@noahshinabarger]

It sounds like you've used a bucket system in the past--to me that seems like it would save a lot of money, you'd have less things that could break, could use regular sawdust, and it would be about the same amount of work of just emptying into a compost system when full. What made you move past a bucket system towards more 'advanced' composting solutions? The scent? Love your videos--they are an inspiration to me as I think about what it would be like to build and live in an off grid home with my family some day.

[@ADifferentWay]

Certainly sticking with our bucket system would be less expensive, but we had several reasons. First, the bucket system requires almost daily dumping with 7 people using it, and no one really cares for that task. This system only has to be dumped about once every 2-3 months (according to the manual, but we haven’t reached that point yet.) Thus, it’s much easier to maintain and more pleasant. Second, we do have a frequent guests who do not care for the primitive life so much. So, we chose to set up our new home in a way that is very guest-friendly. This toilet is definitely more inviting. Hope that makes sense!

[@TB-nj6ki]

Thank you for the informative video! We have friends who have a cottage they let us use a couple weeks in the summer with one of these in it. The cottage is off grid, no running water or electricity. Just used for summer getaways. I am hoping to be able to fix the issue before the owners get there so they have an easier stay. My question... Have you had to clean your screen yet? We started having issues a couple years ago with too much liquid in the bottom of the unit. The company said it could be a blocked screen or if the screen was horribly blocked it could be that the drain hose is blocked because the screen was blocked so badly. I was wondering how difficult cleaning the screen is first of all and also if you have an easy way to determine if the drain hose is blocked as well. We don't have many tool available at the cabin and I am trying to figure out what we might need to bring with us when we go up. So if you have any advice on cleaning the screen and possibly cleaning the drain or drain hose I would greatly appreciate it. Seeing a new one showed me better where things are (can't see the screen in the current one or never looked exactly in that direction really) so that gives me a little more hope I can get this done. Thank you for the very informative video.

[@ADifferentWay]

As far as cleaning the screen, I haven’t had to do it in this toilet but I did in my other Sunmar 3000 NE. It’s the exact same screen and I used a paint scraper followed by a wire brush. As far as the hose, this one never blocked but my 3000 NE did. Just disconnect the hose,take it outside blow it out with a compressor. If you can’t remove it easily, duct tape a wet vac on the end and suck it out. Then you have a mess to clean out of the shop vac but it works.

[@TB-nj6ki]

@@ADifferentWay Thank you for all of that info. 2 more quick questions if I may please. I know your set up is different than the one I am looking at but can you tell me if the exhaust stack pipe going to the ceiling is usually glued together or loose fit. If we have to access the drain hose I am thinking we have to move the entire unit to access the back side and I don't want to mess up the exhaust pipe. Severe fear of heights here, so going on the roof to fix it is out of the question for me. If we don't have an air compressor, or shop vac... small cabin with no electricity at all... do you have any other ideas on clearing the hose. One site mentioned using a hose and blasting water but again ... no running water only hand pump water so no water pressure. I suppose pouring water and letting it sit and letting gravity work as things soak up the water maybe but, I am not sure. I may have to look into a battery powered ... something ...I suppose. I know they have shop vacs that are battery powered but have not looked into those or anything like them as of yet. Just curious if you had another idea before I go too far down the rabbit hole. Thank you again for the wonderful video and your response. They have been very helpful.

[@ADifferentWay]

I left the exhaust pipe right out of the toilet loose fit, and then glued all the other pieces. That way, if I had to move the toilet, I could pull that first stack piece off. As far as the drain pipe, you could try letting water sit in it and see if it would dissolve. However, if you have a pipe snake, that could work too. you might want to look into a small compressor that runs off 12 V and can be powered by the car. I know they make those.

[@TB-nj6ki]

@@ADifferentWay Thank you! Great ideas I will look into all of that. Please have a great day.

[@tracyelertson4647]

We are considering the electric version of this composting toilet. Are you still happy with this toilet? Have you ran into any problems? Would you recommend this after using it for a while now?

