An overview of the ideal water tank

When choosing a water storage tank for storing rainwater or water from other sources, there are a number of things to consider before buying the water tank or water tanks best suited to your needs.

Firstly, decide on the size of water tank or water tanks that you need.  Size of the tank will be determined by what you need the tank for, how much roof surface area your building has (if rainwater harvesting), how much space you have to install the tank and budget (the bigger the tank, the more costly).  If the tank is to be used for ‘hobby’ rainwater harvesting, i.e. harvesting small amounts of rainwater from the rooftop for supplementing garden irrigation, then one of the smaller water tanks such as JoJo’s Slimline 750 litre rainwater tank may be a good choice.  Generally, a 5000 litre above ground vertical water tank or a 6000 litre underground water tank would suit most average households.  Businesses and industries may require larger volumes of water to be stored and here sizes from 10000 litres to 20000 litres may be better.

Secondly, decide on the material that the water tank is made from.  Stainless steel tanks are great but they are very costly and prone to damage during transport and installation.  Galvanised steel water tanks can give good service but soon start to corrode if not carefully maintained and installed (in some areas, certain minerals in the stored water can start to corrode steel water tanks within a few years).  Fibreglass water tanks tend to crack if roughly handled and also allow light penetration which encourages algae growth.  Concrete water tanks or water reservoirs are costly to build and generally cannot be relocated.  Concrete water tanks can also crack and be prone to damage during seismic events.  This leaves ‘plastic’ or polyethylene water tanks.  Poly water tanks are often recommended because of their ease of transport (light weight) and installation, resistance to damage during transport and installation, inert properties and no rusting/corrosion, longevity and affordability.

Thirdly, choose your brand of water tank very carefully.  This is where many buyers, in today’s economic climate, make the mistake of purchasing the cheapest brand on the market.  As with many commodities and products, you generally get what you pay for when it comes to water tank brands.  The cheapest water tanks will not last long (some cheaper poly tanks do not last more than a year or two in Africa’s harsh environment) and may even leach harmful chemicals into the stored water.

We recommend water tanks made by JOJO TANKS South Africa- their horizontal and vertical water tanks are lined with an FDA-approved food grade black lining, are UV protected and are guaranteed for 5 years.  Click HERE for more reasons to buy JoJo water tanks.