YOUR GUIDE TO BUILDING THE PERFECT TINY HOUSE SHOWER SYSTEM

Because of the dimensions of a tiny home, access to plumbing isn’t always as simple as that found in a traditional house bathroom. For this reason, you need a measure of creative thinking to get the best tiny house shower system to suit your needs.

However, there is some good news.

While plumbing isn’t exactly a straightforward affair in this alternative living space, you still have an abundance of house plumbing options you can explore!

Keep reading to learn more about getting the ideal tiny house bathroom layout to suit your lifestyle.

Getting Water Into Your Tiny House Shower System

Everyone knows that no bathroom setup is complete without a good house shower plumbing works in place.

The precise type of tiny house plumbing you employ will often depend on numerous variables, like whether you have a house on wheels or an access dwelling unit, where your tiny house is situated, and your water consumption needs.

With all of this said, here are some of the most popular options available to you.

1.No Plumbing System

Arguably the simplest option for your micro home, this system deviates from traditional toilets and bathrooms in that it doesn’t require you to set up an automatic water supply system.

Rather, you’ll have to rely heavily on manual effort for your regular water supply. This means physically carrying all kinds of water to and from your living space as needed.

To increase the efficacy of this water supply system, you can store water in various areas of your tiny home.

As an example, you can opt to store water near your sink or around your kitchen cabinets so you can use it to wash your dishes. You could also do the same in your bathroom by creating a gravity-fed shower. You may also have to store a few gallons of water in jugs as well.

As you must’ve realized, much of this type of system’s efficacy depends on your proximity to water sources, as you may need to fill your water containers at fairly regular intervals.

The no plumbing system works best when you park your house on wheels at a campsite or in someone’s backyard, as you’re more likely to find a clean water source this way.

Something to consider before adopting this option is that it may significantly cut into the square footage and floor space available to you in your home. If you’re fine with this, then this might be a practical option worth considering.

2.Tank and Pump System

Another practical and more comfortable option is getting tiny house water tanks and using water pumps to pressurize and circulate water.

There are several perks to adopting this method of approach. The two most important ones are that it gives the avid outdoorsman all the functionalities of a traditional shower. You can get hot water for a hot shower and cold water for a cool one without stress.

The second merit of using house water tanks and water pumps is that it affords you the opportunity of living without a grid water source.

However, this system is not without its flaws. But on the whole, they are quite bearable.

Two major drawbacks of using this approach are that it takes up considerable space, and the water pumps can get very noisy while in use.

Another thing that might pose a bit of a problem is the size of water storage tanks.

Getting smaller water storage tanks means that you’ll have to refill more frequently. On the other hand, larger house water tanks won’t require constant refilling but might put extra weight on houses on wheels.

Lastly, if you want to use flush toilets, even these storage tanks might not be able to give you the amount of water you need here.

3.Hookup System

This method of approach is reserved for people who want to leverage grid shower plumbing. As more RV park campsites have a regular water supply, you can simply latch your house on wheels to the clean water source provided here.

To use this system, you must configure your plumbing system into an RV-style water hose. When you’ve done this, you’ll be able to make your plumbing system fully operational.

4.Hybrid System

With this system, you can choose to set up a conventional hookup system so you can always use water from a regular grid connection at RV park campsites.

In addition to this, you can also install a tank and pump system so you’ll also be able to use water from another source as the case may demand.

While this might be rather cost-intensive, opting for this line of action gives you flexibility and freedom that might come in handy further down the road.

Getting Water Out of Your Tiny Home Shower System

So, we’ve talked about how to get water into your tiny house shower system. But what about getting it out?

Contrary to what you might think, this isn’t by any means a simple process. You can’t just open your shower drain and have all your used water flow out.

One major reason for this is that you have to be very careful with where you release your used water, where it ends up, and the things it comes in contact with.

1.Grid System

When it comes to disposing of used water, your best alternative is to leverage the grid option. This is because it uses an already existing system to eliminate human wastewater.

Consequently, you’d need to find septic tanks or a septic system. Alternatively, you can also find a public sewer system or city sewer connections. The former is often found in more rural areas, while the latter is more common in urban areas.

Again, you need a grid connection to make this work. As such, you can’t consider this option if you plan to live off-grid. What this translates to is that you’d have no recourse to fall back on if you leave a place with a hookup connection.

2.Gray Water System

Before going into how a gray water system plays into helping you remove used water, you must understand that there are different kinds of human wastewater.

Black water is the waste obtained from tiny house toilets.

Because of various factors like weight restrictions, storing these kinds of water in houses on wheels can be very difficult. We often recommend that a tiny house owner consider using an active composting toilet instead of a regular toilet.

Using an active composting toilet helps you effectively dispose of one load of water.

Another type of human wastewater is gray water. This is the name given to the types of water from washing machines, showers, and sinks. It’s essentially any type of water that hasn’t come in contact with solid waste or feces.

These types of water shouldn’t come in contact with bodies of water like lakes and ponds, as they can easily pollute them. However, you can drain this water directly into the ground around your tiny home in some cases, as this isn’t always illegal.

3.Collect and Dump System

The last option to consider is collecting all your wastewater, both black and gray, and using a dump station to dispose of them. You will have to use different mechanisms to collect them first.

A simple bucket under your kitchen sink or faucet sink strainer drain-tap is all you need to collect your gray water. For the black water, you’d need to get a black water tank.

This holding tank is best situated outside, as this will help you make more use of the square feet available to you in your living space. The wastewater can then be collected into a dumping station from there.

The first drawback of using this system is that it’ll cause significant extra weight on your RV. The second disadvantage of doing this is that it makes you live close to your waste.

Because of this, it might not always be the best option for your precious space.

How to Pick the Best Option for You

Your choice of a tiny house shower system is a delicate one. The best system for getting water into and out of your home will be influenced by factors like your lifestyle and the ready availability of certain resources.

What’s more, there are several merits and demerits to using each of these systems, as they affect the temperature at which your water is available to you in varying degrees.

So, be sure to weigh the pros and cons of each line of action carefully first before delving in!

To improve your tiny house personal experience, see some of the most important resources you need here.