Connect Your Services

Proper service installation is essential for providing your guests with a comfortable and convenient glamping experience.

Disclaimer: We are by no means sparkies or plumbers so we won't go too much in-depth into this section but here is just a simple guideline to help you further your research into this rather important process. Remember to always use a qualified tradesperson for these sections.

When it comes to services, most of our clients are heading down the off-grid route.

There are a number of reasons as to why (which i don't need to list here) people choose to go off-grid. The main point is that if you ARE going off grid then it is essential to ensure you have adequate collection and storage to ensure you and your guests have minimal hiccups throughout their stay.

Plumbing/Including Gas

Install a water supply line, greywater line, and sewage line to accommodate the kitchen, bathroom, and any other water-related fixtures.

Ensuring that your local council are aware of the service connections to the mains is vital if you are hooking up to the mains directly or indirectly. Also, creating a site plan where the plumbing work is buried around your property is essential for any future work or maintenance.

Remember that you will need adequate storage for the large fluctuations in Aussie climate around the country. Typically you would have 5 options when it comes to water storage and delivery.

Collecting water from your King Dome directly/indirectly, pumping it up to a tank and then gravity feeding it back down to your King Dome to service the site.
Collecting water from your King Dome directly/indirectly, gravity feeding it down to a tank before having it pumped up to the site. Personally we recommend the 2nd option primarily so that you cannot hear the pump when it runs.
Collecting your water from another roof on the property (i.e. house, garage, pergola, shed etc.) and pumping it to the dome site. This is really only suffice if the distance and convenience of trenching between the location is practical.
Collecting and treating water from your dam.
Collecting and treating water from a fresh water spring or other ground water source.

You are definitely not limited to these options or your vision could be to select a variety to lessen your chances of running out of water. If you have recently purchased the property (say within the last 3 years), it may be hard to judge the cycles of water/rain so our suggestion is to also have a chat with the locals to gain a better understanding of the weather patterns throughout the year.

Other considerations include the septic system and toilet options. There is a large variety of different toilet and septic systems out there and some will serve your particular situation and climate better than others. Examples of different types of toilets include regular flush system, micro-flush, composting/drop toilets and incinerating toilets.

There are also various septic and grey water systems which will help you tick a few boxes, both with council and the maintenance of the site itself. These considerations need to be implemented regardless of it is a dome, tiny home, yurt, or really any dwelling that people are “living” in. (We put living in quotes because short-term renters would still fall under this category).

Depending on the level of kitchen you find yourself installing inside your new dome, a great trap may also be necessary.

Gas tends to be a decent replacement to high electricity consuming appliances such as cooking and heating (some fridges and A/C can even be run off gas). Gas can be looked at as a good alternative to an expensive upgraded off-grid electrical system. By running all of the high energy consuming appliances on gas, the electrical system can be smaller as it is catering mainly to lights and power outlets.

The major downside to gas systems is that you will need to change the bottles around (they can last quite a while though) and will need create another service connection (typically this can be done by a plumber with the relevant gas-fitting qualifications).

Electrical/Including Air-Conditioning

Run electrical wiring to the dome for lighting, outlets, and appliances. Ensure all wiring is done to code and safely enclosed.

Again, ensuring the council is aware of the connection to mains is vital as well as creating a site plan for all electrical work. We cannot stress enough how important it is to have a relevant tradesperson to complete this stage (especially when dealing with mains power). 12v power from a simple solar setup is one thing, mains power can be a matter of life and death.

Solar panel systems are the most popular route when it comes to off-grid power. There are other options as well including wind, water turbines and a generator (great back up if the battery stores deplete).

Even gas can replace otherwise electrical appliances. Just ensure that whichever one (or combination) that you go for is suitable for your region factoring in weather, trees, direction, path of the sun throughout the year, mountains/hills etc.

It is always good to have a generator back up to ensure minimal interruption for you and your guests in worst-case scenario events. Adequate battery stores is an important consideration as well and there are a few different types of batteries that would suit different purposes/climates better as well.

A bit of light reading on the internet and consulting an electrician/solar system installer and even your neighbours can be a great source of information. Just be sure to keep it local as they will base their opinion on the specific location.

Depending on your location and climate, consider installing an air-conditioning unit or a mini-split system to maintain a comfortable temperature inside your King Dome. Remember that A/C consumes a fair amount of energy and when guests see an A/C unit, they will take advantage of this by running it constantly. Ensure that if you choose to go down this route, factor this in to your total energy consumption/storage/generation.

Check out https://www.byda.com.au/ before commencing to ensure you know if/where services are on your property.

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