[@ADifferentWay]

Yes, we are still very happy with this toilet. We mentioned in the video that we were going to raise it and we did. We have had no problems with the effluent since then. I have only had to empty it twice in four months despite having five children using it (greater than the advertised capacity). I personally do not leave the compost in the finishing drawer, I have my own outside compost pile that I put it in. The fan is virtually silent and there is still no odor either inside or outside the house.

[@Cissdog]

I have an electric SunMar Excel that has been in constant use since 1996--residential use with 3 people. It's been amazing. Kids are grown--just me, now--so the maintenance has gotten pretty simple: remove a drawer of compost every 6 weeks or so & dump it into my main compost pile, outside. Parts do wear out--I've replaced the motor twice, and the evaporation plate once.

[@rickreid5896]

Great video. Thank you. I am a bit confused about the bulk drum and finishing tray. The drum seemed huge compared to that tray underneath. When you say you emptied it twice in 4 months, it that the contents of the big drum or just the tray underneath? Also, would the shavings from a chainsaw be too fine to use as a bulking material? I live in the Canadian arctic so bulking materials that are relatively cheap in the south are expensive up here because of there shipping size.

[@ADifferentWay]

You’re right, the finishing tray is much smaller than the bulk drum. When I emptied it, I did several tray loads. I just had a wheelbarrow out back and I put it in there until I was ready to haul it to the compost pile. As far as the chainsaw shavings, they will be about the same size as the screen openings. Probably OK to use once you have some waste in there, but I wouldn’t start with those.

[@maraelaine7360]

What type of toilet paper do you use?

[@ADifferentWay]

We use normal toilet paper. It composts quickly.

[@kathynaravane3269]

Hello! Thank you for this video, Ive had a hard time finding some good videos. Can you explain how you put your switch in? My SunMar is in a recreational/off grid cabin using a solar panel and battery. I want to be able to turn it off when we aren't there for periods of time because it is running continuously. Thank you!

[@ADifferentWay]

The fan comes with red and black leads coming out of it. Just go to an Automotive store and get a 12 V switch. Connect the red lead to the load side of the switch and connect your battery to the line side. The black negative can go direct to the battery negative.

[@sawyersdad5292]

Thanks...

[@als3960]

Hello. Thank you for the video. I just bought a cottage that has an excel ne like yours. Is it normal for liquid to accumulate in the evaporation tray? Not to the point that it creates a mess or anything but I would say there is a few centimetres of it in the tray at all times. Thanks!

[@ADifferentWay]

That is normal. You can try adding more bulk material to reduce the fluid if necessary. Don’t use so much bulk that the tray remains dry, however, or it will be in your compost is to dry and will not break down properly. Also be aware that if it has heavy use, the tray can actually fill and the effluent will spill out the overflow tube in back. Again, that is normal.

[@als3960]

@@ADifferentWaythank you for the quick reply. Good to know that the accumulation of liquid is normal. I had to fix the drain line slope and vented it properly above the peak. Ill need to add the fan and will keep monitoring. Cheers from New Brunswick Canada

[@celery9809]

i'm extra weird, why are there two doors in that room, is one a closet? does the sink and shower water have to go through the toilet composting also? thank you

[@ADifferentWay]

The regular door to the right of the toilet is the bathroom entrance. The pocket door to the left leads into our back utility room. So, essentially, you walk through the bathroom to get to the utility room. Regarding the drain, only the compost effluent uses that tube. The shower and sink are plumbed as normal, with a drain in the wall, leading under the floor and into the dump pit, like most modern homes.

[@celery9809]

@@ADifferentWay thanks

[@rustygrace1]

My husband and I are considering buying this. Can you explain more why the effluent pipe is needed for dummies and where it’s going? It seems like this model doesn’t require the urine to exit so we’re not grasping why there’s a hose :)

[@ADifferentWay]

You are correct, the urine is not separated, it keeps the compost moist. However, during heavy use, the excess moisture falls into an evaporation chamber in the bottom. If this chamber can’t evaporate fast enough, there is an overflow, thus the pipe. Our pipe goes into our sump pit and is pumped to an outdoor leach field with the rest of our drains. with light use, there is no overflow. We started out with four teenagers and a toddler down there. Now we’re down to three teenagers and a toddler. Once I can get these boys to head off to college, I’m assuming there will be no overflow at all.

