Let’s talk about 💩 ! I think this is the perfect introduction to this topic. We have never talked about bowel movements as much as we have in the last 4 weeks. Well of course there is a reason for that, we got a dry separation toilet from Toni Toi and it is the Shit 😝😝😝.
But how did it come about? Actually, I was always totally annoyed by all the people with their dry separation toilets and organic additives. There was always something hypocritical about that somehow. People drive 2000003592385 kilometers with their motorhome through the history of the world, but then just no chemicals in the toilet, could be bad for the environment. Somehow it didn’t really fit together for me. What’s even worse, however, is removing the toilet from the Grand California and installing an absolutely ugly foreign object, 99 percent of which doesn’t fit into the overall picture at all. Therefore, for a long time, a dry separation toilet was not an issue at all.
Until the day I first heard about Anna & Paul from Munich and their Thetford C223 toilet conversion. Wait, conversion for the Thetford C223? Crazy, it’s installed in the Grand California. The idea of Anna & Paul convinced me immediately, the existing toilet is converted to a dry separation system within 45 minutes and can be returned to its original state without leaving any residue. So I swung the keys and wrote to the two and a short time later we had a date in Munich to the conversion.
Hold on…. Above I still said that I was always totally annoyed. Okay sure, I found a system that integrates perfectly with the Grand California. The legitimate question, of course, is why don’t you just keep using your chemical toilet if the environmental aspect plays no, or only a small, role? The answer is simple and short, with a dry separation toilet you are simply independent! You can go on vacation for three weeks and not even have to visit a disposal station. So it was not the environmental aspect that was the deciding factor here, but self-sufficiency.
But now a few basics before we get to the Toni Toi conversion by Anna & Paul.
What actually is a dry separation toilet?
Good question or? We already find 😄
A dry separation toilet works without water flushing, the feces are directed into different containers. A container for the solids. This contains for example coco hum, there a natural composting process takes place. The liquid, i.e. the urine, goes into the second container, which can be disposed of separately.
Structure and function of Toni Toi
The highlight of Toni Toi is the above-mentioned seamless integration into the existing vehicle. The set basically consists of two parts, a modified toilet cassette and a new toilet bowl.
The toilet bowl
Anna & Paul have cleverly modified the toilet bowl. The two make a completely new insert made of PP plastic, which fits into the original Thetford. In the picture you can clearly see the separation, so there is the opening for the urine in the front and the solids in the back. The position for the solids remains in exactly the same place as in the original bowl and the opening of the flap via the lever remains unchanged, meaning your habits, respectively the aiming does not have to be relearned. 😅
The toilet cassette
Since the new toilet bowl has two openings, the cassette must be adjusted accordingly. For this purpose, an original C220 cassette is rebuilt and split.
In the smaller part of the new cassette, the urine is directed through the new second hole in the bowl. The capacity is about seven liters.
The large part is for the solids. The modified cassette has a screw opening through which the container can be emptied and filled with coco hum. The capacity for solids is around nine liters.
The conversion
The complete conversion is done in less than an hour and can be done either by Anna & Paul, an installation partner of Toni Toi, or with guidance by yourself.
1. disconnection of water pipe and pump
The first step is to disconnect the water connection between the vehicle and the toilet. To do this, disconnect the plug connection to the water pump.
Subsequently, the water hose is pulled off the pump and fitted with a plug.
2. removal of the old toilet bowl
The second step is to remove the original toilet bowl. This is screwed to the case from below, Paul swears by his good Wera screwdriver knob for loosening.
Once the screws are loosened and the latches removed, the bowl can be lifted inside and removed.
3. remodeling the toilet bowl
After removing the bowl, the inner part can be removed and replaced with the new one from Toni Toi.
4. adjustment of the lines
Since there is now a new opening in the toilet bowl into which the urine flows, it naturally needs a new pipe that carries the urine to the tank.
Since it is still possible to use the SOG vent with Toni Toi, this hose must also be adapted somewhat. After the conversion, the connection is located on the cassette of the solid fuel tank and no longer in the blue cap as in the original state.
