When people first start looking at tiny houses, plumbing is often one of the things they wonder about. Where does the water come from? Where does it go? Can you have a normal shower? What happens if you’re off grid?
The good news is that tiny house plumbing isn’t as complicated as you might think. Our tiny houses can be set up with the everyday plumbing you’d expect in a conventional home. The difference is that, because a tiny house is built on a trailer, you have more flexibility in how you connect to water and manage wastewater.
In this guide, we’ll explain how it all works.
How does plumbing work in a tiny house?
The basic idea is like any other home. Water comes into the tiny house, is distributed to your taps, shower, and appliances, and then wastewater leaves through the appropriate drainage system.
Our finished tiny homes include full plumbing for the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry, along with a Rinnai 16L gas water heating system on applicable models. Your water supply can then be connected to the services available at your site.
Depending on your setup, which could be:
- Mains water
- Rainwater collected in a tank
- A combination of water sources
- An off-grid water system with a pump and filtration
The important thing is to choose your water and wastewater setup around where you’re going to live and how you’re going to use your tiny house.
Mains water or tank water?
For some customers, connecting to mains water is the simplest option. Our tiny houses come standard with a garden hose plug connection for water. This means the home can be connected to an existing water supply at your site. If mains water isn’t available, or you’re looking to live off-grid, rainwater storage is another option.
We offer a range of water tanks, pumps, and filtration systems as part of our off-grid solutions. Current tiny house models list options including 2,500L and 5,000L tanks, as well as water pumps and water filtration.
Here’s a simple way to look at the difference:
| Mains water | Tank water | |
| Water source | Existing mains supply | Stored rainwater or another approved source |
| Tank required | Not necessarily | Yes |
| Pump required | Usually not | Generally required to supply the home at usable pressure |
| Off-grid suitable | No | Yes |
| Water availability | Dependent on mains connection | Dependent on storage and water supply |
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It comes down to your property and the way you want to live.
How does rainwater get into the tiny house?
Rainwater can be collected from a tiny house roof. The key question isn’t whether you can collect it. It’s how much water your roof can collect and whether that will be enough for your needs.
A tiny house roof has a smaller catchment area than the roof of a conventional family home. That doesn’t make rainwater harvesting impractical. It simply means you need to be more considered about your water supply. As a general guide, 1 mm of rain falling on 1 square metre of roof catchment can provide around 1 litre of water.
So, the amount you collect will depend on:
- The size of your roof catchment
- How much rainfall your location receives
- How much water your household uses
- The amount of water you can store
Rainfall isn’t consistent, either. You might have plenty of water during a wet period and little during a long dry spell. That’s why water storage is just as important as water catchment.
For customers relying entirely on harvested rainwater, we recommend considering a minimum 5,000L water tank. Depending on your location and water usage, you may need additional storage or another water source. You can read more about our off-grid tiny house options.
Is a water pump necessary?
If you’re using tank water, you’ll generally need a pump to move that water from the tank into your tiny house at a usable pressure. Think of the pump as the part of the system that gets your stored water where you need it. Without adequate pressure, your taps and shower may not perform as you’d expect.
For a typical off-grid setup, the process looks something like this:
Rain → roof → gutters → water tank → pump → tiny house → taps and appliances
We offer water pumps as part of our off-grid options. The right pump will depend on your overall water system and how you plan to use your tiny house.
Where does wastewater go?
Getting water into your tiny house is only half of the equation. Once you’ve had a shower, washed your hands, done a load of washing or washed the dishes, that water needs to be managed. This is where greywater comes in.
Greywater is wastewater from everyday household activities such as:
- Showers
- Bathroom basins
- Kitchen sinks
- Washing machines
It doesn’t include toilet wastewater, which is referred to as blackwater. For off-grid setups, we offer greywater diversion systems and grease traps. Current Aussie Tiny Houses models list options including the Ezgrey greywater diversion system and 45L grease traps.
A greywater system can help filter and manage suitable wastewater. Depending on the system and what is permitted at your property, treated water may be able to be reused or directed into an appropriate landscape area.
This part is important: you can’t simply discharge greywater wherever you like.
Requirements can vary between locations, so always check with your local council, and have the appropriate system installed by qualified trades.
What happens to toilet waste?
Toilet waste needs to be managed separately from greywater. Many of our tiny houses come with a standard flushing toilet, while composting and alternative toilet options are also available depending on the model and configuration.
If you’re using a conventional flushing toilet, you’ll need an appropriate connection to sewerage, septic or another approved wastewater system. If you don’t have access to mains sewerage, a composting toilet can be an alternative. We offer a range of composting toilet options, including waterless systems.
Flushing toilet vs composting toilet
| Feature | Flushing toilet | Composting toilet |
| Uses water | Yes | Waterless options available |
| Waste management | Requires an appropriate sewerage, septic or approved wastewater system | Designed to manage toilet waste without a conventional sewer connection |
| Off-grid suitability | Depends on available infrastructure | Requires maintenance according to the system |
| Maintenance | Like a conventional toilet | Requires maintenance according to the system |
| Council requirements | Check local requirements | Check local requirements |
The right choice depends on your property, your preferred setup and what is permitted where you live.
What should you consider before choosing your plumbing setup?
The best plumbing system is the one that suits your home, your site, and your lifestyle.
Before making decisions about water and waste, think about:
Water supply
- Will you use mains water or rainwater?
- Do you need a tank?
- Will you need a pump?
- Do you need water filtration?
Wastewater
- Where will your greywater go?
- Will you need a greywater diversion system?
- Is a grease trap required?
- What does your local council permit?
Toilet
- Do you want a flushing toilet?
- Would a composting toilet suit your site?
- How will toilet waste be managed?
You don’t need to have all the answers on day one. But understanding your options early makes planning your tiny house much easier.
Plumbing your tiny house doesn’t have to be complicated
One of the things we love about tiny house living is that downsizing doesn’t mean giving up the comforts you use every day. You can still have a proper shower, kitchen sink, bathroom basin, laundry, and hot water. You simply need to think a little more carefully about where your water comes from and where your wastewater goes.
If you’re connecting to mains services, the setup can be straightforward. If you’re going off grid, there are more components to consider, such as a water tank, pump, filtration, and greywater management. But once the system is planned properly, it can all work together seamlessly.
We offer a range of off-grid options to help you create a setup that suits your needs, including water tanks, pumps, water filters, greywater systems, grease traps, and composting toilets.
If you’re still researching your options, you can also browse our tiny houses or visit our Tiny House FAQ for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can a tiny house connect to mains water?
Yes. Our tiny houses come standard with a garden hose plug connection for water, allowing them to be connected to an existing water supply.
2. Can a tiny house use rainwater?
Yes. Rainwater can be collected from the tiny house roof and stored in a water tank. We offer rainwater tanks, pumps, and filtration as part of our off-grid options.
3. Does a tiny house need a sewer connection?
Not necessarily. A conventional flushing toilet requires an appropriate wastewater connection, such as sewerage or septic. Waterless composting toilets can provide an alternative where suitable, although local requirements still need to be checked.
4. Where does greywater go in an off-grid tiny house?
Greywater from showers, basins, kitchens, and washing machines needs to be appropriately managed. We offer greywater diversion systems and grease traps for off-grid setups. The way greywater can be treated or discharged depends on the site and local requirements.
5. Do tiny houses have hot water?
Yes. Our finished tiny homes include a Rinnai 16L gas water heating system on applicable models. The exact inclusions can vary between tiny house models and configurations.
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