[@ttsmyf]

We are setting up ours today!! (Electric version) Are you still happy with yours? Any advice for us newbies since you started using this?

[@ADifferentWay]

Still happy with it. The only recommendation I would have is to empty it before it hits halfway. It gets harder to turn the more compost that’s in it. The kids like it when I empty it more often because it’s lighter.

[@tracyelertson4647]

@@ADifferentWay We were delayed in our start up of our Sun-Mar... Move in day is tomorrow! BUUUT, a tad of an embarrassing question.... Ummm, I have boys and a husband going to use it. When they looked at the opening, they are wondering... HOW? Hahah! Did you happen to make the opening of the black liner a tad bigger than when you first got it? Ours sure seems much smaller than yours!

[@ADifferentWay]

Our opening is 4“ x 8 1/2“. Speaking from experience, me, and my two boys don’t have an issue hitting the target. However, when your tank is running empty, and the pressure is low, you have to lean forward😂. I use the enzyme liquid in a spray bottle to keep deposits from forming on the edges. Only the black tray gets any residue if any. The rest of the toilet hardly gets anything and that’s impressive for having two teenage boys in the house.

[@tracyelertson4647]

@@ADifferentWayThank you for your advice! It's been 2 weeks now! Question for regular maintenance... I think I've been doing it wrong. Are you supposed to crank the handle to mix (42 revelations every time you go #2)? We have just been doing it one full revolutions around (6 cranks of the handle) each time. Also, Do you still use the spray and the microbe mix? Is that something we will have to keep buying, or can you move away from it once it's established? Are you still happy with your wood shavings vs the Sure Green?

[@ADifferentWay]

You turn the handle six times, or one full rotation of the drum each time you do #2. You do seven rotations, or 42 handle turns, once every two days to really stir everything up. Yes, we still use the spray and the microbe mix. The spray is used just periodically, per the manual. The microbe mix use really slows down as you get your system going. For us, it took a good six weeks to really get the compost action started. Each time you use the bathroom, especially with solids, you’re starting to populate the compost with other bacteria and organisms that help break everything down. we use the microbe mix approximately once a month just to ensure this action continues. He also uses it after he cleans the bin out, just to kickstart the process thoroughly once again. We actually asked the company about this use, and they recommended we continue in the event anyone in your family, or a guest, is ever on antibiotics. Those antibiotics can actually damage the compost process. So continuing to add the microbe mix will ensure the composting action continues, in spite of any contaminants. Finally, yes, we are very happy with our own wood chips. We primarily use the shavings from our planer because they are a bit finer than standard store-bought wood chips. However, if you can find the tiny wood chips in your local farm store, they would work just as well. They’re much less expensive overall and they last a very long time! Hope that helps.

[@haliejohnson4896]

Can you explain how the drainage tube works? Is that required to go into a septic system?

[@ADifferentWay]

The drain tube is there just as a back up, in the event the effluent is more than the bulk material can absorb. While your local laws may differ, This liquid can generally be captured in a container, and used to water plants like a compost tea, or discarded into a proper compost pile. Certainly, if you have the ability to plummet into your septic system, then it would eliminate any need for dealing with such liquid. Assuming you’re not overloading the system, though, you will see little to no effluent in those tubes. Even with all the people in our family, now that we’ve been using it and gotten the hang of the bulk material ratios, we rarely have to deal with any excess liquid. It is absorbed by the bulk shavings we use and composted along with the solids.

[@nataliehall2577]

What several types of material do you suggest using besides the compost sure green? Thank you!

[@ADifferentWay]

You don’t want sawdust, as it’s too fine, however standard wood shavings are fine and will fall through the mesh screen. However, You can buy bags of horse bedding shavings from any farm store. We often use shavings from our planer, made right here on the farm!

[@nataliehall2577]

@@ADifferentWay thank you so much! All of this is so so helpful. Bless you

[@rickreid5896]

What about using the wood chips from a chain saw? Are they too fine?