By the way, SOG deaeration has another advantage here, it helps to speed up the composting process
5. inserting the new toilet cassette
If you now have the feeling that this was easy and went quickly: Yes, we can confirm exactly that, the conversion only takes about 45 minutes.
In the picture you can see the new toilet cassette with Anna & Paul’s customizations.
- Right picture shows the new hose of the SOG venting system
- At the top left of the cassette is the filler neck and its associated line for the urine
- On the left in the toilet shaft you can see the disused water pipe
Let’s briefly look at the last point water pipe. Our original idea was to remove the pipe completely and seal it. But after talking with Paul, we decided to mount the line on the left side of the cassette box. This has the advantage that any dismantling could be carried out quickly and easily.
Before there are protests at this point, the subject of Legionella also came up in conversation with Paul and he pointed out to us that the toilet flush hose needs to be emptied regularly. Of course, this step would be omitted if you removed the line completely. Please keep the outdoor shower in mind as well, for example, the shower pipe is also always filled with water, whether you use the shower or not.
Potting soil instead of chemistry
Sounds kind of funny, doesn’t it? With Toni Toi, we will no longer need sanitary additives in the future. In the solids tank, we now use potting soil, more specifically coco hum.
Kokohum potting soil is available in compressed form at the hardware store. The earth block must be softened with water and then dried. The advantage of mixing the soil yourself is that you can let it swell with less water, since it still has to dry anyway. The drier the soil, the faster the rotting process in the solids tank. Don’t panic, this is going to sound worse than it is. The actual process is done within 15 minutes and afterwards you have enough soil for a three-week road trip.
Cleaning the toilet
Let’s start with the solids tank, which does not need to be cleaned, or even should not be cleaned. The soil and decomposing feces create a natural compost. Cleaning the cassette would kill the valuable bacteria and slow down the composting effect. This may read a bit strange, but makes perfect sense and is not disgusting in the end, but simply natural 🥹.
The urine tank also requires no extra care, because pure urine does not form deposits or odor. When the tank is full, it is simply emptied and ready. Important: never rinse with water!!! Because odor and urine scale is formed exclusively by bacteria after water contact.
The bowl is the only part that needs some love and care, okay possibly not love but care. You know this also from a normal toilet, there your business also leaves a few traces. Vinegar essence is suitable for cleaning. The circle closes, also here no chemistry is used at all. We simply poured the vinegar water (1:2) into a spray bottle, so it’s right at hand and ready to use.
What does the whole thing look like in practice?
Our remodel in Munich was three weeks ago now, and since then we’ve never talked so much about bowel movements and how best to organize the whole thing. Everyone asks us, “How do you do it now?” or “What happens when you get diarrhea?” At the moment, we have no answers to many of the questions ourselves and have approached this topic completely unprepared. The first real test will be our January trip to the Arctic Circle. Until then, we can say that the first transactions went without problems and everything works as it should.
This post is literally screaming for a YouTube video and a follow up. But what we can say so far, the conversion keeps what it promises. Toni Toi integrates seamlessly into the Grand California and impresses with perfect craftsmanship. Now we’ve written quite a bit about the remodel and why we think it’s so great, but we haven’t said a peep about the cost.
The conversion kit costs around 765 euros plus a new toilet cassette, which must be sent to Anna & Paul as a replacement.
Why do you have to send a new toilet cassette to Anna & Paul? That’s exactly what we asked them, of course, because it would be easier to just sell the set. This action has mainly legal reasons, because you formally buy from Toni Toi only a service about the modification of the cassette. This way, the two do not risk any legal problems with the Thetford company. Toni Toi thus costs around 850 euros without installation. That’s really a lot of money, but it’s good value considering the performance. Why inexpensive? We were able to see with our own eyes how this great conversion is created in a small manufactory in Munich.
Two passionate campers had an idea and have implemented this with much effort and attention to detail. Each cassette is elaborately rebuilt and adjusted by hand. Several hours of work go into this product before it is shipped to its recipient. In this day and age, people are always looking for young companies that dare to do something and implement their ideas, then this conversion should also be worth 850 euros. 100% Made in Germany.
If you need further information, please have a look at Toni Toi directly.
Take this post as a first report, similar to our battery experiences, we will keep you updated. ☺️
