How do rainwater tanks work?

Water tanks in urban areas need not be small; where space is limited, underground water tanks such as the JoJo 6000 litre underground tank can be installed. Rainwater harvesting is simple in concept and systems can range from a single gutter directing water to a small rain barrel or drum or they can be sophisticated systems with multiple water tanks. Rainwater can be used for potable purposes as long as it has been properly filtered.

Rainwater tanks collect stormwater run-off from impervious surfaces such as roofs. They are fitted with an overflow mechanism, meaning that once a water tank is full, the overflow is redirected into the stormwater drainage system.

If rainwater tanks are used to water the garden there is the potential to reduce consumption of water from the reticulated (mains) supply by up to 20%. However, based on the average household use of 86kl per year for garden use, a water tank to meet all garden needs would need to be quite large. Most urban rain water tanks are not big enough to supply year-round water to the garden, meaning that they are generally used as a supplementary supply.

Rainwater tanks and their impact on the stormwater system

Urbanisation has increased the amount of stormwater run-off into the drainage system due to an increase in impervious areas of land.

Rainwater tanks can assist in reducing the amount of stormwater run-off by providing short-term detention in the water tank during peak storm events, thereby delaying run-off to drainage system.

However, rainwater tanks, when full, will redirect stormwater using an overflow mechanism back into the drainage system.

Benefits of installing rainwater tanks in an urban area

By installing a water tank on your property, you can minimise your impact on our water resources. Whether it’s to water your garden, wash your car or do your laundry, using the stormwater captured in your water tank can make a significant difference to our water supplies, as well as placing less of a strain on our stormwater drainage system.

Source: Melbourne Water (excerpt)

JoJo Tanks products are available throughout South Africa, click on the links below to view the wide range of water tanks, chemical tanks, septic tanks, tank stands and other high quality 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.