Remote Location Bathroom & Running Water

[Psycareyo]

I'm getting awfully tired of running my hose from the house to get some water for use in my garage. I don't really need hot water for anything, but it would be handy to have a supply available for washing a vehicle...or anything.

I'm also really sick of running into the house, when I need to use the bathroom. It's a couple hundred feet away, and I have to track all the way through my house in order to use it.

The problem is, I really don't want to go through the expense of running lines from my septic tank, to my garage. I also don't really want to run water lines from my house to the garage either. The distance at least 275 feet and it won't be a straight line. My wife will probably have a heart attack, if I tell her I want to install a second septic tank...

Are there any solutions that would be considered "remote" or "self contained" that would require minimal, if any, modification to my property?

My first thought was a complete system from an RV or something along those lines. I'd probably need a decent size storage tank for fresh water.

 

[gungatim]

do a search....there is a thread on here with pics of everyones sinks/urinals/portable washing stations, etc...

I use a small stainless sink that drains outside on the ground and laundry soap jugs for water...#1 is ok but #2 is not...the RV antifreeze is for winter, I just dump a little in the trap after washing or flushing...

 

[CJM8515]

Well #1 is an easy fix, go outside lol. #2 you could get a composting toilet setup or use stuff similar to a portajohn and have a bucket under a seat setup up you build. There is of course always an outhouse as well.

As for water, if you only needed enough to wash your hands or other small stuff, a few 5 gallon buckets you fill every so often and plumb using gravity and a sink would work ok. If you want to wash a vehicle you need to run a water line or see if you can drill a well cheaply. My grandparents to avoid high water bills for the lawn sprinkler system had a well drill and they are happy. I think it was about 1000 bucks though.

 

[Psycareyo]

I did a search and I found nothing. I'm not entirely sure of the classification of what I'm asking for. Which is probably why I can't find it. Remote location, portable sink...etc. Yielding no results.

 

[Psycareyo]

Well, I think a portable toilet is a good idea. Not really thrilled about draining it! However, it would be the highest utility, lowest cost solution to that issue. For water, I was thinking maybe a large storage tank with 110v pump into a shop sink. That would would be plenty. Only concern would be size. The garage itself is only 14x28.

Well #1 is an easy fix, go outside lol. #2 you could get a composting toilet setup or use stuff similar to a portajohn and have a bucket under a seat setup up you build. There is of course always an outhouse as well.

As for water, if you only needed enough to wash your hands or other small stuff, a few 5 gallon buckets you fill every so often and plumb using gravity and a sink would work ok. If you want to wash a vehicle you need to run a water line or see if you can drill a well cheaply. My grandparents to avoid high water bills for the lawn sprinkler system had a well drill and they are happy. I think it was about 1000 bucks though.

 

[myredracer]

Well, good excuse to buy an RV and park it next to the garage!

Some RV-ers use a macerator pump to transfer waste to a sewer drain or dump station. They use a garden hose and can pump long distances and uphill a few feet, but 275' might be too far. But you'd need a holding tank and would have to monitor the level plus the macerator pump would have to be lower than the tank.

What are the requirements from the local authority having jurisdiction? We're in a rural area and although houses around here are pretty nice and include some high end ones, the last time I looked at the regulations (about 10 years ago) you were allowed to have an outhouse. Have never seen one around here though. We have a high water table on our property and wouldn't work anyway.

A composting toilet is probably the easiest solution. Burying a black poly water line would be the way to go for water I would think. That pipe is cheap. A tank of some description for the water would be the least expensive option, question would be how to fill it all the time?

If you really wanted a real toilet, you'd bury a holding tank in the ground along with a float switch and pump. The pump would have to be the type that grinds up the solids. Can't remember the name - grinder or ejector pump? You'd also have to run a pipe (2" maybe?) to your main septic tank. Lots of work and expense, not to mention unhappy wife...

I built a tiny bathroom in our attached workshop when building the house and I have to say it is VERY nice to have it right there. Everyone should have one in their shop.

 

[Bondo]

Plattsburgh, NY

Ayuh,.... Whatever ya decide, it'll only work from May to November,....

For Water, ya oughta consider runnin' a poly line from the house to the garage, with a frost-proof hydrant at the garage, 'n a drain valve in the house,....

For peein', I have a funnel on a hose against, 'n goin' out, an outside wall,....
For poopin', I go into the house,....
An outhouse might be an option, dependin' on whether yer in town, or well outa town,...

 

[gungatim]

try searching "show us your urinal", I think that was one, or just shop sinks...


for a composting toilet, (for #2), there are plans online you can search to make your own from plywood. I think they use sawdust or something...

 

[sberry]

Yes,,, one may need to look under,,,,, "burying a water pipe"

 

[Arkansas COB]

burying a water line is easy and cheap. rent a walk behind trencher for 1/2 day for around $50.00 or by the hr. if they will. Trench the ditch and take it back. Get some 1/2" sch 40 or cpvc and run to garage. Freeze proof wall hydrant or in ground hydrant at garage or run straight to a valve or sink inside. If not easy at house to splice into water then rig a section of garden hose from pvc to outside spicket at house and connect. Just leave it on and wa-la water at garage. Disconnect or turn off in winter if not needed.
Backfill ditch by hand once all connected and tested.

