How To Prepare For Your Water Tank
SELECT AN APPROPRIATE SITE
Selecting the most appropriate site for your water tank will be based on a number of factors.
Access to Site
The available access to a proposed site will often limit the size of the tank or the location of the site itself. Plenty of people have room for a 10,000 litre tank in their backyard but cannot get the tank there because of side boundaries or structures such as garages or pergolas. In such cases it might be necessary to consider the front of the property.
Catchment Size
The catchment size is the area of roof that services the tank. In most cases only a proportion of the roof will suffice as the catchment. An area of 50 square metres will usually have one to two downpipes that allow the water to escape from the gutters. This sized catchment will catch 500 litres for every 10mm of rain and is often enough to service a tank up to 10,000 litres.
Internal Appliance Location
To keep the internal plumbing costs to a minimum it’s a good idea to place the tank as close as possible to the toilet or laundry if the tank is to be plumbed internally.
Council Boundary Restrictions
Many local councils have boundary restrictions that determine where a tank cannot be placed. The Brisbane City Council, for example, requires you to apply for a relaxation of the boundary restriction if you wish to place a tank within 6metres of the front boundary when a tank is to be placed at the front of the property.
PREPARE THE SITE
A water tank needs to sit absolutely level when properly installed. This means the proposed site might need a little work. It is always better to excavate to level rather than build up with road base or crusher dust. This will ensure the tank won’t lean when it is full of water. Where a lot of excavation is needed the site might also need some retaining so the excavated earth won’t collapse onto the base.
Site preparation can be time consuming and expensive. If you’re feeling fit enough you can reduce the cost of installation by doing it yourself. If not Gardeners Watertanks are happy to come to your property in the greater Brisbane area and give you a free, no obligation, quote. Please contact Gardeners Watertanks on 1300 556 813, or use our contact form.