Living in a tiny house can be very cheap and safe. They are smaller in size, have fewer responsibilities, and are very viable for single dwellers.
A tiny house is an economical option. They are easy to be handled, maintained and are also very convenient. However, there are some problems that owners of tiny houses need to face and find proper solutions for. One of them is the management of sewage. Sewage includes gray water, black water, and any waste that one needs to get rid of. So how do tiny houses handle sewage?
Normal-sized houses have proper water pipe connections and expensive trenches which easily handle sewage. But living in a tiny house, problems like this can be a little tricky.
Let us discuss how do tiny houses manage sewage.
Ways to handle sewage in a tiny house
Hookup with sewer points
If one plans to live longer in a tiny house and have on-grid plans, they can adhere to sewer point hookups to handle sewage. To manage sewage through an on-grid sewage point, one needs to fit properly sized waste pipes all around the house. After fitting the waste pipe connections, the point where the pipe converges needs to be connected to the sewer points or septic tanks.
With just proper pipe hookups, one can easily handle sewage through sewer points and septic tanks.
Dumping station
Dumping stations are another very commonly preferred ways of getting rid of sewage. This option makes it very easy and simple to handle any wastewater.
To use dumping stations, one needs to first have storage, a tank-like structure that can store all the wastewater. It can be any big container with optimum space. Once it gets filled, it can be carried and discharged or dumped at the dumping stations.
Dump stations or RV dump stations are non-commercial dumping areas. Some are chargeable, while some are not.
However, this option can be troublesome when there is no space because containers take up a lot of space. Also, some areas do not allow dumping stations.
Composting toilet
Amongst the most commonly used ways, a composting toilet instead of usual toilets connected to septic tanks is one of them. It is a type where there is no wastewater. It is a system that turns any waste, be it solid or liquid, into a more safe compost material with microorganism processes.
It can be disposed of weekly or within few days. It does not smell because there is a negative pressure maintained in the toilet. However, many complain about the odor, and pests are becoming very common, making it a risky and unhygienic choice.
In open grounds
Some areas allow dumping sewage to be discharged at open grounds. But, here, we are talking about wastewater from the kitchen, clothes, and sinks and not toilet water. It is only viable for gray water. Since it is cleaner than blackwater and has not been mixed with human excreta, it can be discharged at grounds filled with grass and flowers. However, most areas have a poor drainage system, and discharging sewage at open grounds can cause unwanted blockage and pooling.
These are some common ways through which tiny houses can handle the waste. All of them are viable options, but it depends on the owner whether they can deal with the chosen practice well or not.
