Off-The-Grid Plumbing (For Water and Sewer!)
Did you know that there are more than 17 million homes in the United States — using off-the-grid plumbing — that get their water from private wells?
If you’d rather not rely on your town or city to provide water and wastewater services, you can live off the grid too. Here’s information to help you get started.
Table of Contents
What is Off-The-Grid Plumbing?
Truly living “off the grid” can be defined as living without the assistance of any public utility services. But some may determine this simply as choosing to get their electricity from solar power, using a windmill or watermill.
Their plumbing is off the grid thanks to composting toilets, septic tanks, cisterns, and wells. Homes located farther away from public utilities may be required to live off-grid to get clean water.
6 Sources of Off-the-Grid Water
These systems get you off the city water line and use renewable natural resources such as groundwater and rain to get water into your home. Here are just some of the natural sources of water for your off-the-grid home:
- Private well dug deep into the ground
- Rainwater (collected in cisterns)
- Lakes and ponds
- Rivers
- Springs
- Purchased and stored water
Our founder and president, Kameron Hensley, has lived off the grid (for water and sewage) his whole life and explains the process in the video below!
Off-The-Grid Options for Eliminating Wastewater
Greywater and blackwater are types of water that need to be expelled from your home or cabin. For instance, greywater comes from sinks, tubs, showers, and laundry machines. While blackwater is any water that has human waste in it, such as from your toilet.
To deal with these, you’ll need off-the-grid wastewater plumbing options like the following:
1. Septic Tank Systems
This is the most common system for handling waste in many rural areas. A septic system is easy to get approved and many companies can provide the service readily.
A septic tank is located outside your home and holds the wastewater while it is broken down and leached into your land. Don’t worry, it’s actually good for your property.
2. Lagoons
A lagoon is a basin (think of it as the organic version of a septic tank) that holds your wastewater. The basin breaks down the wastewater.
While less common than septic tanks, it’s a great option for those on a budget as they typically cost less to put in. But because a basin is — at its simplest – a hole in the ground, they are more difficult to get approved.
3. Greywater Systems
A greywater system captures all of your expelled greywater and wastewater in a surge tank (a large holding tank), then recycles it. In other words, it’s more like a recycling system which is a great way to conserver your water resources.
It also has a downside. Two sets of plumbing need to be in place: one for greywater and one for blackwater. If you can’t do that kind of work yourself, you’ll need to hire a company that can design the system for you.
4. Composting Toilets
This isn’t a solution for greywater, but blackwater is easy to treat using a composting toilet. There are all kinds of composting toilets, from highly sophisticated to downright crude (bucket with hay, anyone?). But all have this in common: they will save you a whole lot of water.
You can combine composting toilets with a greywater system to also handle water from fixtures like bathtubs, showers, and your washing machine.
Conclusion: Off-the-Grid Plumbing
Here’s the bottom line: you don’t have to rely on your local or county municipalities for your potable (drinkable) water or wastewater. There are plenty of reliable options which can be put into place by you or a professional plumber.
More Resources
Learn more about off-the-grid plumbing.
- What is a well and how does it work?
- Everything You Need to Know About a Private Water Well System
- Off-the-grid plumbing for water and sewer
- The best septic-safe toilet paper
- 7 signs of problems with your septic system
- 3 types of plumbing systems
- What is a sewer excavation?
- Excavation page
Call 1-Tom-Plumber
If you need help with your off-the-grid plumbing project, don’t hesitate to contact us or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237). We will immediately respond to and handle any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning and drain clearing, and water damage problem, including excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines.
