With Australia in the midst of one of the worst droughts in history most cities and towns are experiencing severe water restrictions making it the ideal time for you to install a rainwater tank or grey water system to significantly reduce your water mains usage and therefore your water bills.
Harvesting rain water run-off from your roof can provide a valuable water source for many uses around the home and reduce your water usage from mains by as much as 85%. By switching to tank water for toilet flushing, garden and laundry use alone you can reduce your usage up to 70%.
Not sure what's involved? consider the following before making your decision:
Size of the tank.
This will depend on how much water you use, what you are using the water for, how many people live in the house and how big the catchment area is. As a minimum a tank should hold; 2000 litres for toilet flushing use only or a small garden area, 5000 litres for non-potable domestic water uses i.e. flushing toilet, washing machine usage and watering the garden.
Type of the tank
Tanks are made of polyethylene, metal, concrete or fibreglass and can be located above or below ground.
Location of the tank
The location will be determined by the size of the tank you choose – do you have the appropriate area?
Cost
Likely to be one of the main factors in your decision to install a tank, make sure you take into account all aspects:
- Cost of the tank
- Delivery and installation
- Roof, guttering and down pipe adjustments
- Location of tank and associated costs i.e. stand or excavations
- Purchase of associated products such as backflow prevention devices, flow regulators, screens, gutter guards and pumps
- Extra plumbing that may be required
- Maintenance of tank
Restrictions, regulations and rebates
Most councils are in favour on the installation of rainwater tanks with many legislating they be installed on all new houses however you should check with your relevant council. Additionally you should check for any rebates that are offered by your local council or state government for installation of rainwater tanks.
Finally your decision must weigh up the cost of a tank and its associated expenses against the long-term savings to your water bill and the environment.
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