Custom Built Tanks for Your Situation

Rainwater Tank Costing Adelaide

Did you know that having a rainwater tank in Adelaide can actually save you money on your water bills?

In order to work out the cost of installing a rainwater tank in Adelaide you will need to first work out how much area you have to use a a catchment for rain. This will usually be the roof of your home or shed or both.

You will need to know the size of your roof area. To do this you can look at your house plans and see the size of the floor plan. You will then need to take into consideration amounts for the eaves as well as any shedding that may have down pipes. Having these plumbed into your tank can and will increase the amount of water you collect. This will give you the combined surface area available to you for your calculation.
You should also work out the amount of rain that falls in your area. The average will do. You can get this information from the Bureau of Meteorology.
As an aside, it is noted that the majority of the Adelaide Plains receives 450-600mls/annum rainfall.

To do your calculation: Water Volume(kL)=Average annual rainfall(mm) x coefficient of runoff x roof area(m2). The coefficient of runoff of .9 is used to obtain a rough estimate(Dept of Environment and Heritage 1999)
When using this formula, please note you might need to take into account water lost in the event of a heavy storm or if existing tanks are already full etc.
Once you have done this, you will have an idea on the size of tank you might need. You should also take into account how you will use this new resource. Perhaps doing a water use audit will help.

What to use your collected rainwater for?

Collected rainwater can be used just for flushing the toilet or garden or you can have your entire house plumbed to rainwater.
Using your rainwater in this fashion is great, as you may not need many rainwater tanks to store water. As you use the rainwater you then have more space to collect more rainwater.
Some households rely solely on rainwater for all their water needs. In this situation it is critical to ensure that you have adequate rainwater tanks for storage to enable you to manage water in the summer months and prevent you from running out of vital water. It is also critical to ensure that everything is connected correctly, your roof space should be adequate to harvest enough water to fill your rainwater tanks.

Additional Fixtures and Fittings needed for your Rainwater Tank.

Pump and filter setup

Water Filters:Having filters on your rainwater system to purify your water for drinking is a must. H2orainwater tanks can help you with this as well. They will design a system that will allow you to harvest the water and then to use it in your household.

Backflow Protection: as per (SA Water) if you are considering having your rainwater tank connected to your home for all your water needs and if you also have town supply to your home, you should have a Backflow protection fitting connected so that your rainwater cannot leak into the existing town supply -in accordance with Australian Standard AS3500.1.2. This should be fitted by an accredited installer (plumber).

Filter/Screens : Your tank will need to be fitted with screens to prevent mosquitoes and birds from entering your tank and suitable filters to prevent debris runoff from the gutters or surrounds from entering your tank. You could use a first flush filter, this can be fitted to your down-pipes that supply water to your rainwater tank. You should also consider how this water is taken away to prevent erosion and flooding.

Gutter Guards : You should also consider fitting gutter guards or the like to prevent leaf litter and dead animals from entering your rainwater tank.

Tank Cleaning: Your rainwater tank should also have a opening that can be used as access to clean out the tank, this is usually a lid that can be removed when needed and situated on the top of the tank.

Overflow Protection: Your rainwater tank should also have an overflow outlet. The water that is excess in your rainwater tank will need to be diverted to areas where it will not cause flooding of your home or garden areas. This is especially critical in times of heavy downpours when systems cannot cope with the huge amounts of water.

Water Pumps: You might also need a pump to deliver the water with pressure to your household.

Steve from H2Orainwater tanks is able to help you select the right pump for your situation.

This is a brief explanation on how to calculate the amount of rainwater you can collect off your roof area and determining the size of the rainwater tank that is needed for your situation. You can contact Steve from h2orainwatertanks.com.au on 0428477610 to arrange a no obligation quote on a rainwater tank.  He will custom build your next rainwater tank and will also ensure that your rainwater tank fittings are all compliant to the Australian Standard.