RV Toilet Upgrade: All About The OGO Composting Toilet

RV Life

What Is The OGO Composting Toilet?

The OGO composting toilet is one of the latest composting toilets on the market. It touts some great features and a great design to boot. If you’ve seen it, you might be wondering if the OGO is an option to upgrade your current RV toilet.

Today, we’re going to go in-depth on the OGO composting toilet and how it stacks up as an RV toilet. We’ll tell you the features and how to set it up and use it. Plus, check out the legit review of this toilet and find out if it’s everything it’s cracked up to be.

Top features

The OGO composting toilet is the latest in portable composting toilets. Instead of piping waste to a tank or sewer, composting toilets contain a substrate like coco coir. Over time, microorganisms break down the waste, after which it can then be used as compost or simply buried to dispose of it.

So, what sets the OGO RV toilet apart from other composting toilets?

The OGO is one of the most compact composting toilets on the market. It measures only 16”x15”x18.375”. That means it’s super easy to find space for it in your RV (or camper van).
The work is done for you. An electric agitator in the OGO moves your solid waste around, facilitating better composting. Increased agitation means your waste is composted and ready to dispose of faster. It also helps reduce smells.
Features a patented urine diverter. This moves urine away from the main composting space, reducing moisture and improving the composting process. Even better, despite its small size, the OGO’s urine bottle is larger than in competing composting toilets.
Never overflows. The OGO also has a urine level light indicator. When the urine bottle is almost full, the side button lights up red. That way, you’ll always know when to empty the bottle out.

All of these great features are packed into a sleek, well-designed package that’s made right in the USA.

OGO Composting Toilet in front of a camper van — *We took the OGO Composting Toilet on a camper van trip. Photo by DashboardDrifters.*

Can you install the OGO Toilet in your RV?

Yes, you can definitely install the OGO toilet in your RV! Easily replace your current RV toilet and simply remove the spent coco coir medium when it’s time.

Alternatively, this composting toilet can also be connected directly to your RV’s black tank using the included drain kit. Simply cut out the circle in the bottom plate of the toilet, and attach the flange and coupling included with the kit. Once connected, urine will go directly to your tanks instead of the bottle, so you don’t have to worry about emptying it.

The drain kit can also be easily removed if your needs change. Simply remove the drain kit and replace the urine bottle.

Does the OGO RV Toilet smell?

With proper use, the OGO toilet will produce no more foul smells than a normal RV toilet.

Thanks to the urine diverter, the OGO separates solid and liquid waste. Mixing these two is one of the biggest sources of smells, so by keeping them separate, the OGO majorly cuts down on foul odors.

The agitator reduces smells as well by moving waste away from the top of the pile where it’s not exposed to air. This also speeds up composting, so that any smells that are present don’t linger.

The OGO RV toilet can also be connected directly to your ventilation system using an included hose. Any smells that are produced are vented outside and away from you. Alternatively, charcoal filters are also available that are placed in the toilet and absorb excess odors from the air.

How to use the OGO Composting RV Toilet

Installation and set-up of the OGO composting toilet are easy. The toilet has four mounting holes in the base. To install the unit into your RV, simply use a screwdriver or drill to tighten the four screws and attach the base to your RV floor.

The OGO needs a power source to power the ventilation fan and agitator. The included power cord can be attached to your RV’s power system or even directly to a battery. (Note that you will need to strip and connect some wires to do so.)

Before you can use your new RV toilet, you need to fill it with your compost medium; OGO recommends coco coir. You’ll fill the tank a bit less than halfway with the coco coir and add a small amount of moisture, then let the agitator run.

OGO composting toilet — *Is the OGO Composting Toilet an option for your RV?*

How to “go”

At this point, the toilet is ready to use and you’re ready to “go”. Keep in mind that the OGO, like most composting toilets, has to be used sitting down for the urine diverter to work properly.

The “trap door” in the OGO should be kept closed for liquid waste and opened for solid waste. The door is opened by pulling a handle on the side forward and should be closed after you’re done. As long as the trap door is kept shut, liquid waste will still filter to the urine bottle, even if you miss the collector.

For solid waste, you also need to press the button on the side when you’re done. This turns on the agitator, which runs for two minutes.

Another tip for keeping things fresh is that OGO recommends spraying down the bowl with a gentle cleaner, like water and vinegar, after each use. This keeps things clean and reduces bad smells.

When it’s time to dispose of your waste, lift your toilet bowl slightly and rotate the drawer latches to pull out the drawer. From here, you can remove the urine bottle or waste bin and dispose of the contents.

Reviewing the OGO Composting Toilet: Is it any good?

The OGO composting toilet is a great product, with a lot of great qualities. But, it has some drawbacks too.

What we like about the OGO Toilet

Here’s everything we love about the OGO toilet:

We love the OGO for its sleek, compact design.
This RV toilet can easily be vented outside. That means zero chance of any foul smells in your RV or camper.
Being able to send urine straight to a waste tank is also super convenient. Not having to change the way you “go” is a plus.

What we’d improve on the OGO Toilet

Like everything, there are some things that can be improved. Here’s what we didn’t love about the OGO:

It’s a bit heavy and awkward to move, so it’s not super portable.
The OGO functions great as a composting toilet, and the electric agitator does its job well. However, due to the agitator and fan in the toilet, it needs electricity to function. There is no manual function option, like in some other composting toilets.