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Living off the mains near Alghero: water by tanker, gas, septic tanks and the fire-clearance rule

If your house is in the campagna, four services decide whether life runs smoothly: water delivery, waste tank emptying, gas, and clearing the land before summer. Here is how each works and who to call.

Last reviewed: 2026-09-02 · 3 min read · Free to read · no account needed

Plenty of houses around Alghero, Villanova, Olmedo and the northern comuni are not connected to the mains. That is not a defect and it is not a problem — it is a different set-up, with its own rhythm, and once the routine exists you stop thinking about it. What catches people out is discovering it in August, with guests in the house.

Four services decide whether life in the campagna runs smoothly. Set all four up in your first month.

1. Water by tanker (autobotte)

A cistern under or beside the house is filled by a tanker on a schedule you agree with the supplier. For a family, deliveries every two weeks are typical; less in winter, more when the house is full in summer.

How to set it up: find a supplier who serves your località (ask your neighbours — this is the most locally-organised service of all), agree a standing schedule rather than calling each time, and note the cistern's capacity so you know how long a delivery lasts.

Two practical points. Check whether the water delivered is drinkable (potabile) or for domestic use only — many households drink bottled water regardless. And ask what happens in August: suppliers are busiest exactly when everyone's cistern empties fastest, so a standing slot is worth far more than a phone call.

Our own supplier, and the reason we know the routine works: Adriana Demontis delivers to houses in our area roughly twice a month. There is another supplier with the same surname locally — check the first name when you arrange it.

2. Septic tank (fossa biologica / pozzo nero)

If there is no sewer connection, waste goes to a tank that has to be emptied by a spurgo service — commonly two to four times a year depending on household size and tank capacity.

Do it on a routine, not on an emergency. A tank that overflows on a Sunday costs several times more and ruins a weekend. Ask the previous owner or the neighbours how often they emptied it, and put it in the calendar. Keep the service's number in your phone before you need it.

3. Gas

Off the gas network, houses run on bottles (bombole) or a larger tank (serbatoio GPL). Bottles are exchanged at authorised dealers and delivered; tanks are refilled by the supplier on call or on a schedule.

Before the first cold week, know: how many bottles you go through in a month, who delivers in your area, and whether your supplier has a standing-order option. In winter a delayed delivery is a cold house.

Sardinia's fire prevention rules require landowners to clear vegetation around buildings and along boundaries before the summer fire season, and the requirement is enforced with fines. Foreign owners frequently learn about it from a penalty rather than a notice.

What to do: arrange clearing (pulizia del terreno, fascia parafuoco) in spring, before the season opens — contractors are booked solid once the deadline approaches. If your property is large or steep, this is a job for someone with a brush cutter and insurance, not a weekend project.

When: the regional anti-fire regulation sets the dates each year, typically from late spring to autumn. We carry the exact dates in the brief each year when the regulation is published, because they shift.

Also worth setting up early

Requirements — especially the fire-clearance obligation — are set by regional and municipal regulations and change annually. Confirm the current dates with your comune. Practical guidance, not legal advice. Last reviewed: September 2026.