[@ADifferentWay]

Those might work, but that size is very close to the screen size. I’m guessing if you put them in after you had a good amount of waste already in there, you would be fine.

[@soundfridge3431]

Where does the pee go? Is it mixed in with the rest of the waste or does it get diverted somewhere?

[@ADifferentWay]

The P is mixed in with all the waste. There is no diverter. It’s useful for keeping the contents moist without having to add additional water.

[@joseromero7844]

So you are able to see the poop on the drum ?

[@ADifferentWay]

You can see the contents of the drum, but due to the bulk material and the turning of the drum, it doesn’t look like human waste. Not to be gross, but it somewhat resembles no-bake chocolate cookie batter! 😂. Sorry if I ruined those for you!!🤣

[@tyannthomas1162]

Am i able to put this model into an rv? Also, when you say "normal" toilet paper, does that mean 2ply? My family lives in a 5th wheel camper while we build our house and our septic system is just a headache and this model will eventually go into the house

[@ADifferentWay]

Normal is single ply, or double ply. Toilet paper decomposes relatively quickly unless you use an exorbitant amount. Which actually was an issue we had with our four year old. As far as using it in an RV, you will have to vent outside somehow. I would be reluctant to cut through an RV roof for the venting. If you’re not concerned about freezing, I would set up a temporary outhouse outside and put it inside that.

[@sgsoogirl3717]

I'm having issues with compost being too wet. The manual says to check the screen and the drain, however I have no idea where they are. I have added a half bag of compost mix. And it didnt help. Can anyone help?

[@ADifferentWay]

The screen is located on the bottom of the drum in the very back. It needs to be cleaned periodically to prevent clogging up and trapping moisture in the drum. The drain is in the very back of the evaporation chamber. It’s actually just a long slit that allows effluent to overflow into a small tube that’s on the back of the toilet. My guess is that the drum screen is clogged. A backed up drain would actually overflow the evaporation chamber, not cause the contents to be wet.

[@Timber81]

Nice idea but if you live on a cold mountain this thing will stink sometimes. Needs a heating pad in winter. A fan should be standard equipment. I have. Had affluent leak on my floor due in part to a clogged outflow pipe. Good luck! In 20 years I've saved thousands of gallons of freash drinking water from being polluted from human waste!

[@ADifferentWay]

Nice tip about the heating pad for cold floors. SunMar actually recommends that but since my floor has hydronic heating I don’t have to worry about that.

[@ulktz]

This toilet is absolutely terrible and the fact it was designed in 1981 really shows. It is mind blowing that this product is still sold as is when there are multiple obvious design flaws. The barrel is too close to the collection tray, meaning that the entire barrel gets smeared with feces when rotated while emptying. This is made worse by the fact the bar used to rotate it has plastic cogs instead of metal, which jump out of place causing the rotation wheel to spin dangerously while emptying when full, meaning you have to physically reach inside and move the barrel by hand to empty it safely, touching smeared fecal matter. This problem also causes the barrel to overflow into the interior base of the toilet resulting in a permanent damp moldy carpet of feces forming underneath it which is almost impossible to access and clean. The collection tray is cheap plastic and cracked/breaks when lifted from the front due to the weight of the collected compost. It has to be reinforced with epoxy to be usable. The toilet has a gap under the seat giving insects easy access. The plastic quality is very poor and after a few years it became very brittle and started cracking, requiring reinforcement with epoxy resin. The bar used to rotate the barrel is cheap plastic and snapped off completely within the first year of normal use. It doesn't compost at for the colder half of the year as it lacks internal heating. basically, it is a glorified bucket made of cheap plastic that will give you endless torture. Buy something higher quality and save yourself the headache.

[@ADifferentWay]

Fortunately for me, I haven’t had any of those problems yet. However, people need to see the good with the bad and make an informed decision. Thanks for your comments.

[@anushkakankariya6975]

Very informative. I really wanted to see the real experience shared by someone before considering the purchase of the toilet. Thanks a lot. I would really appreciate if I could connect with you. Could you please share email or contact number. Thanks

[@ADifferentWay]

You can contact us through Facebook messenger. See our Facebook page in our channel details.