Choosing A Rain Water Tank

Choosing a rain water tank or any other type of tank can be difficult as there are so many brands and types of storage tanks on the market; this article outlines some tips to take into account when choosing a rainwater tank. Some advantages of plastic or polyethylene water tanks is also discussed.

What size water tank do I need?

The installation of a ‘large as possible’ rainwater tank and harvesting rainwater from your roof minimises the impact of water shortages and lessens your water costs.

• Calculate your likely annual usage from the water storage requirement table below.
• Using the water catchment table and the average rainfall for your area, calculate the amount of rainwater captured by your roof.
• Now you can check your intended usage against the average annual catchment.
• Identify your proposed water tank site and measure the space and height available.

Water Storage Requirements Table

The following tables displayed show estimated figures and should only be used as a guide.

Average Household Water Requirements

*Daily Use includes bath, toilet, cleaning teeth, etc.

Average Garden Water Requirements Table

Advantages of using plastic or polyethylene water tanks over other materials:

• Old concrete water tanks can get calcium leaching out of the walls, forming white deposits.
• Tin and galvanised iron or steel water tanks can react chemically with the water, especially minerals in bore water.
• Plastic lined corrugated iron  water tanks sweat between the liner and the corrugated iron causing rust. The liner will split and is not vermin proof.
• Fibreglass water tanks break down after a period of time.
• Open top water tanks or water tanks with shadecloth over the top allow dirt, debris and sunlight into them causing algae growth.

Source: Practical Plastics

We recommend JoJo tanks which are of one-piece construction (rotomoulded so no seams) and made from food grade polyethylene, suitable for storing water for human consumption. JoJo water tanks also have a black plastic inner liner that inhibits algae growth and keeps the store water fresher for longer. There are many JoJo tanks tanks that are suitable for rainwater harvesting, from the popular 750 litre Slimline tank right up to the 20000 litre vertical water tank; click on the links below for more information about 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.