Bunker Systems
Waste: toilets that work when the grid does not.
A bunker toilet has to work without city sewer, often without much power, and below the level of any septic line. The choice is between composting, incinerating and flush toilets with an ejector pump, and the best systems keep a second option for when the first fails.
Three tiers
Priced,
installed.
Every Builder bunker includes at least the Basic tier. Prices are installed in Utah, including equipment, labor and commissioning, and are confirmed in writing after the site visit.
Basic
$2,900installed
The industry default: no water, little power.
- Composting toilet (Nature's Head or Separett Villa class)
- Vent to grade
- Two cassette toilets as backup
- Sealed trash storage drums
Standard
$7,500installed
More capacity for a larger household.
- Sun-Mar Centrex central composting or Incinolet incinerating toilet
- Urine and gray-water holding tank with pump-out port
- Backup cassette toilet
- Trash compaction and storage
Premium
$12,500installed
A normal bathroom, with a grid-down backup.
- Flush toilets with a sewage ejector pump (41-gallon basin)
- High-water alarm and check valves
- Tie-in to a holding tank or septic system (septic quoted separately)
- Composting or cassette toilet as a backup
How we size it
The numbers
behind it.
Power
Composting toilets need only a small vent fan. An incinerating toilet draws about 2,000 watts at 120 volts, which the power system must be sized for.
Elevation
Some propane incinerating toilets are rated only to about 4,920 feet. Much of the Mountain West sits above that, so we check your site.
Septic
A septic system is designed and permitted for your parcel and quoted separately. Our state pages list who issues the permit.
Backup
Every tier keeps a second way to handle waste, because a household cannot wait for a part to arrive.
Questions
About
waste.
What toilet do most bunkers use?
Composting toilets, because they need no water and very little power. Flush toilets with an ejector pump are the premium choice.
Do incinerating toilets work off-grid?
Electric models draw a lot of power: about 2,000 watts for a four-person model. Propane models need a flue and have elevation limits.
Is a septic system included?
No. It depends on your soil and county, so it is designed and quoted after the site visit.
Prices set 2026-10-28 from published retail equipment prices plus installation. Brand names describe the class of equipment; we may substitute equal or better equipment based on availability. Subscriptions, well drilling and septic systems are quoted separately.
Build it your way.
Pick a bunker, choose each system and see the installed price, then reserve with a deposit.