Need to install a sink or toilet but don’t have plumbing or running water available? Check out my sink and toilet installation using a full size toilet, bar sink, RV pump, battery, PEX tubing and a water storage tank.
This project was for a camp that once had running water using a gravity well that has since stopped working. Luckily, drainage for the toilet and sink were already in-place so that part will not be covered in this article.
Since digging a well was not an option I decided to do some research on how to install a sink and toilet using water storage tanks. This was similar to others who have used rain water to flush toilets or RV tank setups. The below article will go over my parts list and photos of the sink installation. If you have any questions just leave them down in the comments.
**See our complete list of Top Tools and Products for 2019 here**
Sink and Toilet without plumbing, (parts list)
Unlike buying a sink at the hardware store and hooking it up to the hoses coming out of the wall. A setup like this proved to be a bit more…tricky.
One of the biggest issues was the lack of information available when trying to find others who have installed a sink without traditional plumbing. The closest matches were RV guys who used water storage tanks and pumps. Off-grid cabins that used rain water collection barrels with gravity fed toilets and sinks. Marine installations with small sinks, electric water pumps and storage tanks.
After countless hours of reading through forums, product reviews and watching Youtube videos. Here are the parts I used to install a small bar sink without standard plumbing hookups.
Parts list:
• Small Stainless Bar Sink: Moen 2200 Series 22 Gauge Single Bowl Drop In Sink, 15 x 15, Stainless Steel (G2245622)
• Bar Sink Drain: Keeney 878PC Bar Sink Strainer, Stainless Steel
• Single Handle Water Faucet: VCCUCINE Contemporary Single Handle Waterfall Bathroom Lavatory Vanity Vessel Sink Faucet Tall Body, Brushed Nickel
• Bar sink soap dispenser: Comllen Commercial Brushed Nickel Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink Countertop Soap Dispenser With 10.6 Ounce Capacity, Brushed Nickel
• Bar sink drain hose: Camco Anti Rust Flexible Camper Drain Tap with Hose System for RVs Campers and Trailers, Easy Connection and Set Up (37420)
Bar Sink Installation, (choose your location, trace the sink outline)
Build your countertop and choose a location for the sink installation. The above photo is a shot of the sink table top made of pressure treated pine lumber with a sheet of premium stain-grand pine for the counter top. Simple easy design to serve as a workspace and a place the support the sink.
Next, turn the sink upside down and trace the outer edge with a pencil. **Note, this is not the cut-line**
Follow the included instructions to measure the correct distance for the lip and then make (4) drill holes in each of the corners.
These holes will be needed when using a jigsaw to make your cut out.
Bar Sink Installation, (cut along the inner line)
To make this cut I used an inexpensive Black and Decker jigsaw and carefully followed the inner (cut line). From this photo you can see why the drill holes were needed to allow easy access to start the jig-saw blade.
Hole is cut and it looks good. Time to add in the faucet and soap dispenser for a test fit.
Sink and Toilet without plumbing, INSTALLATION, (test fit)
Like a glove. The sink fits perfect into the cutout. To secure the sink to the counter-top there are (8) small clips on the bottom. Flip them out and then screw them down to keep the sink from moving.
**See our complete list of Top Tools and Products for 2019 here**
After installing the soap dispenser and the single handle faucet. The next step is to secure the drain to route the waste water into the existing drain pipe. If you don’t have a direct drain pipe some people have used empty 5 gallon jugs to collect the waste water.
With the flexible hose it allows you to easily route the waste water from the sink into a container. This low profile sink drain is popular in RV’s and marine applications due to the shallow depth required for installation. It also has a small catch bowl to keep things like rings from washing down the tubing.
Sink without plumbing using Sharkbite and Pex tubing
To connect the sink and toilet to the pump I chose to use PEX tubing as it is MUCH easier to work with compared to copper. PEX tubing is easy to cut to length, has some flexibility and has better resistance to freezing conditions. Using the push-to-connect fittings everything in only a matter of minutes…no torching required.
Here is a close up shot of the Sharkbite connector that was used to connect 1/2″ PEX tubing direct to the cold water sink line. This also has a built in shut-off valve to turn off the water line to the sink if needed.
With all the PEX line connected up to the RV pump we now have everything we need for running water.
Bar sink with running water, from RV pump and water storage tanks
Success! With the 12 volt RV pump connected to our battery and the faucet lifted we finally have running water!
Toilet and Sink, Water Storage Tanks
Ok, so we have running water. No leaks, all is well.
The final part of this installation is figuring out how to maintain a large enough supply of water…
For this I went with a 30 Gallon NSF water holding tank by Class A Customs. This tank is made of NSF/ANSI Std 61 approved Medium Density Polyethylene and is safe for storage of drinking water. Great for RV’s, Boats, Food Carts, etc.
**Here is a direct link to all the available tank sizes available on Amazon.**
Photo showing the whole setup with the tank, 12V water pump and 12V battery. Complete off-grid system!
Filling the Water Storage Tank.
I use a cheap water transfer pump from Harbor Freight and pump water from 7 gal containers into the top left corner of the storage tank.
Since this is not used frequently. A few drops of Clorox Bleach are then added (about 2 drops per gallon) to keep any bacteria from growing in the tank.
Overall this system ended up working out great for my application and I learned alot along the way. If you have any questions about this setup, feel free to leave them below in the comments.
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Can you please provide instructions on how the RV pump was connected.
There are two areas of connection, power and water. The pump has a 2-wires for DC power (+, -) I connected these wires to a male cigarette lighter plug and then connected a female cigarette lighter receiver to my DC battery. This allows for an easy plug-in connection to the battery. For the water connection, the IN side goes to my water supply and then the OUT goes to my sink & toilet. If you have any other questions just let me know.
Do you have to manually turn the pump on and off when you intend to use the sink? Does it cause issues if you turn the sink off & the pump is on?
No, the pump is an “on-demand” which means it just sits idle when the system is pressurized. When you open the sink or flush the toilet the pump will automatically kick on to resupply water.