Water Saving Basics

A rain water tank enables you to store the water that falls on your roof as rain, and reuse it throughout your home and garden, thus reducing the amount of mains water used (ie. water you pay for). An eco-friendly rain water tank is a great way to increase your self-sufficiency and water saving, all the while preserving your garden during the drier months of the year.

Whatever your space or needs, there is a rain water tank to suit you! Water tanks are made from a variety of different materials, and come in a range of shapes and sizes. Rain water tanks can be made out of food-grade polyethylene, steel, and PVC. They can be round, slimline, squat, modular, underground, or bladder, in shape and dimension. Choosing the right size rain water tank is also important – as a general rule, get the biggest and strongest tank that you can afford! View our water saving videos.

Polyethylene or plastic rain water tanks are widely available and represent good value in terms of cost per litre. Polyethylene rain water tanks will expand and contract over time as they fill and release, which means they need to have a sturdy base and flexible hosing. Polyethylene tanks are light and easy to manoeuvre into position, and have a long life if kept out of direct sunlight.

Modern steel rain water tanks are available in a range of shapes, sizes and colours, and are coated with food-grade polyethylene to prevent corrosion. Steel rain water tanks are stronger than polyethylene rain water tanks and will not degrade in the sun, or bulge, making water saving easier whatever the condition. In addition, they are fully recyclable at the end of their life. Neco is a distributor of Tankworks steel rain water tanks.

To use rain water in your home, you will need to install a pump capable of providing enough pressure to your toilet and laundry. When there is sufficient water in your rain water tank, the tank is smart enough to know to send that water to the toilet and/or laundry. When there isn’t enough water in the tank, the pump automatically switches over to mains water, and pumps this through to your toilet or laundry. The process is seamless, reliable, and cost effective when considering your water savings and energy savings from not relying solely upon mains water.

It is important to filter the rain water that you will be using in your home to ensure that all debris (eg. leaves) is removed. It is also important to ensure that your tank is large enough to comfortably meet your water needs, so as to minimise use of mains water. It is also worth upgrading to a dual flush toilet if you don’t already have one, and to a more eco-friendly front load washing machine, which uses less water than top-loaders. All of these small changes add up to more sustainable living!

Grey water recycling is the use of water from non-toilet plumbing fixtures, such as showers, basins, and taps. It is advisable to not to use water from kitchens and dishwashers for grey water recycling because of the potential for contamination by pathogens. One of the most common and eco-friendly sources of grey water is waste water from washing machines. Grey water is typically used on gardens, but recycled grey water can also be re-used indoors for toilet flushing and clothes washing. Imagine the water saving! Just remember, grey water cannot be stored for more than 24 hours.

Many people implement homemade grey water recycling solutions that simply direct waste washing machine water onto lawns and garden beds. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it can lead to consequences which strengthen the case for a properly integrated grey water recycling system. A properly integrated grey water recycling system will filter out most particles found in grey water such as soap scum, food scraps and worse. A properly integrated system will also pump the grey water to the garden through sub-surface irrigation, where any remaining toxins or pathogens will not be harmful to humans or animals.