Tiny homes are more affordable to build and maintain, are mobile if built on a trailer and significantly reduce your environmental footprint. If you’re considering building a tiny home in Ontario, here’s what you need to know about plumbing.
Ontario Tiny Home Plumbing Regulations
Ontario has special tiny house building codes concerning electrical wiring, windows and plumbing. Minimum plumbing requirements for tiny homes in Ontario include:
hot and cold water supply
toilet or drainless composting toilet, sink and bathtub or shower in the bathroom
kitchen sink
More importantly, you must hire a qualified plumber to do all the work.
Tiny Home Water Storage
Your tiny home will require three main tanks for storing water.
A fresh water tank supplies the kitchen and bathroom with water for everyday use. The tank size will depend on the number of people in the house and your water usage. The average person uses between 350 and 450 litres per day. You can hire a potable water delivery service to fill the tank or visit a public drinking water station. To get the water to your sinks, shower and toilet, you’ll need to install a pump. However, the downside is that pumps are noisy.
A grey water tank holds wastewater from your sinks, washing machine and shower. You can use greywater to water plants and bushes around your property.
A black water tank holds water from your toilet if you don’t have a composting model. You’ll need to intermittently empty this tank by hiring a septic service or draining it at a dump station.
Contact your local municipality about hooking up your tiny home to public water and sewer systems.
Tiny Home Plumbing for Kitchens and Bathrooms
To get hot water for your kitchen, shower and washing machine, you can install a standard hot water tank or a tankless water heater. A tankless water heater takes far less space than a conventional hot water tank, provides hot water on demand and never runs out. These heaters run on either electricity or natural gas.
Composting toilets don’t use water and can significantly reduce the water usage in your tiny home. They use microorganisms to break down human waste. Using a composting toilet may eliminate the need for a black water tank.
Residential Plumbing in the Greater Toronto Area
At Black Forest Plumbing, our experienced plumbers are certified for residential plumbing in Ontario and are ready to do the plumbing work on your tiny home. We can install tankless water heaters, appliances and toilets. We’re also on call 24/7 for any plumbing emergency. Contact us today to discuss how we can help make your tiny house dream a reality.