Dry cabin, what is the cost of heating+electric? And other questions from a prospective student. (buy, living in)

[1stimestar]

Yea a set up like that would have worked just fine in that cabin Ray. It it weren't a rental, one could easily put a drain in the floor and just drain it out onto the gravel pad like the sink did and like my current one does.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by 1stimestar

Yea a set up like that would have worked just fine in that cabin Ray. It it weren't a rental, one could easily put a drain in the floor and just drain it out onto the gravel pad like the sink did and like my current one does.

Agree.

[Dakster]

Will the landlord not let you or you just don't want to spend the money to do it? I don't blame you for not wanting to spend the money upgrading someone elses cabin.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Dakster

Will the landlord not let you or you just don't want to spend the money to do it? I don't blame you for not wanting to spend the money upgrading someone elses cabin.

The problem is that you can't just run the drain pipe through the floor or wall to drain the water out in the yard. It gets so cold up here that the water would be freezing solid right through the wall or floor. The pipe would have to be buried underground over 4' deep. If the dry cabin has a septic system, then it can have a toilet, a shower, and kitchen sink. It means that it would have to have a water tank underground, and the water can be purchased and delivered to the cabin. Not only that, but to move the water from the tank to the house a water pump would also be needed. By the time the landlord has setup the cabin this way, it's not longer a dry cabin, and the rent would be quite high.

Now, if the cabin sits on a gravel bar or rocks, then one could probably drain the water into the gravel. The gravel would have to have a thick layer of snow on top, or maybe a think layer of insulation.

[1stimestar]

Both my cabins have just drained right through the floor onto the gravel pad underneath. My previous cabin would get froze up sometimes in the winter because it was not high enough off the ground and the ice would build up and block off the drain. I'd have to pour a few gallons of boiling water down it to open up a channel. Of course, this means you have an open hole to the outside and need to keep it covered when not in use.

[1stimestar]

Oh yea, I think I'm using 400 gallons of heating fuel a year. That's at $4 a gallon delivered. I save .30 a gallon for all but about 100 gallons of it because I have an awesome landlord who delivers it for free if I get in on his order.

[Dakster]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

The problem is that you can't just run the drain pipe through the floor or wall to drain the water out in the yard. It gets so cold up here that the water would be freezing solid right through the wall or floor. The pipe would have to be buried underground over 4' deep. If the dry cabin has a septic system, then it can have a toilet, a shower, and kitchen sink. It means that it would have to have a water tank underground, and the water can be purchased and delivered to the cabin. Not only that, but to move the water from the tank to the house a water pump would also be needed. By the time the landlord has setup the cabin this way, it's not longer a dry cabin, and the rent would be quite high.

Now, if the cabin sits on a gravel bar or rocks, then one could probably drain the water into the gravel. The gravel would have to have a thick layer of snow on top, or maybe a think layer of insulation.

Not knocking/flaming your post, please don't take it that way.

You took adding a shower drain to a whole new level -- and 1sttimestar had a cabin that she drained onto the gravel car below the cabin... Which was why I aksed why she wasn't doing it now.

I do get your points above and I did think of that. However, it just depends on how long you are going to stay there and what comforts you want, can live without, or want/need to do without because of wanting to save money.

FWIW, I wouldn't suggest plumbing someone elses cabin, unless they paid you to do so, and you had a favorable lease/contract. However, if you already have a hole saw and or a *** saw, that and a few $$ gets you a floor drain with a cover. Half an hour to an hours work on the weekend the drain would be in. I even have some ideas of how to put the drain into the current bucket so you wouldn't need to buy shower pan material, etc... (As shower pan liner can get pricey - and I wouldn't want to spend it for someone else).

Anyways, I was more information gathering and wondering why or why not. Star is more self-sufficient and clever than I will ever be.

[1stimestar]

Originally Posted by Dakster

-- and 1sttimestar had a cabin that she drained onto the gravel car below the cabin... Which was why I asked why she wasn't doing it now.

I am doing it now, though this cabin has an internal water system so I have hot and cold running water to my kitchen sink and a shower.


Still have an outhouse though with this one being right off the deck, we don't have to worry so much about moose.

As you come in the door, this is the water tank. It's handy because you can just put your 5 gallon water jugs on the counter and open the spigot to fill the tank.



Here's what it looked like before I moved in. The 55 gallon tank is under this counter.


My pump and water heater is under this end of the counter.


You can see the shower room off to the side as well as where the water lines are run over the door over to the shower.


And here are the curtains I made. Hhahaha just had to throw that in there.

[Dakster]

Looks nice Star.

Do the water jugs freeze up between getting the water and getting the water to the cabin in the winter? Assuming you put them in the back of a pickup?

I had that problem a couple of years ago when I went on vacation. I kept the cooler in the back of the truck and when we went into the mountains of Utah the temp dropped below freezing. It froze all of the food and drinks together in the cooler and under a block of ice. Ended up having to move things around and put one of the coolers in the truck to 'thaw' it out. I can see that happening in your kneck of the woods from Fall to spring.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Dakster

Not knocking/flaming your post, please don't take it that way.

You took adding a shower drain to a whole new level -- and 1sttimestar had a cabin that she drained onto the gravel car below the cabin... Which was why I aksed why she wasn't doing it now.

I do get your points above and I did think of that. However, it just depends on how long you are going to stay there and what comforts you want, can live without, or want/need to do without because of wanting to save money.

FWIW, I wouldn't suggest plumbing someone elses cabin, unless they paid you to do so, and you had a favorable lease/contract. However, if you already have a hole saw and or a *** saw, that and a few $$ gets you a floor drain with a cover. Half an hour to an hours work on the weekend the drain would be in. I even have some ideas of how to put the drain into the current bucket so you wouldn't need to buy shower pan material, etc... (As shower pan liner can get pricey - and I wouldn't want to spend it for someone else).

Anyways, I was more information gathering and wondering why or why not. Star is more self-sufficient and clever than I will ever be.

No problem, Dakster.

And yes, if the cabin sits on a gravel pad, then you can drain the water from the shower through the floor into the gravel like 1stimester has done.