Hydrogen gas plays a key role in transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The challenge lies in scaling of production of hydrogen with the discovery of low-cost, stable materials which can perform stable and efficient overall water splitting in various electrolytic conditions at low applied potentials. In this study, we explored commonly available electrodes for overall water splitting with emphasis on carbon materials. We found that carbon, especially porous carbon, is extremely stable and successful for both oxygen and hydrogen evolution across all pH ranges. In addition, we observed that silicon electrodes prefer unidirectional charge transport due to diode behavior and band alignment and show that the arrangement of photoelectrodes to maximize its light-harvesting properties. This study gives a glimpse of utilizing commonly found materials for water splitting.