Figure out how much water your household really needs off-grid — per day, month and year — plus how much storage to keep and roughly how many tanks that is. Adjust the numbers and the results update instantly.
Drinking, cooking, dishes and hygiene. On-grid homes use 80–100 gal/person.
Optional — add a daily amount for a garden, livestock or chickens.
💧 Your water needs
Per day—
Per month—
Per year—
Suggested storage (2 weeks)—
Suggested storage (1 month)—
≈ IBC totes (275 gal) for 1 month—
A full 275-gallon tote weighs over 2,000 lbs — always set tanks on solid, level ground. Insulate or bury lines so they don't freeze in winter.
Estimates only, for planning. Real usage varies with habits, climate, and equipment. Not engineering advice.
Why off-grid water use looks different
A typical on-grid household in the U.S. uses somewhere around 80–100 gallons per person per day, mostly without thinking about it — long showers, running the tap while brushing teeth, watering a lawn. Off-grid households in Apache County usually land closer to 10–15 gallons per person per day once they've been living it for a while, simply because every gallon has to be hauled, pumped, or caught, and that changes habits fast. This calculator uses that real-world range rather than a national average, so the numbers actually match what hauling or catchment planning out here looks like.
How the storage numbers work
The two-week and one-month storage figures are meant as a buffer between water deliveries or catchment refills — not your total annual need. Most off-grid households out here keep at least two weeks on hand at all times, since a truck breakdown, a bad road after a storm, or a busy delivery schedule can push a refill back further than planned. IBC totes (the plastic 275-gallon totes in metal cages) are the most common storage size people use because they're easy to source, stack, and move with a trailer.