Uses of Rain Water Tanks & Installation Guide
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The first thing you need to do is decide just what you are going to do with the water you collect in your rain water tank?
Here are some possibilities of uses for the water, the list is by no means complete:
- Complete household use
- Laundry and toilet flushing
- Showers and bathing
- Garden irrigation
Size of Water Storage Tank required
Before you select your Water Storage Tank you need to calculate just how much water you need to collect for your needs. This exercise is just for getting enough water for the garden.
Now lets say your normal house water supply delivers water at approximately 20 psi which translates to about 2 gallons (10 litres) a minute (this all depends on the water supply, the condition of your pipes etc.), so if you water the garden for one hour you will be using 120 gallons (600litres) / hour.
According to research this figure is close to what the average family uses per day in Australia and America!
The installation I want to concentrate on here is for watering the Garden using a Poly (Plastic) Water Storage Tank as the other uses would very likely require the services of a Licensed Plumber.
Alright, based on the figures explained before the closest tank I can find for your to use is a 220 gallon (1000litre) tank. This tank is a round tank which measures about 3ft (900mm) in diameter and stands about 6feet (1.8metres) tall. See the image over there ——->>
The next decision is whether you want to gravity feed from the water tank or purchase a pump to run sprinklers and a hand held hose from the water tank.
If you do not want to run a pump and most people in this situation would not, then I would suggest that to gain some pressure you place the water tank on a platform or tank stand. Keep in mind that when the water tank is full 220 gallons of water does weigh quite a bit so the platform or water tank would have to be substantial.
Next is to find a location for the water tank . I would suggest close to a wall or tucked up the side of your house, somewhere close to the down-pipe of the guttering system around the roof of your house.
Supplies and Tools
There is not a lot you need to fit this water tank and here is a list of items that you may use starting with the supply and then the tools:
Supplies
1 x Poly (Plastic) Water storage tank
1 x First Flush device (optional) There are many different types available I would suggest to use the ball type it requires less maintenance in fact if you are a handy-person you can make them yourself.
1 x Length of pipe 4 inch to suit the size of your down pipe
1 x adapter for pipe
1 x faucet (tap) word of caution here I would suggest to go for what is termed a ‘gate valve’ as there may be some time between uses the valve in a normal tap or faucet may stick due to lack of pressure.
1 x PVC Glue for pipes
Packing sand or concrete block / platform / tank stand for underneath the tank
Tools required:
Hacksaw
half round file
tape measure
ladder
Hammer (don’t know what you will need it for but every job needs a Hammer)
1 x Foreperson.
Plumbing the Water Tank
Now you have gathered all of your supplies and borrowed the tools from your neighbors we can start the installation.
Look around an find a nice place for the water tank preferably close to the down pipe. Carry out the preparatory work on the substrate under the tank. i.e. packing sand, platform, concrete block etc. or get a steel tank stand.
The down-pipe will have to be broken and I would suggest that a ‘first flush’ device be fitted to the down-pipe coming from the gutter. These ‘first flush’ device take up the first few gallons of water coming from the roof to remove all of the rubbish washed down from the roof, then feed the clean water into the water tank.
From the outlet of the ‘first flush’ device there is a connecting pipe to the top of the water tank.
From the outlet of the water tank (the hole just down from the top) a pipe is run to the other end of the down-pipe. This is for when the water tank fills up the overflow will go back down the storm water drainage system and not under your house.
An outlet tap can be fitted to the hole provided, which is about 18 inches above the bottom of the water storage tank!
Source: Hub Pages (by “agvulpes“)
Installing water tanks and plumbing the tanks into your water supply system need not be complicated or difficult. Anybody with fair DIY skills can accomplish this task with a bit or forethought and some relatively inexpensive plumbing supplies. It must be remembered that as the water tank size increases, so does the the weight of the water increase, e.g. a 5000 litre water tank will contain 5000kg of water and a 10000 litre water tank will weigh 10 tonnes! It is very important to ensure the water tank is level and on a suitable platform or tank stand. JoJo steel tank stands are designed and certified by an engineer and are highly recommended. See the links below for the multitude of types and sizes of JoJo tanks and tank stands available in South Africa.
JoJo Tanks South Africa offer a wide range of plastic water tanks and chemical tanks to suit every household, business or agricultural need, including silo tanks and silo tank stands. See JoJo Tanks VERTICAL TANKS, HORIZONTAL TANKS (transporter tanks), STEEL TANK STANDS and OTHER JOJO PRODUCTS. Also see JoJo Tanks’ NEW 6000 LITRE UNDERGROUND TANKS. Also see our FAQ and WATER TANK PRICES.
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