Are Water Tanks Worth It?

The Benefits

Use your rainwater as you choose during water restrictions

As we saw in 2019/2020, water restrictions across NSW reached level 4 in some areas, which heavily restricted how and when you could use water inside and outside your home or property. 

Even if you’re using town or mains water, having a store of rainwater you’ve collected comes in handy for use around the garden and for washing your car.

You can use your water to take longer showers, water your garden how you choose, and not have to use a bucket to wash your car. It’s always important to remember though, water is our most valuable resource, so use it sparingly and with the environment in mind.

Saving money on your water bill

Although there’s an initial cost in the investment you make when purchasing a water tank, the savings add up over the life of the tank. You can also consider the environmental benefits of making your home more sustainable, and the cost benefits associated with that.

Your annual water usage costs can be easily calculated from your water bill and used to determine how much water cost you will save each year.

Also consider that with inflation, your water bill will naturally rise each year too.

The lifespan of a water tank that is correctly and regularly maintained can be up to 20 years, which is a long time to accumulate cost savings.

Collect water free of treatment and chemicals

The taste of fresh rainwater is unbeatable. Many of our customers comment on the water quality and the taste being free of any chlorine or chemical smells.

Most areas are suitable for collecting potable water, however you’ll need a first flush diverter installed to ensure no large debris is collected in your tank. You can also install water filters on your taps, or use a free standing water filter in your home for drinking purposes.

If you’re unsure, speak to one of our friendly staff members who can give you the most up to date information and advice.

Why should you buy a rainwater tank?

There are myriad reasons you may look into buying a water tank, including:

• The cost of town water
• Dryer weather conditions
• Sustainability and BASIX requirements

And usage for:

• Drinking (potable) water
• Watering your veggie garden, flowers or lawn
• Washing Clothes
• Toilet Flushing
• Shower

As with any upgrade to your home, you should use facts and figures to decide whether the cost is worth the benefit in regards to adding a water tank and rainwater harvesting system to your home. You can also use this cost-benefit analysis to assist in your decision to upgrade an existing rain water tank¹.

What size rainwater tank do I need?

There’s no one size fits all answer to the size tank you’ll need, as many factors can influence this, including NSW BASIX requirements. In general terms, you should purchase the largest water tank that will realistically fit at your home or property, and could fill with your local area rainfall and the size of your water collection area on your roof.

How to calculate

An easy and simple way to calculate the size tank you’d need is that 1m² of roof catchment area multiplied by 1mm of annual rainfall is one litre of water you can harvest.

[Roof Catchment Area (m²)] x [Annual Rainfall (mm)] = [Total Capacity (L)]

An example of how much water you could collect in Sydney in one year with a roof size of 100m² would be more than 38,000 L of water. An example of a water tank that would be suitable for this amount of water would be our 3000L Slimline Water Tank. Using the average yearly rainfall of approximately 3,800mm

Discover your average annual rainfall here.

Have any questions to ask?

If you're still deciding if it’s worth buying and installing a rainwater tank, or if you have any questions about the delivery or installation of a new water tank on your property, give our friendly team a call today on (02) 8521 6606 and one of our experts can assist you.