Did you know that Australians are the largest water consumers per capita of any country on Earth? For a water-scarce country with few lakes and dams that often suffers devastating heatwaves and bush fires, saving water should be a priority for every home. The good news is that this is easier and more affordable than ever if you install rainwater tanks on your property – especially as we move into Melbourne’s wet season! Here are some of the benefits.
How Do Rain Water Tanks Work?
These are large, robust tanks that are attached to your roof’s guttering system, allowing the water that would run off your roof to be collected and stored in the tanks for later use. You can have a single tank or connect several tanks in series, and you can fit them with pumps for improved water pressure or filtrations systems depending on what you want to use the water for.
It may not seem like a lot of water lands on your roof, but they perform exceptionally well even in light to moderate rainfall, collecting up to 800 litres of water of just 10ml of rain!
- The water is free – Because you’re collecting rainwater, you’re getting free access to a resource you’d usually have to pay for. That means great savings on your utility bill, whether you are using it to water your garden, grow fruits and vegetables, emergency supplies, or use it as drinking water. On average, homes manage to cut their water use by 25-30% by using these tanks.
- It can be used as drinking water – The rainwater in your tanks is likely a lot cleaner than what’s in the dams and rivers that are used for our water supply. While you shouldn’t drink it straight from the barrel (it’s run off your roof after all!), there are affordable filtration systems that can be attached to your tank system that will make the water fully potable and ideal for drinking, bathing, washing clothes and cleaning dishes. Just linking your system up to your toilets for flushing can save you a massive 12litres per flush – that’s about 210 litres per week!
- Water through restrictions – Water restrictions are commonplace in Australia, especially during the dry months. With a rainwater tank, however, you can keep using the water you’ve collected for whatever you want – even watering your garden. As a bonus, plants tend to grow much better off rainwater than mains supply water.
- You can go off-grid – With the right system, you can go off-grid with your water supply for even greater savings. While this does depend on sufficient rainfall, it’s a wonderful eco-friendly solution that means you only use the mains water supply in an emergency situation.
Choosing the Right Rain Water Tanks
- Regulations – First, check and see if any regulations or policies are in place for your local area regarding rainwater collection tanks. You may be restricted in terms of how many tanks you have, the size of the tanks allowed, or even if the tanks have to be hidden from view or positioned a certain way. You may also have to get permission to attach your tanks to your home’s main water supply.
- Material – You can get rainwater tanks in polyethylene, concrete, fibreglass or metal, and each has its own pros and cons in terms of cost, longevity and usability. Some tanks are made in a slimline design to fit snuggly and unobtrusively on smaller properties, while others can be buried underground. Polyethylene tanks are the most widely available and affordable, and the larger your tank the more you can expect to pay.
- Size – The size of your tank will depend on where you can install it and what you want to use it for. If you want to go off-grid as much as possible, you will need about 10000-20000 litres, while a tank for supplementary watering of the garden can be as small as 1000-2500 litres.
- Cost – In addition to the material and size of the tank, there are other costs to consider depending on what you want to use your tank for. For example, using the rainwater as your mains water supply (even just to flush toilets) will require a licenced plumber, as will setting your tanks up for use as drinking water. If you simply want to use your tank to water the garden, installation costs are much lower, even if you add a pump and watering system.
Save Our Scarce Resources – Become a Water Warrior and Install Your Collection Tank
Now, before the rainy season really starts up, is the perfect time to install your rainwater collection system! At AquaGas, we’re passionate about the environment as well as helping our clients save on their monthly bills, and we can assist you in designing and installing the right rainwater tank system for your home. In addition, we can assist you with all your rainwater tank repairs and maintenance. Contact us today for more information.
