Why should you buy a rainwater tank?
There are many reasons people may look into purchasing a rainwater tank, including but not limited to:
- The rising costs of mains water
- Declining rainfall figures across Australia
- Lack of access to mains water
- Self sustainability
Benefits of installing a rainwater tank
Freedom from water restrictions
One of the benefits of owning a rainwater tank, even if you do have access to mains water, is the freedom that comes with no longer being bound by water restrictions. This means that you can use extra water to do things such as watering gardens or taking longer showers, without it effecting any water restrictions that may be in place in your region.
Long term savings
For some people, one of the more off putting aspects of purchasing a water tank in the short term can be the price tag. However, when you weigh up the amount you pay for water annually and multiply it by five, ten or even twenty years (and that’s without taking into consideration that the cost of water just keeps going up!), the ongoing costs of water can outweigh the initial cost of a water tank.
A properly looked after and maintained rainwater tank can last upward of 20 years – in fact some of the first squatter tanks we installed are still standing to this day – and over that time can provide significant savings on your water bills.
It just tastes better
Just ask anyone whose primary source of drinking water is rainwater – you just can’t beat the taste.
Provided you’re not living in a highly polluted area, any water you catch from your roof should be perfectly safe to drink, however you should attach a first flush diverter to your down pipe, and have the water tested regularly for safety. if you want to take the extra precautions, you could even attach a water filter to the taps in your home.
What size water tank do I need?
When it comes to what size water tank to install, there is no one answer, but realistically, you should install the largest water tank you can afford, fit on your property, and expect to be able to fill with your annual rainfall and roof catchment area.
The best way to calculate this is that one square meter of roof catchment area multiplied by 1mm of annual rainfall is one litre of water you can catch in your tank.
Roof Area (m²) x Annual Rainfall (mm) = Total Water Harvesting Capacity (L)
For example, someone who lives in Toowoomba, with a roof catchment area of 175m² would be able to catch just over 126,000L of water annually (perfect for our 125kL Homestead Range TL Water Tank).
Still not sure?
If you’re still not sure if it is worth getting a rainwater tank, or if you have any questions about installing a water tank on your property, give us a call today on (07) 3441 5600 and one of our experts can assist you.
