Regular plumbing is an aspect of tiny homes that many people have to consider. This is one major area where your tiny house will differ from a traditional house. In a regular house, your plumbing is already set up. A tiny house has fewer feet of space, so extensive planning has to happen to make basic necessities like water doable.
A tiny home won’t guarantee consistent access to water. Choosing a minimalist tiny home is exciting and manageable, but getting water in and out can sound like rocket science. If you’re trying to figure those out for your tiny house, the options are scary.
The good news is that there are a lot of ways to get water into and out of your tiny home. Which option you select depends on the lifestyle you desire. It’s critical to know the advantages and disadvantages of each tiny house plumbing option before you make a choice. In this article, we will go over your various options.
How to Get Water into Your Tiny House Bathroom – Plumbing Systems and Plumbing Solutions
First, let’s look at the different ways to get water into your tiny house. You’re going to need a lot of water for your shower and toilet. If you’re planning to live off the grid or far from civilization for extended periods of time, you’re probably wondering what kinds of options you have. Different choices will depend on how much water per day you use and need.
RV Water Inlet
The first method involves using a spigot as a water source. A water inlet is a popular option for RV home owners, and it’s grown with the tiny house movement. Make sure you use a hose that is safe to drink, as a regular hose will leech a lot of harmful chemicals into your water.
The great thing about the RV water inlet method is that it’s simple to hook up and amazing for mobile tiny homes. A cold water inlet works at most campgrounds and has a quick set up and disconnect process. Unfortunately, they’re slightly more expensive than other options, and they’re prone to freezing. A simple snag in the hose can damage an inlet, so you have to exercise extra care.
Direct Connection to Public Water
This works a lot like the water inlet method, except it’s less prone to freezing. It’s a long-term and more permanent method for your tiny home’s water needs. A direct connection to a campground or a city’s water supply lines requires more technical skill since you have to bury the water line. This isn’t an ideal method if your tiny home isn’t mobile or requires frequent moving. The connection is made through permanent connections and requires cutting.
Tiny House Water Tanks
Sometimes a direct connection isn’t possible. If your tiny home is in the wilderness, a national park or city water line probably won’t be close by.
One of the most basic yet popular ways of getting water into your tiny home is through water tanks. A tiny house water tank is an eco friendly option. A standard freshwater tank can keep you hydrated and safe when living off the grid. Countless manufacturers provide different designs and sizes. A water tank can lead to an extra 600 pounds on your tiny home. This means you’re going to have to place your storage tank in a place that balances the load of your house.
Aside from the weight concerns, a water tank is easy to fill. You can use a clean water source from a running river or bottled jugs to fill your tank. Lots of tiny home owners collect rainwater with their water tank to use for washing clothes and bathing.
Depending on the water tank you buy, most will have either an electric power pump or a manual pump.
Plumbing Tiny House Drains: Dealing With Wastewater Disposal For Your Tiny House
The important thing to understand about waste water is that you have to be very careful about where it goes and what it comes into contact with. Different types of waste water have different solutions. Feces, urine, water, and toilet paper from flush toilets can all be found in blackwater. Greywater comes from sinks, baths, and other kitchen appliances.
Using Waste Pipes for Drain Lines – Drain Plumbing for Stationary and Mobile Homes
This involves running various waste pipes around and out of your home. This is normally underneath it if you’re on a tiny house on wheels. The waste pipes will come together at a point where they can connect to a sewer or septic tank system. The most common option is a sewer point, but some more remote areas may provide access to a septic tank system instead. When you go off the grid, someone else will handle both options. All you will have to worry about is connecting to the public sewer system or other municipal sources.
Greywater Into the Ground – Recycled Plumbing
Greywater refers to the waste water from your sinks, washing machine, and bath/shower. Most municipalities are fine with dumping relatively clean water into the ground. A drain piece for your shower leading under your home is a popular solution for dealing with excess water. This water goes back to the earth through a natural process. This could entail directing it toward grass or flowers, or simply allowing it to drain naturally into the soil. But, not all areas allow greywater to be dumped back into the ground. You’ll have to refer to your tiny home’s jurisdiction.
Dump Station: Physically Moving Waste Water Elsewhere
You can also collect blackwater and graywater in large containers. Once collected, you can transport them to a waste dumping station once they’re full. Some RV dump stations are free for non-commercial users, while others will charge you.
Composting Toilet
You will not have any blackwater waste with a composting toilet; instead, you will have a form of compost that you will need to dispose of every few weeks. The most common type of composting toilet is a waterless model. This uses a microorganism process to break solids into a safe compost-like material. The addition of liquid urine and a carbon additive to the toilet makes the material. The toilet won’t emit an odor as well because it has a constant negative pressure. The only time the toilet emits an odor is when you dispose the broken down solid waste every few weeks.
Composting toilets are the most common method of dealing with blackwater. Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting Toilet is an incredibly popular design for tiny home owners.
When you’re carefully planning your tiny house’s water source, you definitely want to get a system made of sturdy material. But once you’ve figured all that out, off-grid plumbing is just as reliable and workable as regular homes. Dealing with leftover water and human waste is an important thing to consider. Thankfully, you’ll be able to deal with these issues a lot easier.