 

[Psycareyo]

Yeah, being that I live where we get a ton of snow, and it gets insanely cold for long periods of time, I'm not thrilled with systems that require burial. A water line from the house would be ideal. The only problem would be burial depth. I live on the lake (Lake Champlain). Where I am is rock ledge. I can dig down about 6-12" and then it's solid rock. When we redid our septic, and when we energized the new garage...we had to bring in an excavator with a massive jackhammer to break through enough rock to bury the lines to code.

Our new septic system had to be a pressurized mound with a pump to meet the new codes and demands of our growing family.

So, I'm not really thrilled about breaking more ground!

Ayuh,.... Whatever ya decide, it'll only work from May to November,....

For Water, ya oughta consider runnin' a poly line from the house to the garage, with a frost-proof hydrant at the garage, 'n a drain valve in the house,....

For peein', I have a funnel on a hose against, 'n goin' out, an outside wall,....
For poopin', I go into the house,....
An outhouse might be an option, dependin' on whether yer in town, or well outa town,...

 

[Arkansas COB]

ah hah i knew by your signature you was in a freakin cold zone and would have to bury deep but didnt have a clue about a rock ledge.

May i suggest a golf cart or a riding lawn mower with a cart. Wouldnt have to walk so far and they would make it easier to tote them 5 gal pails of water.

Good luck

 

[Bondo]

I can dig down about 6-12" and then it's solid rock.

Ayuh,.... Is where yer gonna tap into the water in the cellar Lower than the tap yer gonna put in the garage,..??

If so, bury the line on the rock, 'n be happy,...
By openin' a valve at the connection point in the cellar, 'n openin' the tap in the garage, the line will drain into the cellar,...

If the grade is against ya, reverse the sequence, 'n drain it to a low point in the garage,...

If there's dips, 'n valleys, blow it out with compressed air in the Fall,...

Oh ya,... for poopin', an ole toilet seat fits almost perfectly on a 5 gallon plastic pail,....
Line the pail with a plastic garbage bag, 'n clean up is a snap,...
Borrowed a camper one year for southern tier huntin', with a mothballed septic system, so I did just that,...

 

[danfromsyr]

how about one of those 275 tanks that come in a metal cage for ~$75
mount it up high and use gravity feed.. if you can in an interior space to keep it from freezing..
just pull out a ~300ft hose (roll of PEX w/ends) the every once in a while you need to refill it (or make a rain collection system?)
and for the really cold Jan/Feb time.. drain it all out into the back someplace.. refill it for march when it's not going to get -20f
a large water tank with a mild salt treatment will easily stay liquid.. your pipes down and around not so easily.

 

[RickP]

Yeah, being that I live where we get a ton of snow, and it gets insanely cold for long periods of time, I'm not thrilled with systems that require burial. A water line from the house would be ideal. The only problem would be burial depth.

Do you have any frost-proof faucets on the outside of your house? You could just use a hose that you turn on while you're in the garage. You just have to remember to turn it off! If you want to bury it, you could make a shallow trench just a few inches deep. I've done that for a hose to an extra outdoor faucet for use in the summertime.

If you need to add a faucet at the house, you could dig a small hole right outside the foundation. Then add a lawn hydrant with some gravel under it below the frostline. Again, make sure to turn it off at night!

 

[danfromsyr]

frostline in Plattsburgh, NY is ~50in
and he's on a stone ledge
and a ground hose will be a solid snake from December (not this year) till april.

OP. do you have a 4wheeler? or spare 4x4 small trailer? you can get one of those garden sprayer tanks that mount and wheel it out as you need it.. get creative with an on demand RV (12v) pump.. and voila.. portable H2o you can park in the warm garage or refill if you need to.
ie.
https://www.google.com/search?q=4wh...ved=0ahUKEwiSgb_v1c_JAhXLLyYKHfSWAxgQ_AUIBygC

 

[RickP]

frostline in Plattsburgh, NY is ~50in
and he's on a stone ledge and a ground hose will be a solid snake from December (not this year) till april.

I agree, unless the hose is drained every night (a prior post described bow to do that). As long as the hose is sloped right, it should drain okay every night.

While working in the garage during the winter, a running faucet should keep the hose from freezing solid. It could even be hooked up to a hot water faucet to help keep it warm until it's drained.

Running a hose is definitely a lot more work than using a tank, but maybe the hose could be used for 9 months, and a tank during the coldest months.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I live on the lake (Lake Champlain). Where I am is rock ledge. I can dig down about 6-12" and then it's solid rock.

Now THAT'S a problem !!

See if your county will allow a pit toilet. The kind that is actually a septic tank with no outlet and no field. Probably only have to pump it once every year or 2 (OR ... the second chamber could develop a leak if you had sandy ground).

My brother-in-law has one like this at his campsite, but there is an actual water flush toilet above it. He uses rain water to flush.

Depending on how thirsty you get and how much you wash things, gravity feed 5 gallon jugs (or a RV water tank and pump) are reasonable.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

How about an Incinolet? No water or drain needed. Burns it to ash.

 

[Plump]

I buried some PEX and ran it from the house to the garage. It's buried fairly deep but the risers are exposed so I have a quick connect in the garage and a drain in the house to blow it out for the winter. I can easily turn it on and blow it back out in the winter if I desperately need water in freezing temps.

Typically, I just have a five gallon water container with a spigot that I tip over my sink in the winter.

My drain just goes out to the back yard and just run water, "dead soldiers", some soap, through it.

A five gallon bucket with the blue RV juice is my pisser. I just empty it when necessary. #2 is only for the house.