Do Yurts Have Running Water? [6 Steps To Success!]

Living in a Yurt will sure be adventurous but do you ever wonder if Yurts have running water because you really can’t make it work without water, can you? Today, an increasing number of people are seen spending weeks and months in modern yurts, and this calls for a solid plumbing setup that would ensure you’ve got running water in your yurt round the clock.

Do Yurts Have Running Water?d

You can arrange for running water in a yurt. All it’ll take is some well-thought plumbing work and access to a source of water. Once you’ve secured a water source (a well, lake, or any other source), drawing water to the yurt won’t be so difficult, and you can enjoy running water in your yurt!

Keep in mind that running water in your yurt is likely to increase the overall moisture inside your yurt. Too much uncontrolled moisture in your yurt can cause mold if not managed properly.

Do Yurts Have Toilets?

One of the most commonly asked questions about yurts is whether they’ve got toilets. Well, you can take a sigh of relief. Yurts have toilets. You don’t have to worry about finding a place to entertain nature’s call when living in a yurt.

One important thing that we want you to know here is that toilets aren’t a part of a standard yurt design. If you’re buying a yurt that you want to customize to your needs, you won’t find a toilet attached to the original frame. If there’s a toilet in a yurt, it’s usually a compost toilet.

It’s something you’ll have to do on your own. You’ll need to first designate a spot in the yurt where you want your toilet to be and then have proper plumbing work done to connect it to a sewer or a septic tank and have a fully functional toilet in your yurt.

How Does Plumbing Work In A Yurt?

A yurt doesn’t come with the plumbing already installed. You can include whatever elements you want in your yurts like a toilet, bathroom, and a kitchen, but you’ll need proper plumbing for each of these. 

You can do the plumbing work yourself, or you can hire a professional to do it for you. We recommend hiring a professional plumber to do the plumbing work in your yurt and install all the modern conveniences you’re used to.

Before you consider building a toilet or bathroom in your yurt, you may want to know how plumbing works in a yurt. Let’s look at everything you’ll have to do in order to have running water in your yurt.

Where to Source Water from for Your Yurt?

Before you can start plumbing your new sink in your yurt, the first thing you’ve got to do is identify a water source. This will be where you’ll be drawing water for your yurt through the installed pipelines.

When we talk about sourcing water for a yurt, there are 2 options. You can either dig a well or build a yurt near a lake, stream, or near the oceanfront where you can easily get your water from.

Digging a well is your best bet. You can dig a well close to your yurt so that you don’t have to spend too much money on the plumbing.

However, if digging a well seems to be very expensive or the area you’re planning to build a yurt doesn’t allow you to dig a well, your best bet is to build a yurt where there’s a water source nearby. 

Ideally, you should build a yurt near the ocean, lake, or water stream.

If there’s no water source nearby, your only option is rainwater. You can set up a large tank on top of your yurt to collect water from the rain. If your yurt is located somewhere it rains a lot, you won’t find yourself without water too often.

Setting Up Running Water

Once you’ve your water source sorted, the next step is to set up running water. It involves working on the plumbing so that you’ve water coming through the taps and shower. 

While you can do the plumbing yourself, it’s always better to hire a professional to do it.

Install Water Lines to Bring Water from the Source

The first thing you’ll have to do when setting up running water in your yurt is to install water lines to bring the water from the source to your storage tank.

Whether it’s a well or a designated water facility in the area, or a lake, you’ll need to set up water lines to transport water through the water lines.

Once your water lines are in place, you won’t have to worry about going all the way to the water source to fill your water tank. You can simply turn on the valve and have the water flow directly into the storage tank.

Setup PEX Tubing

The next thing is installing water lines from the storage tank to your yurt’s toilet, bathroom, and kitchen. For this, PEX tubing is your best bet.

It’s very easy to work with, and it comes in different colors, so you can have separate, distinguished lines for hot and cold water.

This tubing will run all the way from the storage tank through the walls of your yurt. You can make as many branches off the main PEX tubing coming from the storage tank to arrange running water in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry area.

All you’ll need is crimp rings to secure the various sections of PEX tubing together.

Installing Gray Water Lines

Once you’ve sorted the plumbing for the water inlet, you’ve got to work on the plumbing work to discard the used water waste. 

You can’t let the gray water flow directly into the surroundings. That’s just against ethics and environmental policies.

You’ll need ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) pipes of a large diameter for pipelines that’ll carry the gray water. 

One pipe for each fixture will be needed. If you’ve got a separate toilet and bathroom and a kitchen, you’ll need to install 3 outlets from each point. A P-trap is a must here to prevent the leakage of any gases from gray water into your yurt.

You’ll join the multiple pipes from multiple fixtures using elbows and tees so that there’s one common outlet for gray water that leaves the yurt.

All the pipes must be at a slope of ¼ inches per foot to ensure the water in the pipelines keeps moving towards the outlet. 

Concealing the Plumbing

Since yurts are off-ground structures, you can always have the plumbing lines concealed under the yurt to make it look neat and aesthetically appealing. You can always make your yurt stand higher up on its platform if the plumbing requires more space.

How Do You Go To The Bathroom In A Yurt?

You can use the bathroom of your yurt to use the toilet or take a shower pretty much the same way you would use the bathroom at home. 

Depending on the number and type of amenities you’ve got in your yurt bathroom, you can even enjoy the same comfort as the bathroom you’ve got back home.

The only limitations are that you can’t really have a huge bathtub because of the limited space available in the yurt and the limited water supply. 

Since the water you’re getting in the bathroom is coming from the storage tank, there’s a limited quantity that’s available to you. You can always refill the tank, but that’s something you can’t do if all the water is utilized while you’re using the bathroom!

Can You Install A Bathroom In A Yurt?

You can most definitely install a bathroom in a yurt if your yurt is large enough. A bathroom can take up considerable space and if your yurt is already small, adding a bathroom might not be the wisest thing to do

Adding a bathroom at the cost of compromising your living space doesn’t sound right.

The first thing you’ll have to do when installing a bathroom in a yurt is make the frame, which, to be honest, should be left to a professional. 

The second step will be to add electricity so that you can use the bathroom even if it’s dark outside.

After the frame is designed and electrical work is done, installing the appropriate plumbing and ventilation is time. And your bathroom is all set to be used!