What to do with your rainwater from your rainwater tanks

Rainwater harvesting is an environmentally sound practice and it can save money on water bills.

Here are a few notes on what you can use rainwater for:

• Irrigation: Probably the most common use of rainwater from rain water tanks and rain barrels. Very little filtering is required (depending on your irrigation system), especially if a simple hose is used. Plants respond to rainwater very positively when compared to chemical-laden municipal water. Use rainwater on your garden, lawn and vegetable garden.
• Filling swimming pools & ponds: This can save a significant amount of money on water bills, especially if the pool water level is low or empty. Natural or fish ponds are much better off if filled or topped up with rainwater  – municipal water, even with tiny concentrations of chemicals such as chlorine, can be dramatically detrimental to aquatic organisms.
• Washing the car: Rainwater can be used straight from the water tank and as a bonus, it does not contain any chlorine or other chemicals that could potentially damage your car’s finish.
• General purpose cleaning:  Rainwater can be used for hosing down driveways, washing floors and any number of other cleaning uses.
• Emergency water for fires: Rainwater stored in water tanks at strategic points could be very helpful in the event of a fire.
• Flushing toilets: Rainwater can be used, totally unfiltered, to flush toilets (why use treated drinking water?).
• Bathing & showering: With some basic filtering, rainwater is perfectly safe to use for washing. Just ensure that the rooftop and gutters are not painted with toxic paint and that a first flush system is employed so that any debris, birds’ droppings, etc are removed before the rainwater reaches the water tank inlet. Rainwater is naturally soft and good for the skin and hair.
• Laundry: Again, some basic filtering is required so that washing machine filters do not get clogged. Also ensure that your roof or other collection surface is not imparting a stain to the water.
• Drinking water: Somewhat contentious but it need not be. Assuming your roof/collection surface is clean and free of toxic coatings and the gutters are kept clean, rainwater that has entered rainwater tanks with a first-flush system in place, should be fine to drink (millions of people across the world drink harvested rainwater in much more primitive/dirtier conditions). However, this does not necessarily mean the water is ‘safe’ to drink 100% of the time. If you intend drinking your rainwater (and using it for brushing teeth), we always recommend that a good filtration system be installed. Filtered rainwater is probably the most healthy, eco-friendly water that you could ever drink (all the chemicals added to municipal water to make it ‘safe’ not only taste awful but can have negative long-term health implications).

Rainwater harvesting tanks have so many benefits and rainwater can be used for any purpose that mains water would be used for (with a few caveats).

It is important to choose a high quality water tank that will not leach chemicals into the stored water; we recommend JoJo Tanks water tanks & rainwater tanks – made from food-grade raw materials and lined with an inner black lining that inhibits algae growth and keeps water fresher for longer. Click on the links below for more information on JoJo water tanks and other JoJo Tanks products.

JoJo Tanks South Africa offer a wide range of products such as plastic water tanks and chemical tanks to suit every household, business or agricultural need, including silo tanks and silo tank stands as well as other high quality JoJo Tanks products.  See JoJo Tanks’ VERTICAL TANKS, HORIZONTAL TANKS (transporter tanks), STEEL TANK STANDS and OTHER JOJO PRODUCTS and see JoJo Tanks’ NEW 6000 LITRE UNDERGROUND TANKS. Also see our FAQ and WATER TANK PRICES.