I’m back with the third and final article on pros and cons of living tiny.
If you haven’t already, please see 1st and 2nd Pros and Cons You Need to Know.
As yet, we’ve been through the search, the acquisition (/acquisition battle), the settling, and the joy of filling our tiny home.
With our last pro and con, I’ll take you through a unique headache of tiny house living and end with a special recipe for feeling well that I carry out pretty often in my tiny home.
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Con #3: Alternative Sewage Solutions for Tiny House
Now this is a pain. And I should add, it doesn’t have to be.
Unlike most homes of developed western nations (although similar to many — especially more mobile or off-grid — tiny homes), our tiny house does not have a flush toilet.
Having a “quirky” toilet isn’t a requirement for living in a tiny house: some tiny-owning friends of ours designed their house with a traditional water closet that flushes straight to the city sewage.
But as many pre-loved or prefabricated tiny homes come with the former, I thought it worth bringing up the headache and heartache of troubleshooting a toilet that may lack accessible experts (or plumbers) when a problem arises.
We, for example, did not design or build our home and therefore received it (graciously) pre-furnished.
With a Cinderella incinerator toilet.
Which, when functioning perfectly, is great! But when in need of service — and in our case, an engineer — is extremely difficult to service outside of Norway, its country of origin.
To be clear, I don’t intend to endorse nor disparage any method of disposing of human waste.
I only wish to prompt you to consider, when living in a tiny, or off grid, or in any situation that requires you to consider alternative waste disposal methods — thinking beyond the day-to-day motions for usage.
Consider the longer-term implications.
For your choice waste unit, what solutions will you have for, say… maintenance? Having your unit professionally serviced? What about recycling and replacing your unit at the end of its lifetime?
Not All Toilets are Created Equal
Regretfully — when the unit breaks or underperforms–, servicing a non-flush toilet is still trickier than living in a home in which a local plumber could save the day.
And though I’d like to frame this dilemma as just a choice of which you’d rather be bothered with, I must say: at least in the case of our toilet, I wish that companies that develop and manufacture eco-considerate toilet units (such as ours) would step up their game in terms of making their products less of a hassle to service in the countries they can be purchased in (making their units in term more accessible).
Another thing I’ve considered with our toilet is this: the cost is high, and its lifespan is short. Our model of incinerator toilet is only designed to last around 4 years – with good maintenance!
When we’ve reached that mark (and we’re coming close, as our toilet is dutifully letting us know), we probably still won’t know how to recycle our unit, and its precious non-recyclable or difficult-to-recycle parts. A heartbreaking dilemma.
Not to forget though, like our friends’, not every tiny home is damned to having complicated sewage solutions.
Unless you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to live completely off-grid, you most likely will have the choice of foregoing the more eco-considerate incinerating or composting or chemical toilets in favor of a water closet john.
Here’s an article that talks more about Choosing a Toilet for your Tiny Home if you want to learn more about the different options and the pros and cons of each.
Pro #3: I Feel Well in My Tiny
Here, my recipe for fuzzy feelings:
Ingredients:
- Birdsong
- Windows. Windows everywhere.
- Proximity to hiking trails/a national forest
- Opportunities to stretch and exercise (I’m looking at you, loft ladder)
- A full and tidy kitchen
- Pets
- Travel opportunities
- Security in my affordable, low cost of living
Directions:
- Curl up with a blanket and pillow on your tiny house couch or loft.
- Take a deep breath, and on the exhale, give thanks for all these ingredients.
- Resist (or fall into, you do you) the inevitable nap that follows step 2.
- Feel well.
It’s been a year. And three articles later, I’m still really glad to be living in our tiny house (OMG WE ACTUALLY OWN A HOME).
Despite the adversities we faced on the way here, the fruit of our labor is still sweet.
We enjoy the life tiny living is granting us: we get to go hiking in a national forest every day if we so please, and if at some point we want to live somewhere else, we can easily pack up our house and go.
I hope you’ve found these articles useful, and that they’ve brought some insight into how it is to live tiny.
And if you’re considering taking the plunge – we wish you the very best luck and all the help you need for making informed decisions.
Please comment below if you have any questions. I would love to spread the love of tiny!
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Most Commonly Asked Questions
What are the common sewage solutions for tiny houses?
Common sewage solutions include composting toilets, incinerating toilets, and connection to septic or municipal systems. Each option has its own pros and cons depending on your location and lifestyle.
What should I consider when choosing a toilet for my tiny house?
Consider factors like maintenance, cost, water usage, and odor control. It’s essential to choose a toilet that fits your needs and is compatible with your sewage solution.
How do composting toilets work in tiny houses?
Composting toilets use aerobic decomposition to break down waste into compost. They require proper ventilation, regular maintenance, and a good understanding of how to manage the composting process.
How do macerating toilets work in tiny houses?
Macerating toilets use a powerful grinder to break down waste into a slurry, which is then pumped through small pipes to a remote holding tank or sewage system. They require access to electricity to power the grinder, a connection to a holding tank or sewage system, and properly sized pipes. Regular maintenance is also needed to ensure the system functions smoothly.
How do incinerating toilets work in tiny houses?
Incinerating toilets burn waste at high temperatures, reducing it to sterile ash. They require electricity or gas to operate, as well as proper ventilation to handle the exhaust. While they don’t need water or plumbing, regular maintenance is necessary to keep the incineration process running efficiently.
How do cassette toilets work in tiny houses?
Cassette toilets have a removable waste tank that can be easily detached and emptied at a dump station or appropriate facility. They require access to a suitable emptying point and occasional cleaning of the tank and seals. Cassette toilets are compact and portable, making them ideal for tiny houses, especially those that are mobile.
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