As droughts continue, and water restrictions are becoming permanent, more individuals, families and businesses in Perth, Western Australia have or are looking to purchase a water storage tank to harvest their rainwater.With the enforcement of water restrictions comes the realisation of the real problem of water supply in Australia.
This realisation has increased the awareness of the need for water harvesting methods. The range of rainwater tanks available for purchase has increased. There is now a large range of rainwater tanks designed and manufactured to suit your varying needs and wants and uses of the water you conserve.
Drinking Water
To ensure the water collected is of a high quality, there are guidelines in Australia that are available to manufacturers, allowing them to produce tanks that harvest and store water at a standard that is suitable for human consumption. Please be aware that these standards exist and if you are going to purchase a water tank to be used for drinking water, ensure that the tank you purchase meets the relevant guidelines.
General Uses
Water from your rainwater tank can be used outside your home for general activities, including washing the car or the dog, filling up your spa, swimming pool, or fish pond, cleaning the exterior of your home, or just watering your veggie patch. Some water tanks with pumps have been designed so they can be set up through a reticulation system to water your garden.
Using your rain water tank to water your garden saves a large amount of mains drinking water. Most water tanks come with a tap, hoses can often be purchased from your suppler too.
Different tanks enable you to use the water in your tank differently. Some tanks with pumps will allow you to set your tank up to your reticulation system.
Toilet and Laundry
Almost half of all water consumed in the home is used in the bathroom and a large percentage of that is simply flushed down the toilet. The laundry and toilet are areas of your home that do not need mains drinking water to operate efficiently. Some rain water storage systems are designed to use your conserved water solely in your laundry and toilet, or in your laundry and toilet and for use in your garden, saving you large amounts of water and money.
Some rain water tank systems that use conserved water from your tank to your toilet and laundry, are designed to recognise when the supply of rainwater in your tank is empty. The rain water tank system switches automatically from your diminished supply of rainwater, to mains water until the level of rainwater in the water tank has been replenished. This design feature of the household rain water system allows a continuous supply of water to be used, without the need for individuals to manually turn valves on and off when rain water levels are low. This feature can also be purchased as an optional extra on some tanks.