Wife Beater

I want a big one but can't be sure on what size would be best for the average joe.
It needs to be big enough to keep up with all my partners needs as she likes to get the hose out daily and spray it all around the garden, keep her bush in shape.
So how big is your water tank or what size do you think would be best for a 1000sqm block.

Bix

Don't know mate.
We haven't got one but here are some sizes

http://www.billabongrainwatertanks.com.au/tanks.htm

cresta57

We have 2 x 24500 litre tanks for all our water needs. Last nights rainfall was 25mm that put just over 2600 litres in the tanks. Both are now full and should last until the rains in September/October.

annqldau

Mmmm... not sure how big do you think G's is Cresta, as I'm not sure as a man if you would class his as big or small and I don't know?

Yes noticed it rained...noticed it pissed over the side of the gutters...got soaked using my mad scientist emergency gutter cleaner...most of the rain went everywhere but the tanks so think we need gutter guard, is it worth it or do the leaves just get stuck in that instead?

wengerboy

our tank is 1500 litres but is solely for water replacement in the home.
http://www.ecoresources.biz/water.html
perhaps the mrs should trim the bush right down? no one likes to see an unruly bush afterall

BadgeIsBack

Sounds like you've got alternatives..

BadgeIsBack

Great - I was wondering what sort of yields you might get. Like Cnj? said, the roof area counts of course, the total water fall, in mm, only 'falls once in one area' if you know what I mean.

cresta57

Our roof is easy to calculate no hips or valleys.
16.8 X 12.3 = 206.64 m2
10mm x 206.64 = 2.0664m3
2.0664 = 2000 litres allowing for a bit to flow over the gutter.
We just check the rain gauge after a storm and know that every 10 mm = 1/12 of one tank or 1/24 if it's flowing into both.
250mm fills both tanks. Only problem is when it really comes down heavy the small gutter overflows before the water runs into the tank. Even that can be calculated so we know that any more than 10 mm per hour the gutters overflow etc.
Sounds very sad and boring but when you rely on the rainfall for all your water needs you just become accustomed to not wasting it and watching the rain gauge every time it rains, you know that good rain comes from the West and if it comes from the N.E it's usually to much for the gutters to cope with and doesn't last long enough
Going to get my anorak now

Ozzidoc

Actually Cresta, that sounds really interesting. ALL your water needs? Potable?Loo, washing machine, shower?

JackTheLad

I was actually thinking of getting two big ones (but no, I'm not sad enough to go up and measure the size of my roof ).

Especially if QLD government go ahead with the subsidies for raintanks. It was pissing me off that Brisbane city council was offering subsidies for rain tanks, but redlandshire council wasn't, even though Redlandshire were imposing the same water restrictions as Brisbane City Council. You've got to love Redlandshires Councils logic.

"We will impose the same water restricitions to show solidarity with Brisbane, even though our dams are full".

"We will not offer the same subsidies as Brisbane for raintanks because our dams are full".

But now its a state subsidy, we will look at it again. Oh and by the way, its not all about money. We already have the AAAA rated shower heads, and washing machine and dish washer, and toilets,

JTL

cresta57

Everything! we drink it we wash in it and we flush the dunnie with it
When it runs out we have to buy it $120 bucks for 2k gallons [half a tank]
In Summer we have the odd relaxing bath with the excess from the summer storms the rest of the time we're very water wise.
Another thing is once you know your average rainfall + your roof size you can work out just how many tanks you can fill in the average year. Thus it's no point putting in 2 X 10,000 gallon underground tanks if you live in a small house or a 2 storey with limited catchment where you get insufficient rain to fill them.

wengerboy

Rather not go into too much detail though.

cresta57

God only knows how big it is how about using a little arithmetic, thanks to good old Archimedes, exercise the grey cells and him by sending him out with the tape measure. That should cure his latest Wendy fantasies, failing that you'll really have to explain that she isn't the one that makes the ice cream
pi X r squared X hight to the overflow should tell you the volume in cubic metres X 1000 for litres.
At a guess I'd say your concrete one is a half buried 5400 gallon one and the other is a 2200 gallon one
Gutter guard will stop the leaves but not the seeds/pollen and dust, great for high roofs like ours. Would save me doing the tightrope along the handrail once a fortnight. you'd still need to wash the gutters a couple of times a year with the drain plugs open so the muck doesn't go into your tank

Wife Beater

I was thinking about getting a tank just for keeping the grass green and washing the car, kids bikes etc but found out today that to be eligible for the $1000 rebate you must also have it connected to your toilet and laundry.
We have a house with 2 toilets at opposite ends of the house and a laundry roughly in the middle so the amount of plumbing work involved would be costly and probably more than the rebate, although I suppose we should all think of more than just the money with the drought.
We have a large house with a huge roof area and have 12 downpipes which would prove costly to divert them all in to a tank.

annqldau

Mmmm...not sure if I have tape measure big enough for him... will look into it. Wendy, think she keeps him happy in some strange way I won't go there. Will get him to Archimedes the tanks to figure out what we have got. Can't tightrope along the handrail as our gutter sticks out further. Plan to leave the end of gutter downcommer removable to allow flushing.