Okay, so you need a rainwater tank!
Maybe it’s because you are building a new home or putting on an addition and you have a “BASIX“ requirement to put a certain size tank in, or maybe you just want to harvest water to take care of your garden.
Most people just don’t know where to begin with their research on what size water storage tank to have, what type of water pump they require and how much roof space they need to harvest.
Lets look at the steps one can take on designing a suitable water storage system.
Find possible suitable locations for the tank.
The best way to begin the process is to first walk around your property and find some locations that you feel may be suitable for a tank. When you are doing this always try to be mindful of where the downpipes are, or going to be, if you are having a new home built. Obviously the closer the inlet of the tank is to a downpipe, or downpipes, the easier the installation will be.
Measure dimensions of the space available for the Water Tank.
Once you find some locations that you feel may be suitable, the next step is to write down the dimensions of the space you have available.
You need to measure the maximum length the tank could be, the maximum depth and the maximum height possible. Most people these days have limited space so tend to go for Slimline tanks.
These may be located along the side entrance of the home or possibly somewhere at the back of the property. There are tall slimline tanks, low-line slimline tanks ( for going under windows), and very thin tanks which are available.
Keep in mind polyethylene ( plastic ) tanks come out of moulds, so they are fixed sizes as these moulds to make one tank are very expensive.
When a poly tank cannot be sourced to fit your space this is when a custom made Steel Tank is going to be suitable. Steel tanks are made on rolling machines and they can be made to fit almost any dimensions that you require.
So the second step after finding a suitable tank location is to write down the maximum dimensions of the space you have available. This is the most important information that you can give us when calling for tank options, as it allows us to match suitable tanks, which we can then quote on.
What is the Tank to be used for?
The next question we will have for you is; What is your tank to be connected too?
Is it to feed just one or two garden taps for use in the garden?
If so, do you intend at a later stage to maybe connect it to the house, ie – toilets & washing machines? If this is the case you should advise us, so when we suggest a pump system we can suggest a pump that can have a mains backup device added at a later stage. This will obviously save you money in replacing the pump when you do the upgrade.
Is your tank to supply the home, ie – Connection to toilets & washing machines or possibly be the main water supply for the entire home?
If connecting to fixtures in the home you will require a mains backup device, whether it be a manual or automatic system. Obviously when connecting to the home you require mains backup as if the tank is empty you will require mains water for the fixtures in the home.
You can view further information on our FAQ section entitled “ Mains Backup Systems”.
What type of Pump do I require?
Answering the above question usually leads to the type of pump you will require.
Another question which may be asked and very important when choosing a pump, is where is your tank to be located? Is it on an external wall with a bedroom behind it, or possibly the living area? Obviously noise needs to be considered if this is the case and we may suggest a submersible pump as opposed to an external system.
Garden Only Systems – If your water tank is to supply rainwater for garden use only then we may ask the following questions:
How many garden taps are there to come off the tank?
Is your land flat or does the pump need to pump uphill?
Will you be connecting the water tank pump to an irrigation system , now or in the future?
This question is very important, as if the pump is to be connected to an irrigation system then you will need to advise the flow rate required for the irrigation system to work correctly, and the pump will need to be matched to this.
Connection to the Home – If the tank is to be connected to the fixtures in the home then we need to find a pump with a mains backup device and one that has enough pressure to reach your fixtures, so please advise if the home is single, two or three story.
The answers to these questions will assist us in advising a suitable pump system for your purposes and also help us advise you in what filters you may require.
The more information that you supply to us based on the information listed above, the easier it will be in getting a quotation for the correct rainwater tank and components that you will need for a quality installation.
Always feel free to call us on 1300 885 547 for any clarifications about the information on this page or you can send us an email here Contact TightSpottanks. If you like you can even add your comments below and i will be more than happy to answer them for you.
I didn’t know that there was so much to owning and installing a water tank. I wonder what are the costs of a water tank and how efficient it is. We’ll have to consider what you said and perhaps measure the space where we would install it like you said.
Hi Burt,
Thank You for your comment.
Depending on the type of the tank you want and what you want to use it for the price can vary.
Please refer to your inbox where we have sent you a list of questions that will help us quote you on the right product.
Kind Regards,
Maria